Cat

  Pharming...  see below (sourced from http://www.it-observer.com/articles.php?id=651  ) "Hackers appear to have an increasing interest in reaping financial reward from their actions and creations. If until now, phishing - using emails to lure users into entering data into spoofed online banking websites - was one of the most widespread fraud techniques, 'pharming' now poses an even greater threat. Basically, pharming involves interfering with the name resolution process on the Internet. When a user enters an address (such as www.pandasoftware.com) this needs to be converted into a numeric IP address as 62.14.63.187. This is known as name resolution, and the task is performed by DNS (Domain Name System) servers. These servers store tables with the IP address of each domain name. On a smaller scale, in each computer connected to the Internet there is a file that stores a table with the names of servers and IP addresses so that it is not necessary to access the DNS servers for certain server names. Pharming consists in the name resolution system modification, so that when a user thinks he or she is accessing to bank's web page, he or she is actually accessing the IP of a spoofed site. Phishing owed its success to social engineering techniques, despite that not all users take the phishing bait, and so this success was limited. Also, each phishing attack was aimed at one specific type of banking service, further reducing the chances of success. Pharming on the other hand, can affect a far greater number of online banking users. In addition, pharming isn't just a one-off attack, as is the case with phishing emails, but remains present on the computer waiting for the user to access the banking services. The solution against this new kind of fraud lies, as ever, in antivirus security solutions. Pharming attacks depend on an application in the compromised system (this could be an exe file, a script, etc). But before this application can run, obviously it needs to reach the operating system. Code can enter the system through numerous channels, in fact, in as many ways as information can enter the system: el e-mail (the most frequent), Internet downloads, copied directly from CD or floppy, etc. In each of these information entry points, the antivirus has to detect the file with the malicious code and eliminate it, provided that is, it is registered as a dangerous application in the antivirus signature file. Unfortunately, the propagation speed of malware today is head-spinning, and there more malicious creators and offering their source code to the rest of the hacker community to create new variants and propagate even more attacks. The virus laboratories don't have enough time to prepare the malware detection and elimination routines for new malicious code before they start spreading to a few PCs. Despite the efforts and improvements from virus labs, it is physically impossible for them to prepare an adequate solution in time against some of these threats that can spread in just a few minutes."

I've no idea why this should be happening, but (assuming you are using Windows) you may be able to find some more information on the error by looking in the event viewer (in control panel, administrative tools) in either the Application or System logs.  Check anything with a red (error) message or a yellow (warning) message for the last couple of weeks. Also, are you running a firewall, do you have Spybot and Hijack-This installed, do you have virus protection?  

As a relative "newbie" myself, I didn't mind the term in the least.  I rather looked forward to gaining my "wings" and moving up through the ranks, from junior to member.  One day I might even want to achieve the lofty heights of Guru! Personally I like to see the number of postings, member status etc, as (to me, rightly or wrongly) it implies a level of experience and knowledge. As for the moderators, I like the fact that they are open and direct in their approach, even when posting without their moderator hats on.  I wouldn't want to think of them hiding in the corner and muttering between themselves

As we're on the subject of graffiti, did anyone happen to catch the end of Watchdog last week? They showed a new Spiderman toy, it's a lorry that opens up to reveal a miniature city, complete with artistic looking graffiti on one of the walls.  Trouble is, the lorry was made in Spain, and apparently no-one realised that the four letter word (starting with "F" and sounding rather like "duck") featured prominently in the graffiti wasn't exactly appropriate for the target age range Spiderman, spiderman, does whatever a spider can?    

