Monroe

After posting earlier about Daum PotPlayer ... I did find a "portable" version to download that lists Windows 98 and not Windows 9x but it will probably be as loblo posted ... you will need KernelEx and UPXing ... I can't be 100% sure, no way to test it. It is an older version. The version I posted about yesterday (Daum PotPlayer v1.6.47450) doesn't seem to have a portable version. I searched around and at the AfterDawn website they DO NOT mention Windows 98 or 9x as working with Daum PotPlayer v1.6.47450 but when you click on Daum PotPlayer (Portable) near the bottom of the page a different version will appear also mentioning Windows 98. Daum PotPlayer v1.6.47450 http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/media_players/daum_potplayer.cfm Vista / Win7 / Win8 / WinXP from the Portable link near the bottom of page: Daum PotPlayer (Portable) v1.5.39659 Vista / Win2k / Win7 / Win98 / WinNT / WinXP http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/media_players/daum_potplayer_portable.cfm ...

I posted about this multimedia player under the Software Hangout thread but I will make a quick mention of it here also ... it is also portable. I have not tried it yet but will probably try the portable version, but it lists Windows 9x as of May 08, 2014. I am on XP these days so someone using Windows 98SE will have to verify what they say. Additional: Not sure about this portable version ... have tried to download it twice and nothing seems to be in my download folder, not the complete download. I have never seen a portable ZIP download work like this before. The regular download seems to be OK ... just a heads up on the portable download ... I will not be fooling around with it anymore. Daum PotPlayer 1.6.47450 Beta http://codecpack.co/download/PotPlayer.html System requirements: 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8 PotPlayer is a fast and lightweight multimedia player that supports most popular audio and video formats and can be customized with more than 300 skins. Typically, PotPlayer runs smoothly and the CPU usage is kept to minimum. It can play HEVC, WMA, MP3, OGG, AIF, MPEG, VOB, AC3, DTS, ASX, PLS, WAX, ASF, WMA, WMV, AVI, MP4, SWF, MOV, QT, FLV and other formats. Additional features include high quality playback, built-in DXVA video codecs, subtitles support, live broadcasting, video capture, skins and just about everything else you`d expect from a multimedia player. If VideoLan or MPC-HC cannot play your video or sound file, give PotPlayer a try. It has built in support for most video and audio formats, and does not require any third party software whatsoever to work. Overall, PotPlayer is a must-have application for its ability to open just about any type of video file you throw at it. Daum PotPlayer is a continual work in progress – keep an eye out for new features as the developers continue to make PotPlayer the best media player available.

Came across this multimedia player that is also portable. I have not tried it but the latest version is dated May 08 2014 (1.6.47450) and still list Windows 9x along with XP. I have several media players already but I may try out the portable version. I never heard of this player but since they still list Windows 9x in 2014, I thought I should mention it. I will take their word that it works on Windows 9x systems, since I am on XP these days. Additional: Not sure about this portable version ... have tried to download it twice and nothing seems to be in my download folder, not the complete download. I have never seen a portable ZIP download work like this before. The regular download seems to be OK ... just a heads up on the portable download ... I will not be fooling around with it anymore. Additional (05-13-20140 I did find this working portable version today ... Daum PotPlayer (Portable) v1.5.39659 http://www.afterdawn.com/software/audio_video/media_players/daum_potplayer_portable.cfm Daum PotPlayer 1.6.47450 Beta http://codecpack.co/download/PotPlayer.html System requirements: 9x/Me/NT/2000/XP/2003/Vista/7/8 PotPlayer is a fast and lightweight multimedia player that supports most popular audio and video formats and can be customized with more than 300 skins. Typically, PotPlayer runs smoothly and the CPU usage is kept to minimum. It can play HEVC, WMA, MP3, OGG, AIF, MPEG, VOB, AC3, DTS, ASX, PLS, WAX, ASF, WMA, WMV, AVI, MP4, SWF, MOV, QT, FLV and other formats. Additional features include high quality playback, built-in DXVA video codecs, subtitles support, live broadcasting, video capture, skins and just about everything else you`d expect from a multimedia player. If VideoLan or MPC-HC cannot play your video or sound file, give PotPlayer a try. It has built in support for most video and audio formats, and does not require any third party software whatsoever to work. Overall, PotPlayer is a must-have application for its ability to open just about any type of video file you throw at it. Daum PotPlayer is a continual work in progress – keep an eye out for new features as the developers continue to make PotPlayer the best media player available.

