ab2 - About some old DVD-R data

ab2 - About some old DVD-R data

First, on the previous post, "ab1" & "abo", Google/Blogger has recovered the lost post of Thursday May 12 2011. I got all excited for nothing. One should know better, that Google, with all their power and resources would have redundant data capabilities. (Thank you Google). One thing I didn't notice was the day I posted "ab1" happened to be Friday the 13th! This year, it is the only Friday the 13th on the calendar. Is this a coincidence? (There are no coincidences.). There is a small quirk in my "ab0" post's tag/label. The tag "cd-rom" now has two funny characters next to it:

Summary, Google/Blogger has efficiently and professionally dealt with the data loss and data recovery.

For today's post, "ab2", I want to document a similar issue as post "ab0", only that instead of data loss from a Cd-rom, I want to talk about data loss from a DVD-R disc. I have discovered 3 of my DVD-R discs are unreadable in my DVD-RW drive. These discs are approximately 3 and a half years old. When I burned them originally, I immediately verified the data after the burn. Recently, once inserted into the drive, the discs spins for 10 - 20 secconds, and then Windows thinks the discs are blank. The good news is that on a different computer & drive, the disc(s) becomes readable. I have been able therefore to recover this data. I don't know what to attribute this loss to. Perhaps one of my drive's has faulty/different laser alignment. Could it be due to DVD-R rot? Is there such a phenonmenon?

ab1 - Will Yesterday's Blogger Post Return

ab1 - Will Yesterday's Blogger Post Return?
Yesterday, Thursday, May12.2011 just before lunch time (so, approximately 27 hrs ago), I posted a short essay discussing data loss due to aged cd-r media discs, i.e., "Cd-rot". Today, when I clicked on my "blogspot" or the post's permalink is: http://jianchomeshi.blogspot.com/2011/05/ab0.html , Blogger indicated that there is no such page. See the ScreenShot (sss):

A part of me thought I was becoming more insane than usual, because I remembered writing the post. After logging in & out to Blogger several times I went to the "dashboard" etc.. to see if my post was sent to "draft" status, but I could find no evidence.

Even as I write this, yesterday's post is still absent. (sss).


I am reassured after I searched for my post in Google, that evidence of its existence is shown.
.
Blogger-Buzz reassures posts' retrieval by explaining the technical difficulties: http://buzz.blogger.com/2011/05/blogger-is-back.html . .
Anyway, I am keeping my fingers crossed and I hope yesterday's post will return. Briefly the post was about how some of my 10 year old cd-r discs have deteriorated and the data/files is either partially or totally corrupt. I bear no hard-feelings against Blogger as they provide this wonderful service for free. I am not surprised that digital information is so fragile. I was somewhat stunned when I looked at my Blogspot and discovered my post was missing.

ab0 - A Case of Cd Rot

ab0 - A Case of Cd Rot

Recently, I have experienced first hand cd-rom degradation. Some data cds (homemade), 10 years ago have corrupt files or the entire disc is unreadable by the computer's optical drive. Four or five of my discs have 10-20% files unreadable. One disc was very poor. It refused to be read in 4 different optical drives! This one is a brand-name disc. I'm not going to reveal the brand, but I am very happy with their equipment and their media. Disc rot, I believe happens to any/all brands of media. (It may happen more with generic, no-name discs, but I can't prove this.)

I had read about disc rot in a computer magazine 5+ (?) years ago. The way I understand it: The bits degrade with time and your data becomes corrupt. The computer will be unable to read it &/or give an error message of "cyclic redundancy check error" (or similar). Blank optical discs have a layer of pigment/dye/ink sandwiched in some type of plastic/polymer. The cd-writer laser(s) burn concaves into this dye which is later read as data (ie 1's and 0's). Over time, the dye degrades and so does you data.
One doesn't believe they are susceptible to Cd rot until it happens. It also happened with my commercial discs; but fortunately the corrupt data was only about 5% unreadable. (Perhaps commercial discs are manufactured differently or with different materials.)
Again the moral of the story is to make regular backups of your digital data.
A friend purchased some archival quality cd-r's designed for digital photographs, but they use it for their data. I'm assuming/hoping that these cd-r's would degrade slower than regular quality cd-r's. So far not enough time has passed for an opinion to be made.

aa9 - Nokia 2760 User's Manual for Dummies

aa9 - Nokia 2760 User's Manual for Dummies

Intro| Although I am relatively new to cell phone use, I have used other brands of cell phones, and their Operating Systems are equally dreadful. "What kind of dread?" you may ask. The kind similar to a newbie buying a Windows98 computer (back in the late 1990s). The purchaser (me) had inadequate directions/instructions included with the package. I had to revert to buying guidebooks and computer magazines just to get the pre-requisites.
On the 'net, there are no guides are user-friendly instructions that I could find. Nor, are there any magazines or guides in bookstores regarding the Nokia 2760.