I only wish my neighbour had known that! Over the weekend he decided it might be a good time to light a bonfire, and in his wisdom (???) decided that the very best place would be right on the boundary between his land and ours.  Need I say more?  Yes?  Well... Dry grass, woodland, felled trees and neatly stacked logs, nice bit of a breeze (blowing our way - of course) ... FIRE!   Luckily another neighbour saw the smoke and called out the pompiers, the police even made an appearance.  Happily no real damage was done, just a large blackened area and half a hedge gone to meet its maker.  And a piece in the local paper.  And quite a lot of ribbing from the pompiers the next day in the local bar about the bill we can expect to recieve for their services! It's raining here today, hurrah    

The new TNT website is now (after a bit of a delay) up and running.  It has a section that allows you to check if your postcode area will recieve coverage.  It only checks for current availability though, so you may need to the coverage maps for a date for your area. Oh, and the first page takes a-g-e-s to load, so be patient http://www.tnt-gratuite.fr/  

I used to have a dial-up connection back in the UK, but it was was sooooo slow, eventually changed to broadband. Then, when I moved to France, I had to use dial-up, as broadband was not (at that time) available in my village.  However for some reason, my dial-up connection here seems much faster and more responsive than my experience in the UK. It is also very cheap.  I use a Tiscali forfait, and can connect Monday through to Saturday from 5:30am (as if... ) until 5pm, with an extra 15 hours to use evenings and Sundays, all for 11 euros per month.  The connection does not time-out, and I am very satisfied with the performance.

Hello Anyone in the Lot/Dordogne area happen to know of anyone who keeps Khaki Campbell ducks locally?  My friend has been keeping them here in Salviac for a couple of years, but now needs some new male blood (don't we all ). She's looking for either fertile eggs, or some young males, but as all of the Khaki Campbells that she knows of around here originated from her own ducks, she's having to cast her nets a bit wider. If anyone can help, let me know and I'll get her to contact you. Thanks

[quote]I now tend to think that all "NTMWTD's" (see above) are very insecure. Above where? and I use the time at the airport to do important things, like breakfast!) I'd like to see you trying to b...[/quote] NTMWTD translates to  "Nobody tells me what to do" And as far as trying to find breakfast in the departure lounge at Montpellier, LOL, you could add Limoges and Bergerac to that.  The last time I used either, they were operating out of a TENT (well, OK, upmarket marquee).  Bergerac currently has only one toilet for two departure lounges... don't get me started. BUT, having said all that, I'd fly Ryan Air every time. You get what you pay for, and if your expectations are not too high  (and you book at the right time) they are worth every penny/euro.

Reading this thread prompted me to do a little research, as I too need to make the occasional money transfer to France, and am not willing to pay extortionate international bank-to-bank transfer fees. Found an interesting article giving a few comparative rates... http://www.moneyextra.com/features/2004/f070904_general_09.html I was particularly interested in the Lloyds TSB economy international moneymover at a flat fee of £5.50, does anyone have any first-hand experience of using this?

Thanks Cathy. I had planned on bringing my cooker as it was quite expensive about 6 years ago or so. Any idea how much they are in France. 'Fraid not, I'm a gas devotee when it comes to cooking, even if nowadays it does have to come from a bottle   You could try looking on the Conforama http://www.conforama.fr/  or But http://www.but.fr/ sites for a rough idea though. I did notice that all the microwaves seem to incorporate grills, couldn't see any that were simply a microwave. Is it normal not to have a full oven I wonder? Don't think so, everybody I know (bar one) has an oven, and the one that doesn't is in an appartment with a tiny kitchen.  Double ovens tend to be harder to find than back in the UK though. Where did you get your French plugs from? http://www.cpc.co.uk/   They were cheapest (at the time, last year) for bulk orders of 10 or more plugs, with very fast delivery too!  Use their search facility to search for "european plugs".  They also stock phone/modem adaptors, if you need them.

