Re: PhotoStory 3 released

From: Rehan (someone_at_somewhere.com)
Date: 10/28/04 

Date: Thu, 28 Oct 2004 02:21:03 +0100

John you are not getting the point of "No spam". The MS website which offers
you to download photostory3 installs and runs an activex control prior to
showing the download button. Presumably it just checks whether or not the
windows is properly activated...

The reason you are not seeing that activex security notice may be because
like many other people you must have previously selected to always allow
activex controls from Mcirosoft to be run unhindered or have lowered your IE
security settings to allow all activex controls to be run. If former then
its still pretty safe, however the latter case is not safe. You can check
your security settings from IE>Tools>Internet Options>Security. The slider
there should be at Medium or higher. 

-- 
Rehan
www.rehanfx.org - get transitions and effects for Windows MovieMaker
"John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.xyz> wrote in message 
news:eZD7jXIvEHA.1520@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
> No Spam wrote:
>> "John Inzer" <oobie@doobie.xyz> wrote in message
>> news:usb8t0HvEHA.200@TK2MSFTNGP11.phx.gbl...
>>> No Spam wrote:
>>>> Of course, you have to do their "voluntary" compliance
>>>> stuff.
>>>> All that's going to do is screw the honest people.  The
>>>> warez / pirates will just get it from somebody who
>>>> already downloaded it.  Or the direct download link will
>>>> be published somewhere in about 6 more minutes.
>>>> And, of course, you have to lower your security settings
>>>> just to be able to get through Microsoft's checks.  (For
>>>> example, my security settings are high enough that I
>>>> can't get through either of their two checks.)
>>>> And they wonder why nobody likes or trusts them...
>>> ===========================================
>>> All I had to do was click the Download
>>> button at the following site:
>>>
>>> Photo Story 3 for Windows
>>> http://tinyurl.com/555tu
>>
>> That link goes to their validation page where it tries to
>> *automatically* install an activeX control.
>>
>> The fact that you managed to do it with just a simple
>> click says that your system has very poor security
>> settings.
>> It means that you allowed an activeX control to
>> automatically install without even asking you (assuming
>> it wasn't already installed), and it definetly means you
>> allowed an arbitrary activeX control to run without even
>> asking you.
>> Internet Explorer doesn't really have any safety controls
>> for activeX controls.  They can be marked 'safe' but that
>> doesn't mean they actually are.  The reality is that once
>> you allow an activeX control to run, it can pretty much
>> do whatever it wants.  You just have to hope that it's
>> honest and safe.
>> Sounds like your system is pretty open....  Hope you
>> don't visit any warez or porn site that might try to
>> install a few things you'd rather not have!
>>
>> If the automatic installation doesn't work, they do offer
>> a manual method. It downloads a .HTA file that you are
>> supposed to manually run.
>> But, again, on my system, apparently I have my security
>> settings up high enough that it can't do the activeX
>> control that way either.
>> To be honest, I'm rather glad my default settings are
>> that good!  Internet Explorer isn't exactly known for its
>> security.
>> But that, of course, doesn't mean I'm happy with
>> Microsoft.
>> Just like their activation, the only people this is
>> really going to bother are the legit people.  (And yes,
>> for the record, I do own XP.  I bought it right off the
>> store shelf.)
>> PhotoStory 3 isn't that major of an item, but their
>> attitude here is really is a bad sign of things to come
>> from Microsoft.
> ===================================
> I don't install from the net, I just downloaded the
> program to my desktop and installed from there.
>
> Clicking the Download button opens a dialog that
> offers a choice of Run or Save.
>
> The program is worth the download and does
> not require activation. BTW...it installs separately
> from Photo Story 2....go figure.
>
> -- 
>
> John Inzer
> Picture It! MVP
> return e-mail disabled
>
> Picture It! Support Center
> http://tinyurl.com/2po2o
>
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>