How to navigate away from quicksand domains which hold your browser captive until you install their software?

[Bear Bottoms]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:37:26 -0500, hummingbird <hummingbird@127.0.0.1>
wrote:

> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:10:33 -0500, Bear Bottoms wrote in
> <op.ud8hnvhdjo4m88@bwwlxc1.br.no.cox.net>:
>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:06:32 -0500, Tom <twilson3@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> > On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:14:37 -0500, Bear Bottoms wrote:
>> >
>> >>> Is there a more graceful way, after the fact, to navigate away from
>> >>> quicksand domains which have a hold on your browser, other than
>> control
>> >>> alt
>> >>> deleting the browser process?
>> >>
>> >> Why not just close the tab/page?
>> >
>> > That's my whole point. You CAN NOT close the tab. It just won't close!
>> > In fact, you can't even navigate AWAY from the tab!
>> >
>> > What Firefox flaw are they taking advantage of that hijacks your
>> browser
>> > and won't even let you close the tab or the browser or even switch to
>> > another tab. You're stuck in the quicksand and can't get out.
>>
>> Can't help you there, I use Opera.
>>
>
> What if it's an Opera tab that is stuck on one of those URLs?
>
I've never been unable to close a tab. I tried all of the URL's he
provided that worked and didn't fall into any 'quicksand.' I've had issues
trying to use the back button on some sites, but then I just close the tab.

There is a bug in 9.50 and 9.51 I found playing spades on Yahoo. If a java
applet for say and invitation, or score applet is left open when you close
Opera, the browser closes, but a process is still running as viewed in the
task manager. You have to terminate that before you can run Opera again.


--
Bear Bottoms
Freeware website: http://bearware.info

[Bear Bottoms]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:58:18 -0500, hummingbird <hummingbird@127.0.0.1>
wrote:

>> This entire thread is becoming suspect.
>
> BB thinks so too.
>
So does Craig...whom I like but don't like but like but like but

Well, what I like about him is he ... er, well, he posts on the issue, not
the person...well most of the time somewhat.



--
Bear Bottoms
Freeware website: http://bearware.info

[hummingbird]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 16:30:26 -0500 'Bear Bottoms'
wrote this on alt.comp.freeware:

>On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 15:37:26 -0500, hummingbird <hummingbird@127.0.0.1>
>wrote:
>
>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:10:33 -0500, Bear Bottoms wrote in
>> <op.ud8hnvhdjo4m88@bwwlxc1.br.no.cox.net>:
>>> On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 09:06:32 -0500, Tom <twilson3@hotmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>> > On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 08:14:37 -0500, Bear Bottoms wrote:
>>> >
>>> >>> Is there a more graceful way, after the fact, to navigate away from
>>> >>> quicksand domains which have a hold on your browser, other than
>>> control
>>> >>> alt
>>> >>> deleting the browser process?
>>> >>
>>> >> Why not just close the tab/page?
>>> >
>>> > That's my whole point. You CAN NOT close the tab. It just won't close!
>>> > In fact, you can't even navigate AWAY from the tab!
>>> >
>>> > What Firefox flaw are they taking advantage of that hijacks your
>>> browser
>>> > and won't even let you close the tab or the browser or even switch to
>>> > another tab. You're stuck in the quicksand and can't get out.
>>>
>>> Can't help you there, I use Opera.
>>>
>>
>> What if it's an Opera tab that is stuck on one of those URLs?
>>
>I've never been unable to close a tab. I tried all of the URL's he
>provided that worked and didn't fall into any 'quicksand.' I've had issues
>trying to use the back button on some sites, but then I just close the tab.
>
>There is a bug in 9.50 and 9.51 I found playing spades on Yahoo. If a java
>applet for say and invitation, or score applet is left open when you close
>Opera, the browser closes, but a process is still running as viewed in the
>task manager. You have to terminate that before you can run Opera again.

BB, you responded to a forgery.


--
"All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed,
and third, it is accepted as self-evident"
(Arthur Schopenhauer)

[hummingbird]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 22:11:50 +0100 'THE FORGER'
wrote this on alt.comp.freeware:



>On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 20:21:19 +0000, Chris F.A. Johnson wrote in <cefb0
>$487a63bf$cef88ba3$9748@TEKSAVVY.COM>:
>> On 2008-07-13, Tom wrote:
>> > On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 19:16:24 +0200, Hendrik Maryns wrote:
>> >
>> >> If I click on this in Firefox 3 (on Linux, but that shouldn¢t make a
>> >> difference), I get a page warning that it is a scam page, with a button
>> >> ¡Get me out of here!¢.
>> >
>> > That warning must be coming from the browser. That was an old link I gave
>> > you (from my past experience).
>> >
>> > What happened when you clicked on http://thecatalogfree.net (which I
>> > verified today)?
>> >
>> > Does http://thecatalogfree.net also give you that "get me outta'here"
>> > warning?
>>
>> No. I get:
>>
>> Forbidden
>>
>> You don't have permission to access / on this server.
>>
>> I had no problems with the other links you posted, even when I
>> ignored FF's warning about the site.
>>
>
>Was any file installed. Did any malware appear in the browser cache?
>
>hb
---------FORGERY----------

--
"All truth passes through three stages.
First, it is ridiculed, second it is violently opposed,
and third, it is accepted as self-evident"
(Arthur Schopenhauer)

[Tom]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:52:18 -0400, Ed Mullen wrote:

> Why are you jumping through all these hoops? The Windows "hosts" file
> is a plain text file you can edit in Notepad.

I know, I know.

Microsoft put the c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts file in the most
ridiculous non-intuitive spot it could possibly find, deep in muck, deep
under large directories that take a while to load, and without a decent
extension so you have to grope for your text editor (mine is vim freeware).