Again more thought provoking insight from jaclaz, who I believe has knowledge of building and construction requirements, from another post I had read ... the climate extremes, ventilation and exhaust requirements ... I was thinking earlier also just what would be the maintenance cost over short and long term ... also what would the actual ticket price have to be to show a profit unless there would be many passenger cars in tow. I also was wondering about a possible under-sea earthquake with a train in that 200 KM tunnel and the tunnel cracking open. It's mind-boggling !

This is thought provoking ... what a train ride that would be. China Mulls High-Speed Train to US 2014-05-08 http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/business/2014-05/08/content_17493399.htm China is considering building a high-speed railway across the Siberia and Bering Strait to Alaska, across Canada to the US. In not so distant future, people can take the train from China to the US, according to Beijing Times Thursday citing Wang Mengshu, a railway expert and academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering. The proposed journey will start from China's northeast region, cross Siberia to Bering Strait, and run across the Pacific Ocean by undersea tunnel to reach Alaska, from Alaska to Canada, then on to its final destination, the US. To cross Bering Strait will require approximately 200km undersea tunnel, the technology, which is already in place will also be used on Fujian to Taiwan high-speed railway tunnel. The project will be funded and constructed by China. The details of this project are yet to be finalized. ...

submix8c ... in my case there were more ThinkPad movies that I wanted to download ... yes, I got your link for that one movie file but here are others that I want to save ... from this page. Hardware removal and installation - ThinkPad T40/p, T41/p, T42/p, T43/p http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-50233 I don't have FireFox on my computer presently ... I do have an older version put away on a USB stick ... FF 3.5, I think ... could this also work like the version you are using or maybe it's just too old. I like Standalone Flash Player ... I will checkout FlashGet. Yes, very interesting stuff so far. ...

A lot more information here since I last posted ... j7n ... I have Opera 12 (last version I use) and followed your instructions using Dragonfly in the "Developers Tools" section. In the Network Log I found the .swf URL link. That was easy enough, I never fooled around with Dragonfly so I learned something new about Opera 12. Again thanks for the help. kaljukass ... I got the download OK from your adrive.com links. HarryTri ... I'm still working with Free Download Manager, didn't have luck getting the .swf link but I didn't spend enough time with it to figure it out ... like the program though. When I saw the post from j7n mentioning Opera 12 ... and since I already had it on my computer, I decided to give it a try. That's what I needed, a way to get that .swf link but I am going to work (experiment) with everything that was posted. I've had videos like this show up before that I didn't know how to save, so this a big learning experience for me. thanks ...

submix8c ... HarryTri thanks for the information ... I have downloaded everything but have no time today to try things out. Will probably do so tomorrow or shortly. When I go to that link the movie starts playing right away ... I hope I can connect with the link. ...

First, just wasn't sure where to post this but since I am using XP, it's here. There are several little quick IBM ThinkPad repair videos that I can view online but I would like to download them all to save and burn to a CD for future repair information. I think they are "flash videos" but have fooled around a bit and can't seem to figure out how to download or save them. Here is one link for an example ... Javascript has to be on ... I switch it back and forth. Keyboard installation movie - ThinkPad T40/p, T41/p, T42/p, T43/p http://support.lenovo.com/en_US/product-and-parts/detail.page?&LegacyDocID=MIGR-50228 ... maybe they can't be saved like I can save YouTube videos with Youtube Downloader HD. I spent yesterday downloading many videos on Thinkpad T41 - T42 repairs but I would also like to have these Lenovo videos on hand ... might not be there later on when I might need them. thanks ...

