Wired and wireless and security

I have a version of Win XP Pro on my laptop that cannot be
updated (illegal version or something - bought computer from
ebay). As a result, I can only use WEP since I cannot
update to the newer standards.

I have my desktop connected to the same router - wired.

File and printer sharing is turned off.

Am I correct that I am risking intrusion on the wireless
laptop but the wired desktop remains "safe"?

TIA

Louise

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Kx7Qf.9822$(E-Mail Removed)...
>I have a version of Win XP Pro on my laptop that cannot be updated (illegal
>version or something - bought computer from ebay). As a result, I can only
>use WEP since I cannot update to the newer standards.
>
> I have my desktop connected to the same router - wired.
>
> File and printer sharing is turned off.
>
> Am I correct that I am risking intrusion on the wireless laptop but the
> wired desktop remains "safe"?
>
> TIA
>
> Louise
What did you buy it with pirated software for! If that wasn't stated I
would get on to the seller.
You can change the serial number and update it if you have a search around
for "wga crack" for starters. Then you need a serial number changer.
If you have not ticked the bit about not allowing the laptop to be used as a
gateway then it will allow people in. The wired one is secure if you're
using a firewall and should be OK if all the latest security patches are in
place. The laptop is probably wide open to those that know, but to casual
hacker types it would only be those with a tiny bit of intelligence that
knew what to do.

louise wrote:
> I have a version of Win XP Pro on my laptop that cannot be updated
> (illegal version or something - bought computer from ebay). As a
> result, I can only use WEP since I cannot update to the newer standards.
>
> I have my desktop connected to the same router - wired.
>
> File and printer sharing is turned off.
>
> Am I correct that I am risking intrusion on the wireless laptop but the
> wired desktop remains "safe"?
>
> TIA
>
> Louise
The wireless connection is the weak point on your network, not
necessarily the wireless computer. If an intruder breaks your WEP
encryption and joins your network, your whole network is compromised.

Even if you don't have file and print sharing, there are multiple ways
an intruder can damage your network.

paul wrote:
> "louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
> news:Kx7Qf.9822$(E-Mail Removed)...
>
>>I have a version of Win XP Pro on my laptop that cannot be updated (illegal
>>version or something - bought computer from ebay). As a result, I can only
>>use WEP since I cannot update to the newer standards.
>>
>>I have my desktop connected to the same router - wired.
>>
>>File and printer sharing is turned off.
>>
>>Am I correct that I am risking intrusion on the wireless laptop but the
>>wired desktop remains "safe"?
>>
>>TIA
>>
>>Louise
>
> What did you buy it with pirated software for! If that wasn't stated I
> would get on to the seller.
> You can change the serial number and update it if you have a search around
> for "wga crack" for starters. Then you need a serial number changer.
> If you have not ticked the bit about not allowing the laptop to be used as a
> gateway then it will allow people in. The wired one is secure if you're
> using a firewall and should be OK if all the latest security patches are in
> place. The laptop is probably wide open to those that know, but to casual
> hacker types it would only be those with a tiny bit of intelligence that
> knew what to do.
>
>
Shortly after I bought it (this is now about 3 yrs ago), I
discovered that the seller misrepresented it because it was
supposedly still under warranty but was, in fact, a refurb
and therefore out of warranty. It's a Thinkpad.

I had already given positive feedback, it did/does work
flawlessly. I emailed the seller and got no response. I
went back to Ebay and added to my comments saying it had
been mis-represented.

The seller had told me it came from IBM with Windows 2000
but it had XP Pro and without thinking, I said great!

At that time I didn't upgrade Windows on a regular basis,
finding the upgrades often broke more than they fixed.

Later, I was able to successfully upgrade to SP1 and never
thought about it. It wasn't until I went to upgrade to SP2,
that MS came back saying it wasn't a registered version, or
a legal version, or something like that. Then I began to
realize....but not until then.

I'm completely ignorant about serial number cracking etc.

Could you please tell me where is the "bit" to check about
not allowing the laptop to be used as a gateway. I can
easily do that :-)

TIA

Louise

louise <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:

>I have a version of Win XP Pro on my laptop that cannot be
>updated (illegal version or something - bought computer from
>ebay).

Welcome to the dark side of computing.

Search for "WGA crack" for the oneline Javascript hack.

A better alternative is to download the patches individually, and
simply not use Microsoft Windoze Update. See:
http://windizupdate.com
Read carefully before installing. It works, I don't use it, and it's
usually better get your update fix from Microsoft. However, it is a
solution.

You can also just buy a legal copy of XP Windoze Home Upgrade for
about $100 retail and use a serial number changer program that will
allow you to activate, authenticate, etc.
http://www.petri.co.il/change_the_se...windows_xp.htm
I use Keyfinder 1.5beta3:
http://www.magicaljellybean.com/kfbeta.shtml
which makes serial number changes easy.

