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The "etc" folder..anyone know what'tis?
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I was with a group of people the other day, talking about Spybot, Ad-Aware and some other stuff along that line, and some guy says there's a better way and he's not had the first pop-up.
He contends whenever you boot open the "etc" folder and delete everything there except what it takes to run the system. Anyone know anything about this folder and what it is for, and does it come off logical to do what this guy was telling me?
Thanks, BuddyB
He contends whenever you boot open the "etc" folder and delete everything there except what it takes to run the system. Anyone know anything about this folder and what it is for, and does it come off logical to do what this guy was telling me?
Thanks, BuddyB
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which etc folder did he say? The only one I can think of is c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc , but you don't want to delete everything in there...
Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379
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Originally Posted by alc6379
which etc folder did he say? The only one I can think of is c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc , but you don't want to delete everything in there...
Thanks, BuddyB
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Really, just don't fool with it at all.
etc contains the hosts file, where you can add IP address to hostname mappings, so you can customize things there. LMHOSTS does the same thing, but for the Network Neighborhood.
Basically, there's nothing to mess with there. Sometimes, people map known spamhosts or ad servers domain names to 127.0.0.1, to block those ads. But, that's about it, and there's really no point to doing that, even, as there are way to many ad servers to fool with blocking.
etc contains the hosts file, where you can add IP address to hostname mappings, so you can customize things there. LMHOSTS does the same thing, but for the Network Neighborhood.
Basically, there's nothing to mess with there. Sometimes, people map known spamhosts or ad servers domain names to 127.0.0.1, to block those ads. But, that's about it, and there's really no point to doing that, even, as there are way to many ad servers to fool with blocking.
Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379
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Originally Posted by alc6379
Really, just don't fool with it at all.
BuddyB
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Posting Whiz in Training
im pertty sure adaware doesnt run on a unix/linux box.. ive only ever used it on windows..
unix/linux systems contain a /etc folder.. you can delete everything in there if you like
but it will not be pretty. matter of fact you get to do an unscheduled failure simulation
with active restore from tape or the like via ufsrestore.
kinda like the redneck computer virus. "% rm -Rf /* <CR>" or "%rm /lib/ld.so.1"
either is a bad day in the end. sounds like someone was pulling your leg. :mrgreen:
unix/linux systems contain a /etc folder.. you can delete everything in there if you like
but it will not be pretty. matter of fact you get to do an unscheduled failure simulation
with active restore from tape or the like via ufsrestore.
kinda like the redneck computer virus. "% rm -Rf /* <CR>" or "%rm /lib/ld.so.1"
either is a bad day in the end. sounds like someone was pulling your leg. :mrgreen:
I used up all my money on you baby...
... and I want it BACK.
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Originally Posted by Cain
im pertty sure adaware doesnt run on a unix/linux box.. ive only ever used it on windows..
unix/linux systems contain a /etc folder.. you can delete everything in there if you like
but it will not be pretty. matter of fact you get to do an unscheduled failure simulation
with active restore from tape or the like via ufsrestore.
kinda like the redneck computer virus. "% rm -Rf /* <CR>" or "%rm /lib/ld.so.1"
either is a bad day in the end. sounds like someone was pulling your leg. :mrgreen:
Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379
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Originally Posted by Cain
im pertty sure adaware doesnt run on a unix/linux box..
Seriously though- the guy talking about the etc folder was either joking or spewing nonsense from his Southern Orifice. As Alex said, the etc folder in Windows only contains a few networking-related files, which should be left alone. The only exception to that in terms of spyware/adware/viruses is the "hosts" file. Malicious programs can add entries to your hosts file which will alter/cripple your browsing by messing with URL-to-IP address mappings. If such entries have been added, they should be removed; the only entry in the default hosts file is:
127.0.0.1 localhost
Having dealt extensively with malware issues both here and in my "real life" job as a computer consultant, I can definitely say that although there are many places malicious programs do get their hooks into your system, I've never found the etc folder to be one of those places.
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Please do not contact me by email or PM for help. We're all volunteers here, and only have so much free time to dedicate to our efforts.
However, if I've been working on a thread with you already, and seem to have "forgotten" your thread, please do send me a message. I try not to let things slip through the cracks, but it does happen sometimes.
- Ancient Aborigine blessing
Please do not contact me by email or PM for help. We're all volunteers here, and only have so much free time to dedicate to our efforts.
However, if I've been working on a thread with you already, and seem to have "forgotten" your thread, please do send me a message. I try not to let things slip through the cracks, but it does happen sometimes.
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Posting Whiz in Training
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Originally Posted by alc6379
The only one I can think of is c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc
C:WINNT\system32\drivers\etc
hosts lmhosts and so on were found. even the comments were very unixesque.. thats
scary. microsoft incorperated a littlebit of a unix style architecture under its
transparent skin during the late 80s and early 90s.. (they copywrighted lmhosts LOL)
even the comments look like they're straight out of a programmers personal $HOME/bin directory..
I used up all my money on you baby...
... and I want it BACK.
... and I want it BACK.
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Originally Posted by Cain
i did check this out.. in my case (W2K) it was located in
C:WINNT\system32\drivers\etc
hosts lmhosts and so on were found. even the comments were very unixesque.. thats
scary. microsoft incorperated a littlebit of a unix style architecture under its
transparent skin during the late 80s and early 90s.. (they copywrighted lmhosts LOL)
even the comments look like they're straight out of a programmers personal $HOME/bin directory..
Alex Cavnar, aka alc6379
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