TopShelf TG Fiction in the BigCloset!
All of the sudden I'm getting a message Checking browser before connecting to BigCloset (or something to that effect) when I come to BC. It just started doing it today and I'm wondering what's up?
Checks can be made out & sent to:
Joyce Melton
1001 Third St.
Space 80
Calimesa, CA 92320
USA
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Comments
Firewall
The firewall is checking your browser to see if it has been corrupted by a virus. Not sure why you haven't seen this before, it's been doing that for about a week. Maybe it's random who it checks.
Hugs,
Erin
= Give everyone the benefit of the doubt because certainty is a fragile thing that can be shattered by one overlooked fact.
Never happened to me.
I've had no similar messages so perhaps it is random. I use Firefox ver 20.0.1 (the latest) and the McAfee anti-virus software/firewall I get as part of my BT ISP package.
Never had any problems (touch wood) I'm not superstitious either :)
Robi
Never had this but I do
Never had this but I do always connect straight to /topshelf.
Security Checks
Our First line firewall/cloud-source caching system.... IT scans first for outdated browsers, then checks your browser response string looking to make sure you don't have any virus toolbars installed.
We aren't trying to be BigBrother or anything, and don't get any data on you, other than "x many users tried to access with outdated browsers" type info.
But what it does is help stop automated spammers, and help inform some users whom aren't so faithful at checking their systems, if they are at risk or compromised.
-Piper
No accusations
When I have a previously unseen window pop up my first concern is that I've gotten a virus on my computer. So I start checking to see if anybody else is having the same thing, and trying to find out if it is something to be concerned about. Just because I'm paranoid doesn't mean they aren't out to get me! Guess I can take my tinfoil hat off now! ;-)
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
I've never seen it Karen,
But I run Webroot, SecureAnywhere on all my computers (expensive damn thing!). I defrag twice monthly with MyDefrag and run CCleaner each week. Those are excellent FREE (my favorite price) tools which I recommend to everyone. I've also set my network not do do much at all without asking first... It's a little annoying sometimes: It's a little like having your mother living in your computer, "It's raining, Dear; don't forget your warm coat, your umbrella and your rubbers!"
But I haven't had a virus, exploit or rootkit in over 3 years.
I'll bet Erin, Piper and others here have good ideas on how to keep our systems clean Too. It might make things easier for the BCTS servers as well.
Any ideas?
Ole
We are each exactly as God made us. God does not make mistakes!
Gender rights are the new civil rights!
What I have
I have a Vista :-( laptop running Firefox 19.0.2* and given my (nonexistent) finances I'm using AVG Free and Malwarebytes Trial. I put the MWB on because I was having problems with Firefox (kept getting an error message about somebody trying to download a nonvalid update to Firefox that was stopped) and the Mozilla people told me to rescan my computer with a different program. (I did and nothing turned up) So I don't know what it is unless it is my internet connection. My ATT DSL modem died and a replacement is $100 from ATT, which I don't have. So I'm running a Wi-Fi hotspot on my HTC smartphone. Perhaps that is enough to trigger things.
*Edit: According to FF Update that is the latest and greatest FF available for me. Mozilla got a bit snippy when I asked why so many updates lately. According to them they only do an update every six weeks. That means between the first week of April and now 12 weeks have gone by, 'cause I've had three updates in that time.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
DSL Modems
Have you thought about getting a used modem off of Ebay? http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_odkw=at&_osacat=0&clk_rvr_id...
{{Hugs}}
Actually I hadn't Frank!
I checked all the local sources for something cheap with no luck. I talked to a techie friend Friday afternoon and he was going to poke through the junk boxes, but I haven't heard back yet. Looking on ebay just never occurred to me! I'll give it a once over and see what looks good. Just don't want to buy someone else's problem child!
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Checking Browser...
I recently started having some DSL problems and the tech at AT&T said it sounded like my Motorola 3347 modem was beginning to go down. I looked around since I didn't want to buy one from AT&T due to the $100 dollar price tag and they no longer sold the 3347 anyway. The one I finally went with is the TP-Link TD-W8960N. I got this from Newegg for $58 I think. I've had it running for about 2 weeks so far and it works fine and has Wireless N connectivity as well. The downside is that AT&T doesn't support any modem that they don't sell unlike some other companies do.
Firefox
Hello Karen,
If you don't like having an update for Firefox that often, there is available an "Extended Support Release" (ESR) that you might care to try, although it's intended primarily for groups who deploy and maintain a desktop environment in large organizations such as universities and other schools, county or city governments and businesses.
See: Firfox ESR Overview
Regards,
Dave.
Updates cause problems
One of my objections with these frequent updates is they keep "breaking" other stuff. I've got at least a half dozen add-ons/extensions that are disabled with the note that they won't work with Firefox 19.0.2. I've been using FF since IE 9 is just not working well. But I keep having to find new extensions every time Mozilla "updates" FF in order to get everything back to running properly. And FF Beta on my Android phone is even worse. I actually had to install an add-on so I could quit FF when I was through with it, the latest "update" actually removed the "Quit" button! The only way to completely shut FF Beta down was to reboot my phone!
I'll take a look at the ESR release and see what it does, maybe it will stay working for awhile. Thanks!
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
Waring amongst the factions.
Right now, I am alternating between Chrome, IE and Firefox depending upon which one works at that moment. Following the news, there have been several different internet attacks in the last two months. For now, I am accepting that the days of flawless internet service are gone.
\g
Frustrating but be patient
Hi Karen,
It got really frustrating to have to do this everytime I opened the site and the same message was coming up if I switched from stories to home and even sometimes when I was reading stories.
It hasn't fully gone away but now it's almost stopped and back to normal.
The problem I had was trying to interpret some of the letters when they run into each other.
I worry that we lost some readers after this on top of server problems since a few who used to write comments or contact me through messages have gone silent.
But better to be safe than sorry so I just battled on.
Julie
I wonder how much effect the screwy weather is having on people. Don't know about where you live but it has been Bizarro World here. Thursday in the 80's (Fahrenheit), today's high 41 F, and by Tuesday it will be back in the upper 70's. A lot of people I know have just huddled up in bed and pulled the covers over their head. Some serious cases of "Don't give a shit!" going around. If some nice spring weather would come back and STAY! I expect people's moods would improve.
"Life is not measured by the breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”
George Carlin
It's same wherever I go
At home in UK the weather fluctuates and not much of a spring. Everything was late and even the Blue Tits got confused in my garden.
I spend time in China like a lot of people these days but the weather here has been poor compared to prior years. I was seeing reports of heavy snow in parts of USA but not so much in Europe for the skiers. It is better to cover up and ignore all the boffins.
So the answer is to learn to fly and then we can migrate and follow the better weather. It must go somewhere.
Jules