This is JC's work in progress. It includes tips/hints that other users like me should know. Enjoy. Its direct url is http://www.box.net/shared/5i4hmkqj2u







box.net:gish ~.e4t (Please disregard the outdated material below, Jian)



.- direct link for the above widget contents Jian-nokia2760manual box on box.net
http://www.box.net/shared/cuq7xpeaj9 -------Please refer to the bigger box above.
.-

aa8 - braviax figaro beep trojan virus

aa8 - braviax figaro.sys beep.sys trojan virus virantix.c sophos

Summary
=======
I have succumbed to the figaro.sys aka beep.sys aka braviax.exe trojan/virus.
How: surfing using internet explorer looking for an application to change ringtones.
Possible (speculative) source sites:

thepoon.rinnovate.com/cgi-bin/viewpost.cgi?p=20050916040436

www.esnips.com/doc/8167f6de-5b19-4b2d-990d-0331f31abe07/3GP_Converter031

Symptoms: All of a sudden, the computer beeps, and shutsdown. When restarted there is a warning in the system tray about an infection. dvd drive doesn't appear to be working. it recognizes blank dvd. it won't recognize blank cd. it won't recognize an audio cd. it won't recognize dvd with stuff already burned on it. (Late Entry:) on second thought, maybe my dvd-drive is faulty. With the assistance of some more intelligent souls, we have discovered that the autorun feature settings for the dvd-drive have been modified, but this shouldn't affect the dvd-drive's ability to read.

Viral Files found:
figaro.sys
beep.sys (2 copies)
rkpg.exe (2 copies)
delself.bat
braviax.exe
34rdft.bat
ld12.exe
~TM6.tmp
1.tmp

Remedy: Discard the computer and buy a "Mac".

fffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffffff

Some info about this virantix.c trojan:
www.symantec.com/security_response/writeup.jsp?docid=2008-050916-1055-99&tabid=2





other notes:
beep.sys is overwritten
browser used = internet explorer
dvd drive doesn't appear to be working.
it recognizes blank dvd.
it won't recognize blank cd.
it won't recognize dvd with stuff already burned on it.

virus-like file:
----------------

found:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\figaro.sys ... Found the FakeAlert-C.dr trojan !!!
The file has been deleted. (this op done by antivirus software; manual removal not possible)
found:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\dllcache\beep.sys ... Found the FakeAlert-C.dr trojan !!!
The file has been deleted. (this op done by antivirus software; manual removal not possible)

found:
C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM32\drivers\beep.sys ... Found the FakeAlert-C.dr trojan !!!
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers beep.sys size approx 33 kb original file created file modified Thursday, March 19, 2009 approx 11:26 p.m.


action taken:
original archive copy of beep.sys size 4,224 bytes (modified Friday, August 17, 2001, 1:47:38 PM) extracted (from BEEP.SY_ modified Wednesday, August 04, 2004, 5:00:00 AM) and copied back to
C:\WINDOWS\system32\drivers --- note: i changed its properties to "Read Only".


found:
C:\ rkpg.exe size approx 125 kb file created Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:11 PM
(** see also: myDoc_delself.bat.jpg and delself.bat below)


found:
\My Documents\ delself.bat size approx 176 bytes file created Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:12 PM
(note: this file wants to delete itself and rkpg.exe ** see myDoc_delself.bat.jpg and rkpg.exe above)

found:
C:\WINDOWS\system32\ braviax.exe size approx 11 kb file created Thusday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:12 PM
notes: your registry is altered/re-programmed to run braviax.exe when your computer boots up:
example: registry categroy HKCU/Run: path C:\WINDOWS\system32\braviax.exe
example: registry category HKLM/Run: path C:\WINDOWS\system32\braviax.exe
braviax.exe is probably the program which appears as a "red x" in your tray, warning you that you have been infected by spyware and to click its message to have windows download and install a remedy.

