Read At Your Own Risk?

[vanilla]

I just read that it is likely that CODEC packs that I see recommended in
some of these community newsgroups might be pirated stuff that might also
contain viruses.

Am I being too trusting to think that I can safely click on a link in a post
that appears to be from an MVP/MSFT? Is there an MVP/MSFT Cop that boots
imposters off the boards or are these community newsgroups "Read At Your Own
Risk"?

I know not to automatically trust 'from' names that are like me ... plain
vanilla ... but if it has an MVP or MSFT or something like that, I usually
am more trusting of those posts. Am I being a mushroom again?

.... vanilla

 

[Andre Da Costa[ActiveWin]]

Well, anybody can impersonate anybody here, its just how quick Microsoft
will identify that individual.

 

[Dustin Harper]

I can make my name anything on these boards, even with the [MVP] or [MSFT]
after my name.

I'd follow the suggestion, but do some additional homework if it seems a
little fishy. And always keep a good antivirus up to date!

 

[mikeyhsd]

go straight to the codec site.
klite
is a good one.



(e-mail address removed)



I just read that it is likely that CODEC packs that I see recommended in
some of these community newsgroups might be pirated stuff that might also
contain viruses.

Am I being too trusting to think that I can safely click on a link in a post
that appears to be from an MVP/MSFT? Is there an MVP/MSFT Cop that boots
imposters off the boards or are these community newsgroups "Read At Your Own
Risk"?

I know not to automatically trust 'from' names that are like me ... plain
vanilla ... but if it has an MVP or MSFT or something like that, I usually
am more trusting of those posts. Am I being a mushroom again?

... vanilla

 

[zachd [MSFT]]

Nah, it's really not.

What happens if you run Voxware on Vista, or run Voxware on XP under a
debugger? (Vista actually notices this corruption, whereas XP lets you go
straight to data loss.) I can't even imagine why they're installing that.

There's tons of other issues. There is nothing good about K-Lite. CCCP
(Combined Community Codec Pack) does the same thing a thousand times better
with fewer flaws.

If you care about keeping your system stable, you will never touch K-Lite.
CCCP and the Zero Codec Pack are the ONLY codec packs that anyone with
knowledge in this field *could* ever recommend. It's quite sad, really. =(

In general, codec packs are a bad idea. CCCP and Zero are the best of a
rotten and despicable lot. Best practice is to get the exact missing codec
as you need it directly from the vendor, which ensures you have the latest
version that is most likely to be compatible with Vista/etc.

-Zach
--
Speaking for myself only.
See http://zachd.com/pss/pss.html for some helpful WMP info.
This posting is provided "AS IS" with no warranties, and confers no rights.
--
go straight to the codec site.
klite
is a good one.


(e-mail address removed)

I just read that it is likely that CODEC packs that I see recommended in
some of these community newsgroups might be pirated stuff that might also
contain viruses.

Am I being too trusting to think that I can safely click on a link in a post
that appears to be from an MVP/MSFT? Is there an MVP/MSFT Cop that boots
imposters off the boards or are these community newsgroups "Read At Your Own
Risk"?

I know not to automatically trust 'from' names that are like me ... plain
vanilla ... but if it has an MVP or MSFT or something like that, I usually
am more trusting of those posts. Am I being a mushroom again?

.... vanilla

 

[vanilla]

Thank you very much to all of you ... forums and newsgroups are just an
invaluable source ... I learn so much and try to read as many posts as I can
.... I know _zip_ about codecs and all multimedia in general ... over time, I
will learn. And I appreciate the candor about official designations ...
that, too, I guess I will just have to learn over many months of reading
posts ... vanilla