DennisD

Thanks for the reply Andavari, but I solved the problem by unchecking the alternative ports checkbox in prefs, as mentioned in my post. I just wanted to find out if this was as bad a risk as it appears, and if it is, to pass on the info. But it seemed as if I was the only Skype user on the planet.

It appears Mozilla are planning to make a slight change to the good old Firefox logo. Proposed new version here:

At the moment I'm listening to Pink Floyd > The Wall > Disc 2 > Track 2.... "Is There Anybody Out There?" Is there? Using Skype?

My Flash and Shockwave players are both resident in C:\WINDOWS\system32\Macromed. So one would assume that none of them are actual browser plugins. Edit: Forgot to mention, was looking at the Opera:config yesterday, and in I think "User Prefs" there is a plugin path that you can configure.

Anyone a fan of the big cats, can find some pretty good wallpaper here:

Andavari pretty much summed it up Anthony, but if its any help to you, I have Adobe Flash Player 9 ActiveX, which I assume is the IE version. I also have Adobe Flash Plugin. I assume for Firefox etc., and I also have Adobe Shockwave Player. You can find an explanation here on the difference between Flash Player and Shockwave Player.

Definitely "La Computadora".

Humpty, I'll know for sure if your suggestion has done the trick after a few days, but so far re-checking those options has made opening folders with windows explorer a lot faster, and no hangups yet. Edit: Still hanging.

Try this: And I'm not mentioning anyones name rr..........

Hey, it is possible to be in two places at once. One leg in here and the other in the Opera Forum, and there appears to be a few problems with Opera. In particular the latest couple of versions. A few people are having exactly the same problem as me, and I've already tried a few "opera:config" suggestions, and guess what. Yep. Nada, zilch, no joy. But I ain't giving up yet. There must be a fix because it's affecting more than me. If there is, I'll pass it on.

Thanks, done that.

Tried that Humpty, as well as making IE7 the default browser just in case its connection was based on IE7s prefs. But thanks all the same.

Winging my way over there tonight Anthony.

Thanks for the tip Humpty, just d'ld that. Worth a try. Regarding CCleaner, I've had "Search Assistant Autocomplete" and "Recent Documents" unchecked in Windows Explorer. Can't remember doing that. Rectified that, and will see how that goes.

Now you're talking "megabites".

After booting up's finished, if I try to access any folders with Windows Explorer, pc hangs and I have to reboot. But this doesn't happen every time I boot. Mostly just works as normal, but it's happened 3 times this week. Seriously though, this is not an urgent problem. Really minor compared to most of the stuff you deal with. I'll try dial a fix, then come back later (like not tonight, or this morning, whatever) if it continues. I suggest you have a cup of Ovaltine, have a lie down, and think of that top of the range Mac you're gonna treat yourself to one of these days.

I think I'll use the same excuse for being picky. It does work great 99.99% of the time.

Thanks guys. I've tried every suggestion you've suggested. (That doesn't sound right, but what the hell). The only way I can get Opera to work is to connect to my broadband with another browser, and then launch Opera. Could that be another clue as to why it's sitting there laughing at my, (or should I say our), futile attempts to kick it into action. You know, I'm starting to hate this browser, but it's driving me mad not knowing why it just refuses to do its thing. Yesterday I downloaded the latest version, but exactly the same result, so for want of any new suggestions I think it's probably time to give up. If only I could get this image out of my head of a little Opera Gremlin with a smirk on his face chanting "that'll teach you to use Firefox...that'll teach you to use Firefox...that'll teach you to use Firefox..." You know, I could take this little guy over to the Opera forum and see what they make of him.

Not sure where to post this, as it appears to be a software error as opposed to malware, although I'm not sure either way. Intermittently, my pc hangs after bootup if I select any Windows Explorer folder as per screenshots. I get one of two error messages. Can't find the particular folder,(my documents, my pictures, my music etc), or can't find '(null)'. I can open all other applications without any problems, although as mentioned, this is intermittent. Any help would be appreciated.

Registry Mechanic, which finds stuff that CCleaner "Issues" doesn't, and vice versa. Although both of them find entries in the registry that always tie in with files I've deleted or programs I've uninstalled. However, if I could get an older copy of Registry Mechanic for free, I would. Shame on me.

Guys, I've learned something new on here more times than I care to remember. Cheers, although I hope I never hear those beeps.

At the risk of being unpopular, I have to say I see exactly where he's coming from on the blocking of ads on sites that provide free software. Unless in my computing naivety I'm missing something, if every user of these free software sites was known to be using some form of adblocking, then doesn't it follow that no advertiser would waste his money using these sites. Where would that leave them? I wouldn't dream of blocking the ads on this site. Man, that would feel like sacrilege. With all the free help, free advice, and free software I've obtained by being a member of this forum, not withstanding the unusual but still valued friendships that seem to develop over the ether, it's a very small price to pay to have commercial ads somewhere on the page. Surely if they weren't needed they wouldn't be there. Anyway, have to tell it as I see it, and IMHO this particular forum is an amazing place, and even though it may be abused by some, and taken for granted by others, (not the regulars I hasten to add), I'm more than happy to look at the ads while I'm here. Regards.

Hey man, I'm just grateful that you guys provide a program like this for free. Power to your elbow.

Hey, welcome to the forum LORDI RULES. That's probably the best first post I've seen.

I've been using this version since it came out early February. When I'm not listening to Roger Waters, Pink Floyd or Beethoven, I've got a good pair of headphones wrapped over my ears listening to Shoutcast Radio. 181 fm, Kickin' Country to be exact. Brilliant. With decent headphones, the sound quality is good, and so far I've experienced no hissing, crackling or signal dropout. I'm showing 8mb as well, with just the main window "always on top" as a narrow bar lying across the top of the screen. Nice and handy to pause, or see who or what's playing in the info window. I've liked this a lot since I first installed it. Edit: Since my earlier post re Skype, although this may be unnecessary, I've been back to HackerWatch with WinAmp active, and I'm still apparently invisible. Not sure if a prog like Winamp is a security risk in the same way as Skype, but better safe than sorry.