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CHROME is starting to p#*! me off !!


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Maybe some of you remember that Chrome won't allow me to post on this forum whether I'm on windows or linux so now I'm using Firefox, BUT GET THIS ....CHROME ALSO CHANGES WEB PAGES AND FORMS.

 

I was trying to put up an ad at Ebay today and THERE WAS NO BOX TO UPLOAD MY PHOTOS!! Ebay was asking for URLs only for my pictures. I tried several times to get the "UPLOAD up to 12 PHOTOS" but it just kept asking for my website URL for pictures. I went to Firefox and within 5 minutes finished the form and uploaded all of my pictures !!

 

So this webpage may look very different to you if you are running Chrome. .......................Just to let you know.

 

Dan

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I've tried other web browsers now and then, but keep coming back to Firefox, mostly because I've learned its quirks. The most irksome is that Java script doesn't work with most web sites that require it. Java script isn't Java, it's built into the browser and can't be separatedly updated. I try a Firefox update every few months and it seems that they never get it right.

 

Generally I avoid web sites that require Java script because it's a popular way of planting malware, but it's used by a lot of legitimate web sites, too. I was trying to get the on-line version of the tax forms from my investment accoutn last week. It's a PDF, but instead of just clicking on the link to the file, the link goes to a java script that, under Firefox, doesn't run. So I switched to Explorer, got the file, and moved on.

 

Starndards ain't, what they used to be.

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I've tried other web browsers now and then, but keep coming back to Firefox, mostly because I've learned its quirks. The most irksome is that Java script doesn't work with most web sites that require it. Java script isn't Java, it's built into the browser and can't be separatedly updated. I try a Firefox update every few months and it seems that they never get it right.

 

Generally I avoid web sites that require Java script because it's a popular way of planting malware, but it's used by a lot of legitimate web sites, too. I was trying to get the on-line version of the tax forms from my investment accoutn last week. It's a PDF, but instead of just clicking on the link to the file, the link goes to a java script that, under Firefox, doesn't run. So I switched to Explorer, got the file, and moved on.

 

Starndards ain't, what they used to be.

 

Are you using Noscript?

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I reluctantly gave up Firefox because it became increasingly clear they could not keep up with the security threats confronting them and the malware that found it so easy to 'permanently' invade their browser.

 

That said, I've recently deloused a couple of seriously infected computers and one of them (with 4 trojans and 997 PUPs!) had had its registry set up in such a way that uninstalling Chrome and reinstalling it did no good at all. I had to hand edit the registry to remove settings that kept reinstalling bogus 'search engine helpers' and toolbars. I also had to remove bogus personal browser certificates that were redirecting from Google through a malware site.

 

The 'problem,' of course, is that when Vista and later versions of Windows added ASLR (address space layout randomization) and tight User Account Control, the bad guys redirected their energies to 'social engineering' -- and we saw the return of the trojan horse exploit -- big time.

 

Now, it's all about tricking people to approve the UAC installation dialog for the malware payload -- and once they've done that, it's nasty, since the OS (reasonably enough) treats user-approved programs as... well, just that.

 

It's a real drag because 'just folks' users are completely at sea.

 

And then they go to big download sites like Download . com, Softonics, etc, and try to get a legitimate program -- but then it's installer includes bundled nuisance-ware -- or much worse, as in the case of things like the About.com toolbar, which so often seems to be near the heart of these massive infestations, for whatever reasons. (And as long as it's around, it seems like security threats keep reappearing. Coincidence?)

 

Mind the PUP: Top download portals to avoid

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Are you using Noscript?

 

I used to, but haven't for quite some time, ever since an update to Firefox told me that the version of NoScript I had been using was incompatible, and would be disabled.

 

Now Firefox sometimes tells me that a plug-in is out of date, and when I click on the "update it" button, it's Adobe Flash, which already is at the current version, and even re-installing it won't make Firefox happy. I just ignore it now. .

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Interesting article. If a Google search for a program I'm looking for takes me to one of those sites where you have to download something else (usually disguised as a download manager) before downloading the program I want, I look elsewhere for it. Generally if I can't download a program directly from the vendor's own web site, or at least a link from it, I figure I don't need it badly enough.

 

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I`ve been using Safari since it came out… don`t even know when that was… but on an Apple, I think its the best. I use Chrome at work on my PC, it works fine. Then again, I don`t post on this forum from work…

 

I`ve used Firefox as well but it does not integrate as well on an Apple as Safari which makes sense… I guess.

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I used to, but haven't for quite some time, ever since an update to Firefox told me that the version of NoScript I had been using was incompatible, and would be disabled.

