Melodeon.net Forums
Forum and website admin => Support => Topic started by: Ebor_fiddler on July 16, 2011, 05:04:49 PM
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I'm home again after the curious incident of the Computer That Didn't. On holiday in the Lakes, I had to use mobile access to T'Interweb Thingy, but imagine my surprise when my favourite website turned her back on me and refused to speak, claiming that I was a Robot. :'( I managed to get access via the back door (my mobile phone). Going through to the Wotsit Project gave me no useful result, after I did what they said and STILL received rejection. I am now using the same computer, though through my normal SSI (or whatever it's called - Talktalk, I mean) and everything is honky dury.
As it is Sidmouth very soon and then Whitby, can any of you computer genii please tell me how to avoid the problem next time please? I'm sure I'm not the first to have accumulated this problem. :M
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I've just had this same problem with my normal home PC when I first tried to access Melnet today ("Access denied. You are a a robot ...etc") and felt very panicky. Then I saw the suggestion that you should try switching off the router and rebooting. So I tried the time-honoured trick of switching everything off and then back on again, and it's all OK now.
If anyone knows what on earth is going on here, I'd be grateful for an explanation.
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If you have looked at the recent posts in the News and Announcements forum (http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/board,6.0.html) you will be aware that we have been experiencing large numbers of attempts to register by spammers. To counter this we have had to install various security measures to repel these parasites. Unfortunately the anti spam measures are not perfect and sometimes you will be told you are a robot when you have ample reasons for believing you are a genuine human member of the forum.
The methods we use are based on looking up your IP address (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IP_address) in a database of known spammers. Your IP address may appear in the database for at least two reasons:
1 - your computer is infected with malware and unknown to you it is being used to send out spam. If you have security software on your machine it will only be effective if you keep it up to date. Most software of this type can be set to update automatically.
2 - To understand the second reason you need a bit of background info about how your IP address is set. When you connect your home computer through a router to the internet your Internet Service Provider (eg BT, Plusnet, Virgin etc) allocates an IP address to your router. As long as the router is left on and working normally the IP address remains the same. If you switch the router off, or re-boot, it may be allocated a different IP address. Unfortunately the IP address you are given may have previously been abused and have a become listed in one of the databases of known spammers. So re-booting your router again may strike luck and be allocated a clean IP address when access to melnet will return to normal.
Using Internet access away from home you stand a larger chance of trouble because public access points such as wifi hotspots, and Internet cafes seem to be more open to abuse than home or work systems.
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I'm having trouble with using my "mobile" web access, via O2 - effectively I should imagine dial-up. I'll have another go on the machine I was using while away and if still a ROBOT, I'll chase O2, since I suspect that is where my problem lies. I'll let you know what I find out.
@Theo - sorry about putting my query in the wrong bit - I very rarely look below the line as the low part is usually well above my competence level.
Regards,
Chris.
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I'm having trouble with using my "mobile" web access, via O2 -
You could try this simplified version for mobiles http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,2615.0.html (http://forum.melodeon.net/index.php/topic,2615.0.html) though it may not make any difference to the anti spammer messages.
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Thanks for the explanation, Theo. There was an explanation of this sort on the warning page, but I wasn't entirely sure whether the warning page itself was some sort of hoax and I was being invited to take steps that would actually help spammers, or something.
Since I rebooted the whole system, all is well, so I hope it was simply an unfortunate IP address that was causing the problem.
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I've printed off everything in sight and I'm going to annoy O2 asap! :-*
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I had the same issue over the weekend using Eastcoast Mainilne's on-board wifi.
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Hmm - we'll have to get out there with extra-heavy clogs and let these internet providers realise what a heinous sin they are committing by interfering with access to the only necessary site on T'Web! :M :||:
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I went into the O2 shop this afternoon, braving floods in the interest of the pure truth. The manager was very helpful and after several experiments, we decided that the reason for my failure to connect to Melnet using their dongle was definitely the improved security measures, which seemingly banned access from systems such as theirs. He also explained why fora (note correct Latin usage, fellow pedants!) needed heavier security than other websites, because of their greater attractiveness to advertising swine (apologiews to any pigs reading this).
Any whinges I may have made are herewith rescinded - I'd much rather have Melnet without spam.
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He also explained why fora (note correct Latin usage, fellow pedants!)
Well done that man
(apologiews to any pigs reading this).
Shame you let yourself down with a typo >:E
I'd much rather have Melnet without spam.
Does the spam come from the advertising swine only when it has been processed and canned ;D
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Dear friends
Thread drift is ok anywhere else, but please, please please keep support topics strictly on topic. :'(