Hi Lisa, welcome to the forum UK appliances mostly work fine here in France, as the voltage is more or less the same at around 220 to 240 volts (as opposed to USA, Canada where they use 110 volts). The one thing I can think of that won't necessarily work is an electric cooker, best to leave that behind in the UK and buy another one here if need be.  Your TV may, or may not, work as you expect over here, as France uses a different system, but you'd be best to take a look at the TV, Satellite, Internet forum or FAQ for that, as they are full of useful information on the subject. I know there are some people that have lived here for years, and still use loads of adaptors (even one who has had his house wired up to use UK 3-pin electrical wall sockets,... horror).  Personally I ordered a a boxful of french plugs back in the UK before I moved over here, as it was cheaper that actually buying them over here (there was a thread on one of the forums about this I think, last year). For any "sensitive" equipment, TV's, Digiboxes etc, it's definitely worth looking out for the surge protected power extension leads, as thunderstorms can do very nasty things to your equipment, and the french electrical system isn't as protective as that in the UK.  I always take the belt-n-braces approach and unplug the TV at the first crack of thunder All of this has been covered very recently, and it might interest you to have a read of the messages, as it will save everyone posting the same stuff up again http://forums.livingfrance.com/shwmessage.aspx?forumid=288&messageid=106826#bm105292    

[quote]Ask around to see if there is a shop that sells 'seconds' (normally a slight dent somewhere) or end of lines. We have such a shop near us and they sell all the top brands, Siemens, Bosch, AEG and also...[/quote] Di, that sounds really interesting. Is Biars near Labastide-Murat, off the A20? Do you have the name of the shop? I'm in the Lot and have to buy a new fridge, the one that was here when I moved in being antiquated, tiny and with the unpredictable nature of Arkwright's till I was trying to hang on til Lidl had another "special" on, but I'm never quick enough off the blocks with reading all the publicity that piles up. Maybe I should wander over to Biars and take a look. Thanks

Tresco, I noticed this too, and thought it odd. Earlier today there were 250 guests in the western France forum, and right now there are 31 on the Corsica one. Is Living France having a publicity drive, are they testing the system, has the UK housing market finally collapsed, is someone planning a new TV show, or maybe it is journalists researching the next Brits in France horror story? Tis strange indeed

Hi Joric Did you know that AOL have issued a patch for Windows XP SP2, to rectify known problems? http://www.aol.co.uk/about/help/faqs/windows_sp2.html It might not be a lot of use to you right now, if you cannot get AOL to install though. The only thing I can suggest (although it might be more bother than it's worth) is to use Add/Remove programs in the Control Panel to remove XP SP2, and then try installing AOL 9. (To be on the safe side make sure you have a back-up or restore file saved somewhere safe, just in case it all goes pear shaped). If this doesn't work then it's not SP2 that's at fault, and must be a problem local to your PC. If it does work, download and install the AOL XP SP2 patch. (EDITED, whoops, just remembered that you can't install the patch until you after you've re-installed XP SP 2). Lastly re-install XP2, and install the AOL XP SP2 patch, it may all just work now.      

[quote]Cathy, I am totally confused about your posting as both Outlook Express and Hotmail are part of MSN. Also I have very recently had to set up again Outlook Express to read my Hotmail with no problems a...[/quote] Hi Baz I remembered reading something in Computer Weekly ... http://www.computerweekly.com/Article133720.htm Had a bit of a search, and this is what the horses mouth had to say about Microsoft Lookout http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;878462 (Edited original posting to include Hotmail Help topic link)  http://help.msn.com/!data/en_gb/data/HotmailPIMv10.its51/$content$/PIM_TROU_NoFreeDAV.htm  )   Hope this won't change anything for you, Hotmail is being a right swine at the moment

John, sorry to be the bearer of bad tidings, but I have a nasty feeling that you can only use Outlook to access Hotmail if you pay a subscription. They moved the goalposts late last year. People already using Outlook for Hotmail can still do so for free, until April, but not new users    