found:
C:\WINDOWS\ 34rdft.bat size approx 208 bytes file created Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:13 PM
notes: this batch file wants to delete itself & delete 1.tmp (* see also: 1.tmp below and Windows_34rdft.bat.jpg)

found:
C:\WINDOWS\ld12.exe size approx 26 kb file created Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:12 PM

found:
C:\Documents and Settings\7777777\Local Settings\Temp\ ~TM6.tmp size approx 36 kb file modified Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:?? PM

found:
C:\Documents and Settings\7777777\Local Settings\Temp\ rkpg.exe size approx 47 kb file modified Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:?? PM

found:
C:\Documents and Settings\7777777\Local Settings\Temp\ 1.tmp size approx 27 kb file modified Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:47:?? PM note: most likely the same/related file is ld12.3xe (see above)(* see 34rdft.bat above and Windows_34rdft.bat.jpg)

aa7 - 20090717

aa7 20090717 fri. i am trying to find my way on the major bike paths in burnaby. i'm ready to put my map away & an old chap dressed like rodney dangerfield offers me directions. straight out of the blue! he has mostly grey hair and dresses very casually in shorts and a golf shirt. Normal appearance but with the addition of some gangsta like chain/gold chain jewelry. In his mediterranean residual accent he confirms my directions. Gratefully I thank him. I don't know what else to say. I am somewhat speechless. I'm just not used to people being friendly and helpful. Certainly I don't expect it in a big urban setting. I love the west coast.
I'm trying to remember the moral or the point of the story in the Toby Maguire movie Pleasantville. It takes place in a city called Pleasantville where everything is perfect. Strange, we all strive to find perfection in our lives, yet the movie seems to say that a perfect life is perfectly boring or "hell-ish". Tell me if i am right; Tell me if I am wrong.

aa6 - login

aa6 - login

general services: m b e - 1 8 f [ a_wu ] <--This Service (Kas.) Defuncted 2010
dob, postal code, etc.

{{8f272f6069e77fadfe7d5075354503e6099b92e2e5dfa19765b77f78e71a7b604294967294}}
{{434029446d346d3b135e2b3473117c009d394ff302347efdbf35ce81c40c474f4294967294}}
{{e2b38fa721f62e7c3ff0c62167ba9253e665f0d7619bc6b8f3d312b4ff4bb29b4294967294}}

2011.02.10

aa5 - link list

aa5 - link list

on the upper left hand corner of this blog is the link list.

aa4 - greyhound no-go

aa4 greyhound no-go

This sequence of events happened when I tried to purchase a greyhound bus ticket online.
(ph0t0bucket image album 2009u-bus-grey)

2009u-bus-grey

If you go on greyhound.ca you have an option (see screenpic1) of buying the ticket on-line (see screenpic2)(see screenpic3). . It states you will save some money this way.
After 4 or 5 attempts, the site rejects my purchase, but it does not give a reason on why the purchase was rejected (see screenshot4).

I phone the customer service operator at this number:
1-800-661-8747. The polite operator says nothing can be done from their side. If I buy a ticket over the phone it will be a full-price ticket. No information was provided on why the purchase was rejected. It was suggested I phone another CSR about my online purchase attempt.
I called the second CSR. This operator is also curt. To purchase a full-price ticket on the phone requires an additional service charge. The suggested plan is to try online again and to be careful to enter all the credit card details correctly. This implies that I had entered the information in the fields incorrectly.

Back online, I tried it again, but with similar rejection results. The same message "We are sorry, but we could not complete your online purchase ... you may instead purchase tickets at any Greyhound ticket location..."
This is what I did next. Without changing any information on the screen credit-card form, I click the back button on the web browser and change the purchase detail to a regular ticket, that is, with no online discount selected. When I submit it this time, the purchase was accepted. The credit-card form was ok. I was given a confirmation number of the purchase (see screenshot5 -this one is now hosted by blogger/google -april2018) .

  
From my standpoint, the customer's, I seem to have been given a misleading price. Buying online did not give me a ticket at the discount online price. The website provided no reason for this. After speaking to 2 customer service operators, no reason was given. I am not angry at the CSRs. They are competent and adequately polite for their call-centre position. I am upset over the whole Greyhound operation for this type of event/policy/procedure which leaves one frustrated. If you aren't going to honor a discount, tell the customer why, or remove the discounted price from your website!


(april-2018 - this resized image used to be hijacked screenshot5 above, on photobucket, but it appears photobucket does not appreciate 3rd-party-hosting on blogger??; if you log on to photobucket site there are now voluminous amount of pop up advertisements.)

aa3 - 20090712

aa3 20090712 sun. late entry. every once in a while you will notice taxi-cabs in vancouver which are toyota prius'. if i had to guess, i would say 1 out of every 5 taxis are prius'. take note the rest of NorthAmerica. Please catch up.