Coins And Stamps

There are no pending members, there, I just checked. Have you completed the registration process?

Bobby, I'm not sure what you mean by that. I thought I registered in the same way there as I registered here.

At home.

Sheencrofter, an anonymous proxy is a server through which a computer user deliberately forwards their traffic. The purpose is to mask their identity. When you register and post here, we have access to your unique IP address - it tells us nothing specific about you except your general location and your service provider. But it's common information regularly shared across servers on the Internet. Sometimes your IP changes each time you sign on to the Internet (called Dynamic IP) and sometimes a specific IP is assigned to your computer permanently (Static IP). This information is only accessible to the Admins of the site, of course, and never to the general public.

Using an anonymous proxy is almost always a deliberate choice on the part of the computer user. There are those whose privacy concerns lead them to do this to reduce the amount of information their browsing habits can relate, but it is also used in nefarious fashion by people who don't want their illegal actions to be traceable. For that latter reason, many forums do not allow registration by persons using an anonymous proxy.

With that in mind, and considering the potential for harm present at a site like ours, I'm sure you'll understand why we're among those who prohibit such registrations.

Now, as regards yourself: You have a Dynamic IP, and we have a couple different on file for you. They all belong to an Internet Service Provider (ISP) which does not serve Ireland.

I am not stating this in any accusatory fashion. Your actions on this forum are not those of someone whose motives are less than pure. I'm telling you all this because I am caused worry for the condition of your computer - if you are browsing the Internet through an anonymous proxy and do not know it, one of the possible explanations is that your system has been taken over by someone running a "botnet." A botnet is a group of computers which is seized by someone through the use of a virus, and subsequently used to damaging ends by making them participate in denial-of-service attacks.

You could be part of a botnet and not know it; you could browse normally without ever knowing. There are likely millions of computers across the world being thus used with the owner none the wiser. People sometimes do not use antivirus and antimalware softwares in the rigourous fashion they should, and the virus goes undetected as a result.

There are other possibilities. It is highly unlikely that your chosen ISP is doing this on your behalf (for the reasons I've stated), but it's a non-zero possibility. Perhaps some server in the chain between your home and the Internet (there are almost always more than 1 in this chain) chooses to work anonymously. It's also possible that you may have done this as an innocent choice in conjunction for some other Internet activity, especially if you are not a particularly knowledgeable user (no offense intended).

The upshot of this long post is as follows: I would urge you to update your antivirus and antimalware softwares to their most current versions, take your computer off the Internet - disconnect the cable completely - reboot your computer and run the strictest-possible scans on it.

I would be more than happy to help you through this process if necessary.

Go ahead and register over there again...

I'm probably around the age of said grandson... My experience might be a little less than Dave, but I know what I am doing.

I wouldn't say you are being paranoid Dave.... It's a distinct possibility.

I've had a pair of computers in the family that was destroyed by virus', and they can be really, really bad. One of them was destroyed outright, while the other took seven years... and ended with 99% corruption... That's because one virus caused it to not be able to overwrite data..

There are a lot of bad viruses that are easy to get online.... Always use a good firewall and security software!

OK, you're activated.