Flasche ... in answer to your question, I did not see the event ... live in PA. A little off topic but it's not important since I started this thing. How was the camping trip to West Point ? ... sounds like a cool thing to be doing ... so much early history there and later also, but the early stuff is interesting ... "West Point is a United States federal military reservation established by Thomas Jefferson in 1802." ... from Wikipedia.

Just curious if any members saw this ... Fireball over NY and Canada May 05, 2014 http://www.myfoxny.com/story/25433224/fireball-over-ny-and-canada NEW YORK People across Western New York and Ontario Canada reported seeing an extremely bright daylight fireball. Several people caught images of the bright object appearing to explode on dashboard cameras in their cars. It happened Sunday at about 4:16 p.m. and people said the object had a brightness rivaling the sun. The American Meteor Society is investigating the incident. People also reported hearing a loud boom. No impact zone has been located so its unclear if any part of the object made it all the way down to the Earth's surface. This incident came a day before the Eta Aquarid meteor shower. NASA says the annual springtime event happens as the earth passes through the debris trail from Halley’s Comet. It takes place May 5 and 6th.

A small asteroid about the size of a city bus zipped by Earth at a range closer than the moon early Saturday (May 3), but posed no threat to our planet. Bus-Size Asteroid Buzzes Earth, Comes Closer Than the Moon http://www.space.com/25748-bus-size-asteroid-buzzes-earth-video.html A small asteroid about the size of a city bus zipped by Earth at a range closer than the moon early Saturday (May 3), but posed no threat to our planet. The newly discovered asteroid 2014 HL129 came within 186,000 miles (299,338 kilometers) of Earth when it made its closest approach on Saturday morning, which is close enough to pass between the planet and the orbit of the moon. The average distance between the Earth and moon is about 238,855 miles (384,400 km). You can watch a video animation of asteroid 2014 HL129's orbit around the sun on Space.com. The asteroid is about 25 feet (7.6 meters) wide, according to NASA's Asteroid Watch project based at the agency's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif. It made its closest approach to Earth at 4:13 a.m. EDT (0813 GMT). Saturday's close shave by asteroid 2014 HL129 came just days after its discovery on Wednesday, April 28, by astronomers with the Mt. Lemmon Survey team, according to an alert by the Minor Planet Center, an arm of the International Astronomical Union that chronicles asteroid discoveries. The Mt. Lemmon Survey team scans the night sky with a telescope at the Steward Observatory atop Mt. Lemmon in Arizona's Catalina Mountains. NASA scientists and researchers around the world constantly monitor the sky for potentially dangerous asteroids that could pose a risk of impacting the Earth.

Of course the person (woman) pushing the baby buggy would be gone but the baby would probably be OK for another day!

I would have to vote for photo # 7 ... the vehicle with 10 wheels and 5 axles ... think how complex that design was back then, all those moving parts ... steering and brakes also. Sort of like a modern day Moon or Mars Rover. You might have thought the military would have had an interest in that machine. I might also add that the "Straw Hat Radio" combined with a "Tin Foil Hat" might have been what the world was waiting for ... think of the reception !!!

Some interesting photos of yesterday ... there are 12 pictures. The last picture sort of shows an early "GPS" model from the 1930's ... before satellites! Hope the link works. Vintage Inventions That Never Caught On http://www.nydailynews.com/news/vintage-inventions-heard-gallery-1.1771591 ...