--
Jeff Liebermann (E-Mail Removed)
150 Felker St #D http://www.LearnByDestroying.com
Santa Cruz CA 95060 http://802.11junk.com
Skype: JeffLiebermann AE6KS 831-336-2558

Jeff Liebermann wrote:
> louise <(E-Mail Removed)> hath wroth:
>
>
>>I have a version of Win XP Pro on my laptop that cannot be
>>updated (illegal version or something - bought computer from
>>ebay).
>
>
> Welcome to the dark side of computing.
>
> Search for "WGA crack" for the oneline Javascript hack.
>
> A better alternative is to download the patches individually, and
> simply not use Microsoft Windoze Update. See:
> http://windizupdate.com
> Read carefully before installing. It works, I don't use it, and it's
> usually better get your update fix from Microsoft. However, it is a
> solution.
>
> You can also just buy a legal copy of XP Windoze Home Upgrade for
> about $100 retail and use a serial number changer program that will
> allow you to activate, authenticate, etc.
> http://www.petri.co.il/change_the_se...windows_xp.htm
> I use Keyfinder 1.5beta3:
> http://www.magicaljellybean.com/kfbeta.shtml
> which makes serial number changes easy.
>
windizupdate didn't have what I needed - or so it seemed.

I found an update for WPA on the Microsoft site but when I
tried to install it, it said it needed at least SP1. That's
when I found out that my effort to install SP1 a long time
ago, had also failed.

Windows update doesn't recognize that I don't have SP2 or SP1.

Therefore, I can't do any tricks to try to make either
service pack install because it doesn't come up as an
available update. My suspicion is that my efforts to
install SP2 on a few occasions, have reset something.

Does anyone know how to get windows update to start with a
"clean slate"?

Thanks again.

Louise

On Sat, 11 Mar 2006 02:55:44 GMT, louise <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote:

>Does anyone know how to get windows update to start with a
>"clean slate"?

Yes, but I'm not going to itemize the steps.
This is a wireless group, not a Windoze group.

See:
http://www.windowsreinstall.com
in the Windoze XP HOme *REPAIR* section. Basically, boot from the
cdrom and use the "Repair" option.

I've done this a few times when customers drag in system with
corporate serial numbers that can't survive the WGA test (when the
serial number swap doesn't work). I've had difficulties going from XP
Pro down to XP Home, but I don't recall exactly what broke. Also,
you'll have to install ALL the updates from whenever the CDROM was
made.



--
# Jeff Liebermann 150 Felker St #D Santa Cruz CA 95060
# 831-336-2558 (E-Mail Removed)
# http://802.11junk.com (E-Mail Removed)
# http://www.LearnByDestroying.com AE6KS

louise wrote:

> Does anyone know how to get windows update to start with a "clean slate"?

1. in response to your question in the original post, sadly your hope
for security ended the moment you plugged a Windows computer into the net
2. depending on what model of IBM laptop you have there may be a
diagnostic partition on the hard drive containing the utilities and
operating system that were originally installed on that machine. it may
not be XP, but then IMHO you wouldn't be missing anything. What model
laptop is it?

prodigal1 wrote:
> louise wrote:
>
>> Does anyone know how to get windows update to start with a "clean slate"?
>
>
> 1. in response to your question in the original post, sadly your hope
> for security ended the moment you plugged a Windows computer into the net
> 2. depending on what model of IBM laptop you have there may be a
> diagnostic partition on the hard drive containing the utilities and
> operating system that were originally installed on that machine. it may
> not be XP, but then IMHO you wouldn't be missing anything. What model
> laptop is it?

It's an X22 which originally came with Win 2000. But - if I
brought it back to 2000, I think there are several programs
that wouldn't work.

One of them is speech recognition software which requires XP
or 2000 sp4, Firefox itself "prefers" XP, Photoshop CS,
Frontpage 2003 etc.

If I brought it back to 2000, I think I would then have to
purchase Win XP (might as well be Pro), and upgrade. And
then, I'd have to reinstall all my carefully customized
programs and utilities.

The hard drive is only 20gig. It seems to me it doesn't
make sense to do all this work on this drive. So, am I
right that the "answer" would be to install a new hard drive
and then install XP Pro directly and begin all over again?

It occurs to me I could purchase a newer model on ebay (I'll
use a reputable seller and not "save" a little money this
time), bring mine back to 2000 and sell it on ebay!

Then, with a little luck, I'd have the laptop I'd prefer
with a larger hard drive and a legal copy of XP Pro and I'd
sell a working laptop with a legal copy of 2000!

And then I can move to WPA

This sounds good. Any thoughts?

Louise

"louise" <(E-Mail Removed)> wrote in message
news:Q_qQf.14328$4%(E-Mail Removed)...

snip...

>
> Windows update doesn't recognize that I don't have SP2 or SP1.
>
> Therefore, I can't do any tricks to try to make either service pack
> install because it doesn't come up as an available update. My
> suspicion is that my efforts to install SP2 on a few occasions, have
> reset something.
>

http://www.filemirrors.com/search.sr...NU&action=Find
will give you a list of available sources for WinXP-SP2 (English).
This is the FULL "network/adminastrive" version, but it WILL check
to see if you have a valid key before it let you install.

The update that you might be looking for, WPA,
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...DisplayLang=en
is WindowsXP-KB826942-x86-ENU.exe that you find here :
http://download.microsoft.com/downlo...42-x86-DEU.exe


/HC