Matrix Games Forums

Just a note about the messenger service popups - they can be prevented by stopping the messenger service in win2k at least. To do this you need to have administrative rights to the computer and go to start -> settings -> control panel -> administrative tools -> services. This will list the services (background apps) you have currently running / registered on the computer. Scroll down to "Messenger" and then right click on it and select properties. Change the startup type to "Manual" and click apply and then OK. Then right click on the entry again, and select stop (if the status is "Started").

AlexS

In the bugs forum somebody believed that KP was constantly trying to access the internet.

There may be a bug in KP.

I have been testing KP since December last year. There is not one line of code written by SSG that accesses the internet. I have never had any problem like this from any of the versions I have tested.. I currently have 5 different builds of the game installed on my machine - and none of them attempt access the internet.

alexs wrote:Just a note about the messenger service popups - they can be prevented by stopping the messenger service in win2k at least. To do this you need to have administrative rights to the computer and go to start -> settings -> control panel -> administrative tools -> services. This will list the services (background apps) you have currently running / registered on the computer. Scroll down to "Messenger" and then right click on it and select properties. Change the startup type to "Manual" and click apply and then OK. Then right click on the entry again, and select stop (if the status is "Started").

AlexS

Thanks. I'll look for the equivalent in XP.

Joe 98 wrote:In the bugs forum somebody believed that KP was constantly trying to access the internet.

There may be a bug in KP.

It´s BS. Nothing in KP is trying to or has ever tried to acess the internet nor needs an active internet connection. Except if you run True Update or want to send your PBEM turn of course.

This was started by Elmo and in his response in post #13 (hey I like that being able to identify a post by number) to my comment he nailed the culprit as far as I am concerned.

Elmo I am running XP, if you are running XP then it appears this has zero to do with KP at all.

XP has a function that allows messages to be sent direct to your computer regardless of what is running currently on your computer.
It's an otherwise nice option, that is nevertheless intrusive.

Windows can send messages from computer to computer directly in such a way you WILL get the message. Its the ultimate spam. You were not targeted, your computer was merely spammed in the same way you get junk mail.

It can be turned off though. You merely turn it off in Local Services. It's Windows Messenger (not to be confused with the chat program it isn't the same beast).

Those messages mean nothing and deliver nothing. They are right up there with all the crud inserted in your daily snail mail at the front door.

I have two friends that have a Lan in the home. They use it to talk with each other rather than yell through the house. It could also allow your boss to ask you where the hell is the Johnson file

Some wingnut has merely found out it can be used for spam mail.

David Heath wrote:My personal view is to use some other software since that is NOT done at all by us.

David

Maybe so, only I know my workplace uses spybot. I think on one run it deleted a file necessary for one program I run (always possible) that was a .dlll file, but reinstalling whatever software that was later, saw spybot not flag it anymore. It's entirely speculation on my part that it did that, because it was a program working before the scan, but it is strange that a new reinstall didn't flag it again if spybot was the missing file's problem.

I'm not a anti-spyware expert by any means, but though spybot may cause some occasional problems, I think that's pretty par for anti-spyware software, in it that it may flag something innocent, and my business using it regularly sure gives me some confidence in it.

Purely from a layman's point of view, it does seem strange to me that someone would place some sort of spyware in a shortcut of all things, because the program can certainly be ran without it.

Charles_22 wrote: Purely from a layman's point of view, it does seem strange to me that someone would place some sort of spyware in a shortcut of all things, because the program can certainly be ran without it.

A shortcut is just that, a shortcut, you can´t "place" things in it.

I seem to recall we went through this drill with SP:WaW when we added the menu with links to the websites. Some "spy ware" detectors seem to think such programs with buttons that link to websites are "spy ware" -

They only connect when you "push the button", but the spyware detecor doesn't seem to know that.

Marc Schwanebeck wrote:A shortcut is just that, a shortcut, you can´t "place" things in it.

Yeah you'd think so, but have you ever seen a 2kb shortcut? This one is that way. There's only one thing, other than what Paul said that might have affected this, but as it affected no other shortcut that way I doubt it, and that is that I made a registry alteration I believe it was, to delete the arrows off of the shortcuts. While I can't tell you that none of those other shortcuts are 2kb, I can tell you they weren't flagged with the alleged trojan. I've never seen a 2kb shortcut before.

i run windows xp, and used to have the problem of annoying messenger pop ups too. i got rid of them by turning "messenger" off in services.
this web page is a great source of info about tweaking service settings in xp. http://www.theeldergeek.com/services_guide.htm
after reading up on the services, and how to adjust them, just scroll down the page to the "messenger" link.
i followed his recommended service settings for all of mine, and now my system runs noticeably quicker.