Finding more links in those twitter postings ... this one is dated April 27th This is from the article and it does not mention IE 8, so I don't know. "Security firm FireEye, which revealed the flaw to Microsoft, says that there's evidence of an active exploit targeting Internet Explorer 9 through 11 and Adobe Flash. All Internet Explorer users, regardless of operating system, have a few choices for avoiding this exploit. The easiest method is to use another browser, like Chrome or Firefox (both of which are currently still supported for Windows XP). If you need to stick with Internet Explorer, Microsoft has published some more advanced methods alongside its service advisory, including enabling Enhanced Protected Mode. Regardless of what you do, it's a good a idea to take some action to make sure you're safe from the exploit." Security flaw puts all Internet Explorer users at risk, exposes Windows XP April 27, 2014 http://www.theverge.com/2014/4/27/5659006/internet-explore-zero-day-security-flaw-affects-all-versions

Same here, I heard or read nothing about this until -X- posted about it. I don't do twitter/facebook so I guess I'm screwed for the future! Anyway, on one of the links that -X- posted there is a link to this article dated April 28th Monday. It seems to be the same old thing ... being careful of strange links and e-mails and I suppose use another browser ... I was using IE8 only for monthly updates, so it sits dormant most of the time. From the article: "It is unknown whether Microsoft will backtrack on its support withdrawal to fix the security hole in Internet Explorer on Windows XP." Ditch Internet Explorer on XP, Security Experts Warn More than half of all internet users are vulnerable to a serious security bug that means Windows XP is vulnerable to hackers. http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2014/apr/28/internet-explorer-xp-security-experts-warn Serious security vulnerability could allow hackers to take control of a Windows computer through Internet Explorer, from version IE6 onwards. Security experts have urged Windows XP users to change browsers owing to a serious bug in Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that could threaten over half of all internet users. The vulnerability is actively being exploited by hackers, Microsoft has warned, and every active version of Internet Explorer is at risk, including IE 6 to IE 11, Windows XP and Windows RT. The bug could allow hackers to gain access to and hijack a Windows computer, including personal data. Microsoft warned that it was “aware of limited, targeted attacks” currently under way using the security hole in Internet Explorer, which is used by over 55% of internet users globally, according to the latest data from research firm Netmarketshare. 'Appropriate action to protect our customers' Microsoft issued security advice over the weekend, saying it was investigating the flaw and will take “appropriate action to protect our customers”, including patching the security hole, originally found by security company FireEye. The flaw affects users of Internet Explorer on multiple Windows software versions, including Windows Vista, 7 and the latest Windows 8. But the biggest threat is posed to the 13-year-old Windows XP, which Microsoft recently withdrew support for and is still used on an estimated 430m computers globally. It is unknown whether Microsoft will backtrack on its support withdrawal to fix the security hole in Internet Explorer on Windows XP. 'Don’t panic' “Windows XP users shouldn’t panic, but should certainly be aware of the risk and if at all possible switch to an alternative browser,” Rik Ferguson, vice president of security research at Trend Micro, told the Guardian. “If you aren't going to be switching your operating system any time soon, it would be a good idea to make a permanent switch to another browser. That would make the web-facing portion of your browsing activities one that will be actively updated.” Warnings over an “XPocalypse”, where a flood of security holes were expected once Microsoft’s security support of Windows XP stopped on 8 April, seem to have been overblown but the risk of using a system that is not updated is still real. “The fact that we’re seeing a vulnerability that affects Windows XP this soon after support has ended indicates that we’re going to see a trickle of security flaws instead, but a strong trickle at that. Criminals and nation states may well have a stock pile of these bugs but they are very unlikely to unleash them in one go,” Ferguson said. Take complete control Microsoft’s security note explained that hackers looking to take advantage of the bug to take complete control of a user’s computer via Internet Explorer would require users to view a “specially crafted website”. Microsoft advised users to be careful about clicking on suspicious links that could take them to the hacker’s site when browsing, emailing or chatting via instant messenger. The company also explained a series of work arounds that could help protect users, which include installing a Microsoft tool kit that enhances the security of Internet Explorer. “We encourage customers to follow the suggested mitigations outlined in the security advisory while an update is finalised,” a Microsoft spokesperson told the Guardian.

