>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> Tales from the HiR Mailbag <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<
>>>>>>>>>>> No Gerbils Were Used in The Creation of This Article <<<<<<<<<<<<

Editor's Note: Here at HiR we get quite a bit of mail.  Between our
personal e-mail and the HiR Group E-Mail Account (H_i_R@hotmail.com), we
send about 50 messages a day to /dev/null.  About 48 of those trashed
messages are about how to make a 1500% profit on selling dried cat guts to
blind children who can't tell it from beef jerky, or about how we just all
won 30 free days of XXX pr0n if we give them our credit card numbers, or
some other stuff...

We're grateful that our reders like to respond, though... This is by no
means a complete list of all the mail, but we tossed in those messages
that deserved a good response.  We did mail responses back to almost
everyone who mailed us, and we published both the questions and our
responses for those messages we put here.  If we keep getting good
questions/e-mail, you'll probabl see this section in every future release
of HiR.

__________________________________________________________________________ 


Subject: Info Request
Hi there,
Im interested in becoming a hacker... im really dummie right now and
i'd like to know a resource where i can get important information
about procedures and programs...
If you can tell me about any resource, website or book it will be very
helpful.
Thanks
__________________________
Well, it seems you're already more of a hacker than many of the script-kiddies
that go around flaunting their "elite hax0r" selves.
The primary essence of a hacker is curiosity and drive to learn, which
you seem to posess.

To begin hacking, I would suggest focusing WAY down to something specific.
Most (real) hackers begin by tinkering with their operating system of choice
(be it Netware, Win95, WinNT, MacOS, DOS, Linux, *BSD, or some other UNIX
variant), and learning as much about it as possible.

Others decide not to focus on an operating system, but to focus on
something else such as Networking, telephony, Computer Hardware, Digital
Electronics, or something else. I am a firm believer that you should try
to find an operating system you like, and start "hacking" by modifying
your operating system, its look or feel, finding out how to add
functionality to it (through 3rd party software or stuff you come up with
yourself), and things like that.

I would recommend reading the "tech bible", writtem by disc0rd.
It's available on the links page of our distro site at 
http://axon.jccc.net/hir

The Tech bible is a GREAT intro to hacking.  It shows how to get started
on several different operating systems, as well as some general hacker
subculture help. Read all the HiR Articles. They range from hacking around
with the Win95 Registry, to having fun with UNIX, all the way through
securing a linux system and even how to put together some cool electronic
circuits that do fun stuff.

--The HiR Crew

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Subject: I Want to run UNIX!

i have been experimenting with port scanners and such and have become
very interested in learning about other systems...but i find that so
much more could be done if i had unix. now this is my parents computer
and they get pissed off when i put stuff on here, so getting unix would
be a problem...so i was wondering if there was software that you know
of that can, how do i say, simulate a unix enviroment, so that i can do
more. if you know of any, please send me it or tell me where to get it.
please write back, thanks.

----------------------------------------------

Well... if you really must know, it's a major pain in the butt to run
anything unix-like, without installing it.  There are fun ways to
take up like 500 Megabytes to 1 Gigabyte (or even more) by adding a
partition, and making it so that Windows (or DOS, whatever your parents
run) will boot normally... but it gives you a few seconds to choose your
UNIX of choice.   By far, the easiest to install is RedHat Linux. Version
5.2 (maybe Redhat 6.0 by the time this gets out) is available in stores
such as Best Buy, CompUSA, and online stores such as 
http://www.cheapbytes.com. Linux is one of a few UNIX-Style OS's that will
run on a normal desktop. RedHat makes it easy to learn more about UNIX.
Alternatively, there are other companies that release their own versions
of Linux, each of them has advantages and disadvantages. Debian and
S.u.S.E are two examples.

After you've gotten better at messing with UNIX, you may want to move
up to FreeBSD, or play with it.  This is a little more stable (but
not quite as friendly) as most of the Linux Distributions.

If you don't have the hard drive space to devote to a "Linux" drive,
then you can try to save up enough cast to get your own computer.
RedHat 5.2 will run (not very fast) on a 386.  If you can even find
them at used computer stores, they're pretty cheap. I was running
it on a 486 with 8 megabytes of ram for a long time, and it never gave
me any problems. You can probably get a decent 486 and the stuff
to go with it (Monitor, Keyboard, mouse, and a 1 gigabyte or larger hard
drive) for less than $300 if you check used computer stores, want ads,
and garage sales. It's well worth learning how to use some form of
UNIX, and you're very correct in your assumption that UNIX will set you
free when it comes to those annoying barriers that Windows gives you, and
there is a more wide-spread base of hacking/network-analysis tools for
UNIX and it's derivitives.

To completely answer your question, yes, you can run Linux without
a major re-partition.  Look on the net for things that utilize "UMSDOS",
Unix-in-MS-DOS technology.  I believe that Slackware Linux, among others,
can do this for you.  Read the appropriate documentation for detailed
instructions on how to implement this.