 

Now Firefox sometimes tells me that a plug-in is out of date, and when I click on the "update it" button, it's Adobe Flash, which already is at the current version, and even re-installing it won't make Firefox happy. I just ignore it now. .

 

I'm just a GUI user so bear with me. I've had the plugin rickroll with both Adobe and VLC. The former cleared up after my frustration satisfied the bug and the VLC issue was attributed to FF version accounting.

 

Noscript has an optional beta release schedule which hasn't caused anything adverse in my use. You might just want to reset FF and start again. (?) The biggest problem I have with Noscript is unblocking video media. Used to be _anything_CDN but no longer so obvious.

 

The installer thing; there's a whoopdedoo where you need to NOT accept to proceed and sometimes selecting "custom install" will allow you to unselect the tool bars and Open Candy crap. I also use EULAlyzer to double check.

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I`ve been using Safari since it came out… don`t even know when that was… but on an Apple, I think its the best. I use Chrome at work on my PC, it works fine. Then again, I don`t post on this forum from work…

 

I`ve used Firefox as well but it does not integrate as well on an Apple as Safari which makes sense… I guess.

 

Safari generally works great, and can work on a PC as well.

 

I also use Chrome a lot. If one doesn't work on something, the other usually does. And I've had very good luck with Chrome as well, with it rarely failing to show something that is there. But like anything else, sometimes a site does not look well on it.

 

There are more complexities in building a website that looks good and operates well on tablets, smartphones, and computers and works well on IE, Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Opera, etc. than ever before, so that enters into it a great deal.

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I used to, but haven't for quite some time, ever since an update to Firefox told me that the version of NoScript I had been using was incompatible, and would be disabled.

 

Now Firefox sometimes tells me that a plug-in is out of date, and when I click on the "update it" button, it's Adobe Flash, which already is at the current version, and even re-installing it won't make Firefox happy. I just ignore it now. .

 

Before I stopped using Firefox I was having horrible problems with Flash.

 

But I'd actually started using FF again because of also horrible problems with the Flash version built into Chrome... (subsequently fixed for the most part, though Shockwave/Flash crashes at times with distressing frequently when exposed to Flash adverts... generally that's no big deal because few serious developers depend on Flash anymore. (Hulu, WTF is wrong with YOU?)

 

To be blunt, Adobe has proven themselves incapable of properly maintaining the Flash franchise they bought Macromedia to get. Flash could be a pain under the old Macromedia management -- but under Adobe it's become not just increasingly buggy but a serious and frequent security threat vector.

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So now I'm back on my OLD ACER 5520 (the one with the penny heatsink on the GPU) and a new Monitor. The funny thing is that THIS version of Chrome works fine....I just installed it an hour ago, but was it ever difficult !! I had to clear out a bunch of junk from the Registry, and shut off some adware in the taskmanager but after 10 tries I finally got it without it stopping 99% into the final install. Now there is also something blocking Firefox from installing, but as long as Chrome ,on this system works fine, I won't need to install Firefox. I was also able to put up my new ad on Ebay.CA with this !

 

Dan

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I just 'de-loused' a couple of computers for friends and I found that today's malware is extremely devious -- and hard-working. It can change numerous settings and plug values into the registry that can prevent some programs from installing properly or at all. And if you're lucky enough to remove one or even several nodes of the infection, but miss one or more others, the malware can often reinstall the other parts or re-change your settings.

 

I found that successive passes with Malwarebytes (sometimes it appears it might help to run it in Windows Safe [with networking] mode) until things come back supposedly 'clean,' followed by passes by freshly installed/updated MS Security Essentials until that comes back clean, all with generous rebooting (it may be helpful to remove Internet connections while working [though you'll need it for updating securing ware, of course], but the malware's own 'security stores' may well include everything it needs to reinfect scattered around your system. One of the machines I deloused had FOUR full on trojans and 997 PUPs [possibly unwanted programs] scattered through it -- and that was just on the first Malwarebytes pass -- which manifestly did not get it all. On that one I had to remove all sorts of rigging in the registry for Chrome... uninstalling and reinstalling didn't remove the search engine redirections and such, only by going through the registry by hand and removing malware-made entries -- AND THEN removing bogus 'personal security certificates' in the Chrome advanced settings was I able to get Chrome to finally come through with a clean install and no search engine redirects and such.)

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So as I said, Chrome running fine on the XP side of this laptop now, but I wasn't able to install AVG on that...almost but was stopped when I got near the end. I'm on the Ubuntu side now with Firefox. This seems to work fine now that I finally got the Nvidia driver in.

 

Yes Blue, I'm sure that there is still some malware still lurking on the Xp partition, but for now, Chrome browsing there is zippy. I'm glad that I don't do my banking on any of these machines.

 

Dan

 

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