I posted this reply in the other thread ... decided to post it here also. ---- Thanks submix8c for "cross referencing" the two threads ... I was hoping the two would be linked somehow. I will post here and then follow the other thread under XP also. Referring to the one article link you posted ... this is near the end of the article. http://www.eweek.com/security/bug-in-microsoft-security-essentials-downs-windows-xp-machines.html "On April 15, 2014, Microsoft released an Antimalware Engine update that may have caused interrupted service for customers using affected Microsoft security products," the company stated in an April 21 email to eWEEK. "Microsoft corrected the issue via signature update, which automatically resolved the issue, and customers do not need to take any action." While business customers have long been urged to end their reliance on Windows XP, many cost-conscious firms are trying to avoid upgrading. "One can say the customers got what they paid for, as MS Essentials has no charge and is bundled with the operating systems," the New England technology provider said." That last part ... "One can say the customers got what they paid for, as MS Essentials has no charge and is bundled with the operating systems," the New England technology provider said." How cold ... no one expects or deserves to have their computer "messed up" by an update from a "reputable company", be it MS or any other "top line company" ... and what does it really matter if the program is "free" ... free or not free, an update should do what it is expected to do ... update and not destroy someone's computer. People have a right to expect the best from a "top dog" company, maybe not so much from a newer upstart company with no track record ... but to say ... "customers got what they paid for" ... I don't agree with that statement at all.

Thanks submix8c for "cross referencing" the two threads ... I was hoping the two would be linked somehow. I will post here and then follow the other thread under XP also. Referring to the one article link you posted ... this is near the end of the article. "On April 15, 2014, Microsoft released an Antimalware Engine update that may have caused interrupted service for customers using affected Microsoft security products," the company stated in an April 21 email to eWEEK. "Microsoft corrected the issue via signature update, which automatically resolved the issue, and customers do not need to take any action." While business customers have long been urged to end their reliance on Windows XP, many cost-conscious firms are trying to avoid upgrading. "One can say the customers got what they paid for, as MS Essentials has no charge and is bundled with the operating systems," the New England technology provider said." That last part ... "One can say the customers got what they paid for, as MS Essentials has no charge and is bundled with the operating systems," the New England technology provider said." How cold ... no one expects or deserves to have their computer "messed up" by an update from a "reputable company", be it MS or any other "top line company" ... and what does it really matter if the program is "free" ... free or not free, an update should do what it is expected to do ... update and not destroy someone's computer. People have a right to expect the best from a "top dog" company, maybe not so much from a newer upstart company with no track record ... but to say ... "customers got what they paid for" ... I don't agree with that statement at all.

I somewhat agree with you that things left in various places ... including cemeteries could be considered fair game. People steal from churches, run through cemeteries knocking over tombstones ... sometimes breaking them into pieces and lately metal vases are being stolen from veteran graves just to sell the metal. Since this has been an ongoing thing for these parents, I was feeling bad for them ... they still like to visit and bring something to their son's grave and someone else walks off with it. I didn't post the story to start any serious discussions or arguments ... just thought it was sad in today's world. The woman may well walk away with a small fine or nothing ... like you said, if people leave items laying around, is it really a crime to pick it up and walk off with it. If someone goes onto someone's property and steals a child's bike or toy, then yes, I would think that would be a crime ... but a cemetery, I don't know. It just doesn't seem like an ordinary person would do something like that ... I still walk around someone's grave out of respect instead of right over it ... but how would that person have any idea where I walk ... it's all just respect, as I see it. ...