--HiR Crew


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Subject: statement that water-cooling a socket-7 chip would "take a lot of 
	 balls"

being monetarily deprived, i'm inclined to agree with that.   HOWEVER, i
(well a couple of friends of mine and i) have succesfully water-cooled a
socket ah... five, if memory serves me, pentium-66.  we pulled the
xtal oscillator-in-a-box from the board and connected a Fluke signal
generator in it's place.  the original xtal was rated at 18.xxxx MHz and
we got the Fluke up to somewhere around 40 MHz before things got
flaky.  needless to say, it was damn fast and the chip got pretty
warm.

the cooling system itself was a 160 gallon/hour aquarium filter pushing water
over the heatsink on the chip.  it was a big aluminum thing that had
depended on some sort of airflow in the old case (we assumed this since we
just got the board and chip) anyway, we used a lot of silicone and some
plexiglass and some nylon pipe fittings to make it liquid coolable.
the water was cycled through a little plastic one gallon aquarium (which
was mostly empty when the system finished self-priming, requiring us to
refill it after each start) and we started to get steam condensing on it's
sides, so we would submerge plastic pop bottles filled with water and then
frozen in the aquarium to keep it at a reasonable temperature. finally one
night during an endurance test (running a ray tracer [POV-ray, REALLY
neat]) the heatsink sprung a leak, allowing about two gallons of water to
be pumped into the case with the computer.   there was no major electrical
trouble (thankfully), but the system was rendered unusable.

anyway, just thought you might enjoy the story of our little experience.

Aaron xxxxxx (Last name omitted -Ed.)
___________________________________________________________

Well, thanks for sharing.  I figured that eventually the things HAD to
leak... Sigh... BUT with how cheap you can get a Pentium 60 and a
motherboard, it might be worth it to some people.  The way I figure it,
you were running that Pentium 60 chip somewhere in the 133-150 MHz range,
which, needless to say, is an AWESOME boost... If you could get the same
power increase (percentage wise) out of a P-120 chip, you're talking
better than 350 Megahertz!  I was really interested in hearing some
results from this.  I, myself, can't afford that kind of experimentation
unless I went in on it with some other people.  Thanks for getting back to
us!

--Axon

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------------------------------------------------------------------------
Contributions from Asmodian X, 

------------------------------------------------------------------------
More Info On CD Burning

From: Calvin
> >Subject: CD Writing
> >Date: Sat, 20 Mar 1999 03:49:29 +0800

> >Hi,
> >
> >After reading through your article (HiR8-4.txt) on CD Writing, I am
> >still unsure of the procedure of:
> >
> >1) Cutting a VCD. (I heard it is not just copying of whatever source
> >directories of files to the target disc. So what has to be done?)
> >
> >2) Making a Bootable Disc. ( I do not know what method or software to
> >use to create bootable CD for Win95/ WinNT. Currently, I am using
> >Adaptec Easy CD-Pro 95 CD writing software.)
> >
> >Looking forward to your advice.
> >
> >Regards
> >Calvin

Thanks for asking!

 I must admit those are some good questions.

 By a VCD I assume you are talking about a Video CD?  Well The Video CD
 standard just came out about 1993ish.  Im getting my information from
 the VideoCD faq. at
 http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/2496/vcdfaq.html

 According to the faq, to make a VCD you need to first make your movie
 into an AVI, then convert it using an MPEG 2 encoder <xing technologies
 has one>, then Using Adapttechs EZ-CD pro software, dump it to a
 Writable using the VIDEO CD option.

 To answer your question on Bootable CD's, So far I have only seen
 bootable cd's made in Linux, But Heres some Windoze SW that will also do
 the task.

http://www.mediastore.com/Specs-HyCD.html      Supports Video CD's too
 *(Adaptec's Pro edition does not say anything about bootable CD's)

<INSERTION> Adaptec's new version supports Bootable CD's </INSERTION>

 I also Found a Page that kinda is a walk through :
http://nikko.simplenet.com/goldentime/bootcd01.htm

it has some links to some Windoze based iso9660 imaging software.
-=- Asmodian >< -=-

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Drivers for a CD-R

I saw something you wrote about having a Phillips 2600e and I was 
wondering if you had the drivers or knew where I could get them.  I 
need drivers for Dos and for Win98.  I couldn't trace them down too 
good on the site so if you have them or even know the names let me 
know.  Thanx


--Pabst

SCSI Devices are fairly easy to find drivers for..  Phillips has some
dos drivers for the 2600x (internal or external) on their web page..

http://www.pc.be.philips.com/service/cdr.html

There you will find Some drivers (dos and win98) for the 2x00 series 
burners.. The ASPI one should work for dos.  The shuttle drivers come 
with the burner sw package.. but i didnt see it on their tech support 
page.

The shuttle Parallel port drivers are now supported by linux in the 
2.2.x series kernel.

Linux also supports quite a few scsi cards, so install support in for 
the scsi card plus generic scsi device support and the scsi cdrom 
option and your in business.

-=- asmodian -=-

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
L0pht Crack Question

Hi,

I would like to get a copy of L0phtCrack. Is there anyway to get it as
freeware? Or the only way is to buy it from L0pht?

Please advice.

Regards
Calvin

Take a look at http://www.l0pht.com

I beleve that there is a Version out by l0pht that is crippled, but free
too use.  Of course l0pht would just love you to purchase it..  I am un
aware of any versions that are GNU, or Freeware..
-=- asmodian x -=-
-----------------------------------------------------------------------
From: Morgo

>Subject: HiR Article hir8-4.txt
>Date: Sat, 01 May 1999 01:24:15 -0400
>
>Greets !
>
>I read your article at
>http://axon.jccc.net/hir/articles/hir8/hir8-4.txt
>
>Have you tried Adaptec Easy CD Creator 3.0 yet ?
>
>Hope this helps,  Morgo

According to Adaptec's web site, the newest version they have out is
version 3.5.  The deluxe-golden-does-everything-un-crippled version offers
Video disk creation, in addition to all the other stuff like bootable cd's
and such.  Adaptec is asking 99$ for that.  I cant remember what version i
got with my CD-R.

-=- Asmodian X -=-
here's their product page:

http://www.adaptec.com/products/overview/ecdc.html
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