So, rather than "jump thru hoops" each time just to edit the hosts file, I
add a one-time-only registry key "hosts" which opens up the TEXT file (so
that I have a backup if I need it).

When I type "Start -> Run -> hosts", vim opens up that
c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts.txt text file, where I edit and save
to "hosts" which it saves in the current directory (i.e.,
c:\windows\system32\drivers\etc\hosts).

That's a LOT easier than navigating deep into the windows hierarchy into
the least logical place MS could have placed the hosts file and then
fumbling around to get notepad to edit the file with no extension.

[Tom]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:58:18 +0100, hummingbird wrote:
> The HOSTS file is named exactly that: HOSTS
> It has no file extension.

I know. I know. Of course it's named hosts.

I'll explain again. You can fumble around trying to find the hosts file
every time you have to edit it but I don't wish to be that inefficient.

I just type "hosts", I make my edits, and I save the results as "hosts" and
I'm done.

Behind the scenes, the magic of that simplicity is:
a) Typing "Start -> Run -> hosts" exercises the "hosts.exe" registry key
b) That hosts.exe registry key brings up the hosts.txt file
c) Saving that as "hosts" saves that file as the proper hosts file.

It's that simple. You might prefer the lousy inefficient way and that's
just fine. Here's the horribly inefficient way to edit the hosts file.

a) Navigate to C:\windows (hosts belongs here)
b) Navigate to system32 (dunno why it's here)
c) Navigate to drivers (it's not a driver)
d) Navigate to etc (what's etc got to do with it?)
e) Right click on the hosts file to edit in Notepad
f) Save as hosts.bak (you should have a backup)
g) Save as hosts (this overwrites the original file)

So, you can do it either way. I think the method I proposed is elegant.
I think both methods will work.

BTW, there isn't any hosts.exe file.
Those who know the Windows registry know that, in Microsoft's infinite
wisdom, the "App Paths" key MUST end with "exe" for it to work. There is no
hosts.exe (I repeat) there is no hosts.exe. The whole point of the App
Paths key is to make the editing of hosts a simple one-click affair.

Hope this helps!

[Tom]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 21:36:51 +0100, hummingbird wrote:

>>Rather after-the-fact isn't it?
>
> He can use the hosts file to avoid going to that site

The whole point is to be able to get out of the quicksand without having to
kill the entire browser session (losing all your tabs).

If you kill the browser, yet you wanted the OTHER tabs (not the quicksand
tab), you can't ever start it again 'cuz you can only recover all the tabs
or none of the tabs.

So, this hosts edit and then doing a shift reload, allows you to blank out
the one quicksand tab and move on with your life.

Elegant, isn't it?

[Tom]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 14:52:18 -0400, Ed Mullen wrote:

> And do a search on "hosts.exe" and you'll find things like this:

I know. I know.

Those who know the Windows registry know that, in Microsoft's infinite
wisdom, the "App Paths" key MUST end with "exe" for it to work.

There is no hosts.exe (I repeat) there is no hosts.exe.

The whole point of the App Paths key is to make the editing of hosts a
simple one-click affair.

But, Microsoft insists that ALL "Apps Paths" keys end with "exe" whether or
not the file you're trying to open ends with ".exe".

So, that's the ONLY reason the hosts App Path key is called "hosts.exe".

Please reply if you understand this 'cuz I feel badly that this was
misunderstood by a few of you.

[Tom]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:45:20 -0400, C A Upsdell wrote:

> If Windows, Ctrl Alt Delete to call up the task manager; select the
> browser; kill it.

Very inelegant.

When you have a dozen tabs open, killing the browser, kills all the tabs.

When you restart Firefox, it asks if you want to open all the old tabs,
but, of course, that will just open the quicksand site all over again.

So, without editing the hosts file and shift reloading, you're forced to
say NO to reloading your old tabs ... and you lose them all.

That's why you don't kill the browser session.

Luckily we found a single-click way to solve the problem (type "start ->
run -> hosts, add the offending domain, and shift reload the browser). This
turns the quicksand URL into cement. Voila! Thanks to hummingbird!

[Tom]

On Sun, 13 Jul 2008 13:56:14 -0500, Bear Bottoms wrote:
> Bingo

Hi BB,

I stopped doing the URLs but you and others questioned the URLs so I had to
repeat and test one that got me into quicksand (the others were older ones
that I had made a note of prior).

Please look thru the thread again and notice that I only repeated the URLs
to clarify when people were confused when they kindly tested it.

Also please look back and see that I'm trying to answer their concerns,
e.g., they all got confused by "hosts.exe" which, if you know the registry
(and I know YOU do), is required by microsoft in order to have a "Start ->
Run -> hosts" command work.

Otherwise you have to inefficiently remember the stuuuuupid illogical place
Microsoft puts the hosts text file and then fumble around to get notepad to
open that file sans extension.

Likewise with the confusion about my method of opening a hosts.txt file
first (in order to have a ready-made backup) and then just saving it as
hosts so that I could, in a single editing session, have two files (one for
backup).

I'm sorry if people are confused by these little bits of elegance but I've
realized a LOT (especially hummingbird's wonderful suggestion of using the
hosts file and then shift-reloading to get out of the browser quicksand).

I've also learned that other people have OTHER things happening when they
get redirected to these malicious sites (unnamed as per popular request) so
I guess that is a big reason for the confusion out there.

The good news is the problem is solved.

Here's the solution:
a) When I get redirected to a quicksand site ...
b) Instead of killing the entire browser session (which others do) ...
c) I just type "Start -> Run -> hosts" and save the results as "hosts"
d) Back in the browser, I just shift reload and close the quicksand tab
which has now turned to cement forever!

This is the solution I will use and I will not ask more about it (if others
ask me to clarify, I'll clarify).

Thanks,
Tom