Charles_22 wrote:Yeah you'd think so, but have you ever seen a 2kb shortcut? This one is that way. There's only one thing, other than what Paul said that might have affected this, but as it affected no other shortcut that way I doubt it, and that is that I made a registry alteration I believe it was, to delete the arrows off of the shortcuts. While I can't tell you that none of those other shortcuts are 2kb, I can tell you they weren't flagged with the alleged trojan. I've never seen a 2kb shortcut before.

Desktop sizes (quick check on my desktop), vary from 579 bytes (Korsun Pocket Game menu) to 2kb (Mozilla 1.4) , the file size also (apart from actuall information stored, like path, comments, etc.) depends on the color range and color variaty of the actuall icon.

File size on disk for every desktop shortcut (generally, not only on my system) is standard 4kb.

Marc Schwanebeck wrote:Desktop sizes (quick check on my desktop), vary from 579 bytes (Korsun Pocket Game menu) to 2kb (Mozilla 1.4) , the file size also (apart from actuall information stored, like path, comments, etc.) depends on the color range and color variaty of the actuall icon.

File size on disk for every desktop shortcut (generally, not only on my system) is standard 4kb.

Yeah, each file on the system must take up 4kb minimum space on disk. I know both spybot and WE are flagging it as 2kb, whereas WE has always flagged any of other shortcuts I've seen as 1kb. Surely 579b isn't enough to qualify as 2kb. I'll have to look at what the shortcut itself says when I get home.

It turns out my 120GB HDD is putting out 4kb chunks as well, however, my KP shortcut exactly 1.51kb's or 1,547b's. There's something amiss, yes?

Charles_22 wrote:It turns out my 120GB HDD is putting out 4kb chunks as well, however, my KP shortcut exactly 1.51kb's or 1,547b's. There's something amiss, yes?

You use "big" icons, bigger fonts etc.?

Marc Schwanebeck wrote:You use "big" icons, bigger fonts etc.?

No, everything is standard. I'm actually running a higher resolution too (though not as high as 1600X1200), but that of course still doesn't explain why all the other shortcuts I tried fall within the general size of 550kb. IOW, it's the only shortcut which is rounded off to 2kb (as stated in both WE [Windows Explorer] and Spybot). I wonder if reinstalling again would prove of any use? At least I don't have any saves or patches for it yet.

Shortcuts can be deleted and re-added at anytime.

May I suggest that you create a new shortcut for KP by simply right-click-dragging (chose create a shortcut) your korsun.exe file onto your desktop. Then you can compare old and new at your leisure.

The larger size on disk, such as 4K or 8K, depends entirely upon the sector size (allocation unit size) of your hard drive. It is completely irrelevant; use the actual size for comparison purposes.

HTH

willgamer wrote:Shortcuts can be deleted and re-added at anytime.

May I suggest that you create a new shortcut for KP by simply right-click-dragging (chose create a shortcut) your korsun.exe file onto your desktop. Then you can compare old and new at your leisure.

The larger size on disk, such as 4K or 8K, depends entirely upon the sector size (allocation unit size) of your hard drive. It is completely irrelevant; use the actual size for comparison purposes.

HTH

Well thank you whoever changed the "post reply" button to "quote".

Anyway, I knew the 4kb size was irrelevant to the problem, but it did help me sort out the what was once vague ideas in my head, about how formatting works, into something preceptible to me.

I did another shortcut, this one to the same file the prior one was shorted to, that being start.exe and this time it came out to 675b's. Interesting how it still doesn't match what an earlier poster said his was, though our files are making smaller data into the same size disk chunks (4kb).

Ran Spybot again btw, and it didn't flag the original KP shortcut what's now twice in a row, and also left the new shortcut alone. Now if I can just figure out how to replace the lousy icon on that shortcut with a KP one. Thanks guys!

edited to strike a closing statemnet I made which turned out false.

Uh-oh. I just remembered how to change the icon, only problem is after changing the icon it's at the exact same size the other one was at. I'll run Spybot and see what happens......


(later) Spybot ran clean again.

Uh-oh. I just remembered how to change the icon, only problem is after changing the icon it's at the exact same size the other one was at.

I told you earlier that shortcut size depends also on the color range etc. of the acutally icon (.ico) file

I assume you used the "KP_Icon.ico", this is a mulit Icon file. It contains multiple icon sizes that are needed to garantue a rather crisp icon in all areas needed (desktop, windows explorer, Start menu etc.) It incorporates a 16x16, 24x24, 32x32 and 48x48 pixels icon.

Well thank you whoever changed the "post reply" button to "quote".

You´re welcome.