Re: WinXP is Tweaked to Make it Difficult to Download Mozilla

Ed Mullen wrote:
> Flatfoot wrote:
> 
>> First see my post on 12/30/04 about this subject.  There I talked
>> about trying to download Mozilla on a new computer and the Mozilla
>> website kept hanging, making it impossible to download the program.
>>
>> Meanwhile, I turned to my other computer, with Mozilla already
>> installed, and was able to download the program in about two seconds.
>> The new computer still wouldn't work on the Mozilla site although it
>> worked fine on every other site that I tried.
> 
> 
> If you downloaded it in two seconds you didn't download the full 
> install, just the stub installer.  Details, please, when bringing up 
> support issues here.  Can't help you or deem your complaints credible 
> without enough detail.
> 
>>
>> I thought that was suspicious. 
>> Today I rebuilt my old computer and reinstalled the OS from scratch
>> and updated it to XP SP1 and also the latest security updates.  Then I
>> tried to download Mozilla.  Again it was the same thing.  The fresh XP
>> install with updates works fine on every website except Mozilla.org.  
> 
> 
> SP1???  If you did a clean install why didn't you upgrade to SP2?
> 
>>
>> Again, while the newly set up computer was hanging on the Mozilla site
>> I turned to the other computer and very quickly downloaded Mozilla and
>> burned it to a disc, put it in the other computer and installed it. 
>> It took about 12 more minutes to finally download Mozilla with
>> Internet Explorer.  
> 
> 
> So, ultimately your problem is with Internet Explorer.  With the various 
> security updates to IE the security settings are possibly different from 
> one PC to the other.
> 
>>
>> Don't give me any comments about "paranoid conspiracy theories."
>> Anybody can try this:  Fresh install of Windows XP, Windows Updates,
>> and see how it is almost impossible to download Mozilla.
> 
> 
> Been there, done that, with 6 computers in the last month using a 
> combination of Windows XP Home and Pro all using SP2.  No problems. 
> Zero.  None.  Nada.  Zilch.  Ok?
> 
>>
>> Microsoft is up to its dirty tricks again.  Those of you who think
>> this is a "conspiracy theory" are simply ignorant of Microsoft's
>> history of dishonest and deceitful tactics aimed at discouraging the
>> use of competing products.
> 
> 
> Microsoft isn't doing anything nefarious despite your contentions. 
> Consider, rationally the following:
> 
> -  If MS were deliberately or accidentally "breaking" Windows in this 
> way you'd see documented reports spreading like wildfire in respected 
> technical and industry publications.  Nothing there.
> 
> -  You have not provided a single bit of useful information for 
> determining what's happening on *your* systems so that we might help you 
> sort it out.
> 
> -  Your problem is *not* happening on millions of other similar systems 
> as witnessed both by the lack of similar reports industry-wide and even 
> here in these news groups.  In fact, you'll see (and have been ignoring) 
> contrary reports to both your original Dec. 30 post and this one.
> 
> We're happy to help you sort out what's wrong with your system.  That's 
> why we're here.  If you care to stop the unsupported blaming of the OS 
> in the face of contrary evidence and provide enough details for 
> effective troubleshooting, we'll dive in and try to help you resolve 
> your issues.  For instance:
> 
> - are you on dial-up or broadband?
> - are both PCs connected to the Net independently?  Or via a LAN?
> - are you behind a router or other network hardware?
> - are you running a software firewall?
> - are you running Antivirus software?
> - have you configured IE's security settings the same on both PCs?
> - do you have any add-ons to IE installed?
> - have you run AV and adware scans on both machines?
> - do you have any programs loading at system startup?  the same ones on 
> both machines?
> 
> Etc. etc. etc.
> 
Add to your list:
Have you applied ALL MS security patches, INCLUDING SP2?