Need current copy of Gibson's TIP program

  • Thread starter Thread starter Achim Nolcken Lohse
  • Start date Start date
A

Achim Nolcken Lohse

Today I tried to run Steve Gibson's Trouble in Paradise (TIP) to check
some Zip disks, and as usual, found the program has expired. But this
time, when I went to get a new copy at www.grc.com, I couldn't
download it. Stardownloader couldn't find it, and IE went through the
motions.

The e-mail link on the site doesn't work, and I couldn't find any way
to send a message.

So I'm wondering if anyone here has a working copy (preferably fairly
fresh) they could e-mail me?
 
Really ?
http://www.grc.com/files/tip.exe
Click to expand...
Really. I must have spent a half hour or more repeatedly trying every
download link for the program several times.

Just now I tried it again with the same result. But this time I also
tried downloading some of the other free utilities, and had the same
result with noshare.exe, letshare.exe, xpdite, optout, etc.l The only
exception was Small is Beautiful (sb.zip).
 
Really. I must have spent a half hour or more repeatedly trying every
download link for the program several times.
Click to expand...

Then there must be something seriously wrong at your end -)
GOTO www.grc.com/default.htm
On that page is "free stuff" button (page top)
Scrolling down, you'll find TIP
Click and download.

It took me all of 25 secs to access and retrieve (on a dial-up)

Emailing GRC will not work for those sorts of things
(night time there at this moment anyway).
Failing that, point your newsreader (Fort Free Agent) to
news.grc.tecktalk and ask the inhabitants there why and how
 
(e-mail address removed) (Achim Nolcken Lohse) wrote in
Just now I tried it again with the same result. But this time I
also tried downloading some of the other free utilities, and had
the same result with noshare.exe, letshare.exe, xpdite, optout,
etc.l The only exception was Small is Beautiful (sb.zip).
Click to expand...

That's very strange. I had no trouble getting it, either. I've put a
copy at <http://remarqs.net/misc/tip.exe> temporarily.
 
(e-mail address removed) (Achim Nolcken Lohse) wrote in


That's very strange. I had no trouble getting it, either. I've put a
copy at <http://remarqs.net/misc/tip.exe> temporarily.
Click to expand...

Thank you very much! It took only a moment to download, as expected,
and it works.

As for Gibson's site - my guess is that he's put in place some browser
requirements that my system doesn't meet. If so, it's a shame he
doesn't announce them.

I must have tried that download fifty times from five or six different
links on the site. With Star Downloader it was impossible. I disabled
Star Downloader's browser integration and tried it repeatedly with IE,
the save to disk dialogue would com up, the download would appear to
start. Sometimes the progress bar and amount of KB downloaded would
appear, with various transfer rates shown. It would always show 99%
done on the status bar, and sometimes the progress bar was full and
all 48KB were reported as downloaded, but the download would never
complete, and when I tried next, there was nothing to overwrite.

And why would the file sb.zip download, but none of the exe files?
 
Direct download or using a download manager? Some links aren't
set up to work properly with a download manager.
Click to expand...

..htaccess is clear except for turning off indexing. Was it giving you
trouble?
 
(e-mail address removed) (Achim Nolcken Lohse) wrote in
Thank you very much! It took only a moment to download, as
expected, and it works.
Click to expand...

You're very welcome.
As for Gibson's site - my guess is that he's put in place some
browser requirements that my system doesn't meet. If so, it's a
shame he doesn't announce them.
Click to expand...

I really don't think that's it. He's just started work which will lead
to a complete site redesign, and he's bending over a lot farther
backwards than I would to make sure it works well with all browsers.
(He even checks IE5 for the Mac.) I don't think he'd intentionally
shut anyone out. I just tried downloading it with wget, and there was
no trouble. I'm afraid I don't have any explanation for the trouble
you're having with his downloads, though.
 
<news:[email protected]>:
Click to expand...
.htaccess is clear except for turning off indexing. Was it giving you
trouble?
Click to expand...

I don't use a download manager for small files. It finished
downloading about as soon as I hit the download button. I've had
problems with other sites that have buttons or automatic downloads,
though. And Achim has had problems with other sites.
 
(e-mail address removed) (Achim Nolcken Lohse) wrote in


You're very welcome.