I guess Facebook and social media do have good things that happen ... this helped the police solve this and bring some peace to the family. ... also a lot of comments at the bottom of the article link. "Sigler said several people came forward and identified Shade as the suspect after a video camera the police had set up near the gravesite that captured a woman taking the toy was shared on social media, where it received several thousand hits." "Sigler said several people contacted the Ontario Police Department identifying Shade as the woman in the video after it was posted on Facebook." Woman Charged in Theft From Child's Grave Apr. 25, 2014 http://www.mansfieldnewsjournal.com/proart/20140424/news01/304240009/woman-charged-theft-from-child-s-grave?pagerestricted=1 ONTARIO — Ontario police have charged Frieda Kay Shade, 54, of Mansfield with stealing items from a baby's gravesite at Mansfield Memorial Park. Detective Jon Sigler said Shade turned herself in Wednesday night, and that she explained to authorities that she took a stuffed toy animal from the grave of Hayden "Tank" Cole Sheridan because a dog was running loose in the area and she didn't want it to destroy the toy. Sigler and Shade's attorney, Charles Robinson, said Shade will plead not guilty to one count of theft, a first-degree misdemeanor. Her court date is May 8 in Ontario. Sigler said several people came forward and identified Shade as the suspect after a video camera the police had set up near the gravesite that captured a woman taking the toy was shared on social media, where it received several thousand hits. "The video is there, we're not denying that. But video evidence does not show what a person is thinking. There are mitigating circumstances," Robinson said, without going into detail. "We all have sympathy for a child who has expired. We know how hard that is, and we sympathize with that." According to Mansfield Municipal Court records, Shade has made several appearances in court for criminal and civil charges including passing bad checks, unauthorized use of property and evictions. Shade has two open cases in Richland County Common Pleas Court Ohio in reference to state taxes. "I have no idea yet how I feel about (the arrest). I'm kind of in shock and have had no chance to think about it," said Scott Sheridan, father of Hayden, who died in 2007. Sheridan and his wife believe the grave has been targeted by thieves over the years; stolen items have included flowers, wreaths and toy tanks. That in turn led the Ontario Police Department to set up a surveillance camera, a kind typically used by hunters, near the gravesite in July 2012. "They've definitely experienced enough theft over the years to make them feel that way," Sigler said of the Sheridans. "In 2012, they noticed some solar lights were gone when all the graves around had theirs." Sigler said several people contacted the Ontario Police Department identifying Shade as the woman in the video after it was posted on Facebook. "I don't know if we would have gotten this case solved without that. The scenario is bizarre. It's really weird," he said. But Sigler also credited the value of surveillance video to his department. "We recognized its utility long ago and use it whenever possible. It has motion detection, night vision. It really serves a purpose," he said. Jaclyn Sheridan said her family went to Hayden's grave on Easter and saw the stuffed toy duck was gone. "We should be able to decorate his resting spot and leave things on his grave during the time we're allowed," she said. Jaclyn said the video footage has shown people showing their respect at his grave, too. She said she decorates for holidays at his grave. Her son was 14 months old when he died. Scott Sheridan said the family will continue leaving items on his son's grave. "Oh, yeah," he said. "That way we feel we're including him even though he's passed away. We feel this is the one spot where we can do that."

Thanks for mentioning "Rebootrestore" ... I missed that one, it's from the company that makes RollBack Rx and is a freeware utility. I just explore this idea also as a way to go with XP ... after making an image backup to have if all else fails, including the hard drive, then having a program like Reboot Restore Rx or something similar allows a person to experiment with changes and software programs and easily return to a good working system very quickly, should something go wrong. I never really had much success with System Restore that comes with Windows XP, seems to be "hit and miss", maybe it works, maybe not ... a program like Reboot Restore Rx sounds like a much better alternative. Reboot Restore Rx http://www.horizondatasys.com/en/products_and_solutions.aspx?ProductId=18 Reboot Restore Rx is a Freeware utility that makes it easy to maintain PC’s in small public access computing environments (classrooms, computer labs, kiosks, internet cafes, libraries, etc.). Every time you restart the PC’s - they will automatically reset to your desired baseline settings. Advanced Technology designed for small public access computing environments. It’s a challenge to maintain public access PC's - at hotels, internet cafes, and libraries - where users are not always careful and usage is high. Reboot Restore Rx simplifies the management of PC's in shared computing environments... Reboot Restore Rx is a non-restrictive hard drive restore product designed for public access PC management. The PC users feel as though they have complete control over the PC. But regardless of what they do, including erasing files, installing software or even hacking the system registry, Reboot Restore Rx will automatically restore the PC to a predefined baseline -- every time the workstation is restarted, or turned on. Making the workstations perfectly configured and available for the next user. * Restore on Reboot * Reset to Baseline on PC Start Up or Hard Reset * One-Click Instant Updates * VMWare Support * Protects the MBR * Works below Windows * Mini OS Access * Restore from unbootable Windows ----------------------------- I tried Steady State and wasn't crazy about it but you said ... "I found an old version of steady state". That might be interesting to also try ... sometimes older versions seem to work a little better than later versions. What version did you find compared to the last version 2.5 ? I didn't spend a lot of time working with SteadyState, so I might try it again in a few months but I will try Reboot Restore Rx ... their RollBack Rx program is very popular and probably worth the price.