Hi Ray Have you asked your kids if they would like to live in France? If you, and they, really want to live in France, it's better to disrupt their schooling sooner whilst they are still relatively young. You could, of course, wait until they're old enough to be self sufficient, but then all your children (and later, your grandchildren) would probably be living in the UK, whilst you're here in France.  Would you be happy with that? If it really all scares the life out of you, maybe you could take a step halfway.  Why not take a long rental somewhere in the Limousin during the school summer holidays, try it out, see how it goes.  I'm not saying that a summer holiday is anything like actually living somewhere, it's not... just try being here now in the freezing cold A big change is seldom easy, but in the end, no matter how much advice you get on this forum, it's you who will have to take the decision (sorry for spouting such obvious platitudes). Do lots of research, and then do some more!  Don't rely on those stupid foreign property shows, they are no more believable than the tales of Mr H C Anderson. Whatever you decide, good luck with it.  Personally I'd say go for it, but then that's just me, and I'm not you

Hi Angela Have you tried checking the Tools... Accounts... Mail... Properties... tab? There's a "Reply Address" option, what is this set too?  I believe (although I could be wrong) that if you leave this blank it should default to the correct email address. Send yourself a mail from [email protected] and try it out.   hope this helps

Hi Choochoo (Sue/John?) Can you save the attachments and then open them? You could also try sending yourself a mail with an attachment to see if you can open it. Also, do you have access to another computer?  If so, log into Hotmail and try to open the attachments there instead.  Hotmail have recently changed their automatic attachment virus scanner, and this does seem to be causing people problems at the moment, especially with forwarded attachments Hope this helps

[quote]I see that you finally obtained your hat of box of pillule of leopardskin which you look at thus enough in-Honey can I jump on top formerly? it balances on your head like matress on a wine bottle a r...[/quote] That's hardly fair Chris, Brand new leopard-skin pillbox hat doesn't even make sense in its original form

Blowin' in the wind, Mr Tambourine man! Or how about.. obtain born, hot short trousers of subsistence, novel, learn how to dance obtain equipped, please obtain the test blessed to be a success it, please it, the gifts of purchase do not fly, twenty years of schoolin do not raise ' and they put to you on the glance of day shift out of the kid that they keep it all the best jump hidden in bottom of a light of inspection pit yourself a candle do not carry the test of sandals to avoid the scandals do not want to be a tramp you chew better the chewing-gum the pump do not function ' the cause the vandals took the handles   And no, I don't have anything better to do at the moment, I'm waiting for my anorak to dry 

[quote]LOL I have occassionally taken a bought one and people do the gueule when I do. My strawberry fresh cream merangues got a speech and were duly applauded last summer. So no, home made puds are very wel...[/quote] LOL, point taken TU. Like you said, if well made then home made desserts are much appreciated, despite what the books might say. I guess things differ in different areas, or even homes (just like with everything else).  Whenever we visit my fella's family up in northern France, everything is home-made. Never really been to a "dinner-party" up there though, these are just friendly, family meals. As for moving in circles where "one" does not "do" the cooking... well I'll just have to ask the footman to ask the maid to ask the butler what he thinks about that    

Many, many thanks to everyone who replied with advice on my monsters. I never realised when I came to live in France that my loft might be playing host to such a varied selection of nocturnal beasties! The good news (I hope) is that I have not heard so much as a tiptoe of activity in the loft for the last four nights, perhaps the poison worked after all. So now I await (with some trepidation) the fallout of my visitors demise.  No nasty pongs or staining, yet...  How long will I have to wait before I know if I have got away with it or not?

I have read the same, about a home-made desert being somehow thought of, by the french, as inferior to a shop-bought one . Wish I could remember the name of the book, it was written by an Australian girl who fell in love with a frenchman and moved to Paris.  The cultural differences it highlighted really quite scared me until I realised that quite a lot of the problems she encountered were due to the circles she was moving in in Paris. I have been to quite a few french hosted dinner parties, but have only once been offered a home-made desert.  It seems quite common around here for guests to bring a desert, along with the flowers, (never chrysanths of course) for the hostess.  I always take a home-made one, just to prove I can