I really don't think that's it. He's just started work which will lead
to a complete site redesign, and he's bending over a lot farther
backwards than I would to make sure it works well with all browsers.
(He even checks IE5 for the Mac.) I don't think he'd intentionally
shut anyone out. I just tried downloading it with wget, and there was
no trouble. I'm afraid I don't have any explanation for the trouble
you're having with his downloads, though.
Click to expand...

Have just tried GRC's free downloads page again with the same
approach: Star Downloader disabled (it gives a "cannot connect" error
when enabled), using IE 5.01 save to disk. Download window pops up,
shows target file and seems to begin download (close window when
completed is checked) - but the download never completes, window never
closes, no trace of any partial download in the target folder.

OTOH, same procedure succeeds normally when downloading zip and pdf
files from the same download page, all files ending in .exe fail to
download.
 
Have just tried GRC's free downloads page again with the same
approach: Star Downloader disabled (it gives a "cannot connect" error
when enabled), using IE 5.01 save to disk. Download window pops up,
shows target file and seems to begin download (close window when
completed is checked) - but the download never completes, window never
closes, no trace of any partial download in the target folder.
Click to expand...

IE saves the file as a temp file. when the download is complete it
moves the temp file to where you told it to save the file, and changes
the name to the name it's supposed to be.
OTOH, same procedure succeeds normally when downloading zip and pdf
files from the same download page, all files ending in .exe fail to
download.
Click to expand...

How are you connected to the internet?LAN? Direct to a modem? Do you
have any "protection" software that may be preventing you from
downloading exe files?
 
IE saves the file as a temp file. when the download is complete it
moves the temp file to where you told it to save the file, and changes
the name to the name it's supposed to be.


How are you connected to the internet?LAN? Direct to a modem? Do you
have any "protection" software that may be preventing you from
downloading exe files?
Click to expand...

I've got an ADSL connection through a DSL router, which I share with
my wife's system via ethernet cable.

I don't have any real-time protection software, and I downloaded the
.exe program twice yesterday, once from each of the two sites offered,
without problems. So... the mystery remains. Probably just sloppy
website management - undocumented browser requirements without any
warning messages or alternative pages. I get that all the time, blank
pages the say "done", links that don't work, etc., etc.. And usually,
in the rare cases where the web designer had enough foresight to
provide a vanilla feedback link or e-mail address, the bozos running
ths site can't explain it or give any meanful suggestions, other than:

install the current version of IE with all the default settings
untouched and it should work....

I'm just surprised to find this kind of sloppy work on Gibson's site.
As I said, I couldn't even find a link or an e-mail address to report
the problem.
 
I don't have any real-time protection software, and I downloaded the
exe program twice yesterday, once from each of the two sites offered,
without problems. So... the mystery remains. Probably just sloppy
website management - undocumented browser requirements without any
warning messages or alternative pages.
Click to expand...

Nothing to do with the browsers - I downloaded the file with IE,
Firefox and, out of curiosity, a "browser" I wrote quickly so I could
see the actual data flow back and forth. What DIDN'T work was a
couple of download managers. The link isn't to a downloadable file,
it's to an invisible page that autosends the file to you - causing
your browser - if you don't have a download manager screwing things up
- to do what it's set to do with exe files, which is normally to
download them.
 
The link isn't to a downloadable file,
it's to an invisible page that autosends the file to you - causing
your browser - if you don't have a download manager screwing
things up - to do what it's set to do with exe files, which is
normally to download them.
Click to expand...

The download buttons on the pages
<http://www.grc.com/tip/clickdeath.htm> and
<http://www.grc.com/freepopular.htm> are just direct links to the file,
both <a href="/files/tip.exe">. I don't see any 'invisible page'
intervening.
 
(e-mail address removed) (Achim Nolcken Lohse) wrote in


His site has become a horror to navigate. The e-mail address is at the
bottom of the page <http://www.grc.com/support.htm>.
Click to expand...

I just went there for another look, thinking my eyes had failed me. If
so, they're still failing me. This is what appears in my browser:

When All Else Has Failed ...

If you have hunted all over, scoured the site, and still come up
empty; if your mouse-clicking finger is tired and sore; we absolutely
want to hear from you!

Please send an eMail note to our technical support department at . You
may click the link below to launch your system's eMail client with a
pre-addressed and titled note:


I even tried clicking on the dot that appears where an e-mail address
seems to be announced, but nothing happened. I looked for link button
as well, but couldn't find any, and my e-mail client didn't launch at
any time.

So, if you've got Steve's e-mail address, please forward this post to
him. If he cares at all, he can contact me for details.
 
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