OK jaclaz ... I guess CDs / DVDs can't be read after being cut into pieces. The silver film does flake off ... so no repair jobs with super glue! I will still burn and melt them down ... mine have nothing important on them to anyone, I do like watching them melt and as they burn, all the different colors and then black smoke. I remember reading somewhere where paper that had been cross shredded was put back together over a very long period of time ... very time consuming but do-able. ...

Point well taken ... I am still not 100% sure that broken CDs / DVDs can not be read. I like burning and melting them to nothing ... outside of course or in a fireplace. That suggestion of putting them in an oven ... the chemical smell in the house would be terrible and there would have to be some residue, I would think. ...

You are correct ... they are paranoid with a capital "P". Lots of reading ... watching your electric consumption, putting CDs / DVDs in a microwave to destroy them ... I personally burn and melt every one of mine when I no longer need them or update a DVD image backup ... nothing "top secret" on them, just my XP setup but I just like knowing they are "gone" forever. Just pulling out some of the discussion comments: It's easy to disable a builtin camera (especially if you're not using it at all): cover the camera with a piece of duct tape. It's slightly harder to destroy a builtin mic, but most of them don't require too much effort with a paperclip or tack to destroy the diaphragm. --- I believe that a microwave oven will make optical media quite unreadable before disposal. Try 10 seconds. I'm not sure if the microwave is safe for food use after you destroy a boatload of DVD's, though. --- A hammer would also work well to destroy CDs and DVDs. If one were truly paranoid, they would distribute pieces of the broken media into multiple bags and dispose of said bags in widely separated parts of town. --- I have one PC at home running Windows XP that connects to the internet maybe 2-3 times per year. It's over eight years old and other than one harddrive failure is about as trouble-free as anything running Microsoft can be. Friends don't understand why I never use it for web surfing but from a security and up-time standpoint the benefits far outweigh the problems with an air gap. --- A conventional (gas or electric) oven is also a good way to securely "dispose" of optical and magnetic media. 450F for 15-30 minutes usually does it. I use a foil-lined cookie tray to preserve the tray... And do this when nobody is home for a few hours afterward so the "fumes" have time to disperse. For flash memory, a hammer works pretty well. --- I think the ultra-paranoid way would also avoid - connecting the system to the wall socket to prevent any manipulation of the power supply or any traces by consumption of electricity - use shielding wallpaper in an empty basement room with no windows - live in a house older than 1950 (only to be sure that no electronic bugs were built-in with the cement) There are a lot of comments ... haven't read them all ... several mention Qubes. Only for 64 bit computers ... if I understand it. http://www.qubes-os.org/trac Qubes is an open-source operating system designed to provide strong security for desktop computing. Qubes is based on Xen, the X Window System, and Linux, and can run most Linux applications and utilize most of the Linux drivers. System Requirements: * 64-bit Intel or AMD processor (x86_64 aka x64 aka AMD64) * 4 GB RAM * 32 GB disk space ...