DOWNLOADING FROM (ABIA-F)

Sometimes I see files with extensions .EXE, .COM, .BAT posted. What are they? Are they safe to download?
NO! These are executable files, i.e. computer programs (except .BAT which are command files that start other programs), and they may contain viruses. Downloading such files is a sure way to get your computer infected. Apart from the file extensions mentioned, .DLL and .SYS also contain executable code, but they are not often seen posted. A special case is files with type extension .DOC. These are Microsoft Word documents; they may contain another type of virus (macro virus). Although such files are seldom encountered in ABIA-F, they pop up now and then in alt.sex.stories, for example, so you should know about them and avoid downloading them. Of course, you should always use an up-to-date virus checker, but even that is no guarantee against infection. If you choose to dis-regard this advice and catch a virus, you MUST immediately notify the newsgroup (include a copy of the virus poster's headers).
Speaking of viruses, someone said a virus could be transmitted via a picture. Is this true?
This is nonsense. A virus is a program. You do not execute pictures, nor can you "hide" an executable program within a picture (you can hide text, though).
I often see filenames with a "0/1", "1/1" or "1/3", "2/3" etc tag attached. What is this?
You may configure some newsreaders to send text notes as a preface to the binary attachment. 0/1 is the text preface, 1/1 the binary attachment. If you only want the binary, you can leave the preface alone. If the second number is > 1, you must collect all parts of the message to get a complete picture. Some newsreaders (like Forte Agent and WinVN) will do this automatically for you. In most cases, it is not worth the effort. Pro posters post one picture per message.
How do I view the pictures I have downloaded?
Most newsreaders do not come with an internal viewer. This isn't much of a problem, because most operating systems today come with built-in viewers, and there are a lot of freeware and shareware stand-alone viewers available (see section IX).
I can't see the pictures! What's wrong?
If you have used your newsreader's decoding function in the proper way and still cannot view the picture, there is most likely an in- compatibility between the poster's software and your software. A number of such incompatibilities are known (see section X).It's also possible that the picture file format is not to the liking of your viewer. There are programs that produce non-standard JPEG files, for example (Adobe PhotoShop is one). The viewers suggested in section IX are known to handle most existing formats.
When I open this group, it shows all articles as read, and it doesn't do this with the other groups. What's wrong?
All newsreaders have to save some sort of record that indicates which articles you have read. Sometimes they get the numbers wrong, and this can result in all articles appearing as "read". In this case, you need to manually edit the file where these records are kept (if it's possible with your newsreader). Many newsreaders use a file called "newsrc". It's a straight text file, which can be edited, with Notepad or DOS Edit. If you can find such a file in your system, open it with your editor, locate the line with this newsgroup's name, and then manually change the numbers appearing at the end of the line. It may look something like this: alt.fan.oksana-bayul.small-tits s129880 1-128098,128103... (line may be very long). The first number is the article number of the most recent article the newsreader has been told about by the news server. All the following numbers indicate which articles the user has read, or marked as "read". Change the line to this: alt.fan.oksana-bayul.small-tits s129880 1 This will tell your newsreader that none of the articles in the group have been read. NOTE: The use of a "newsrc" file is an inheritance from the UNIX origins of Usenet news. It's likely that program developers will increasingly disregard these traditions and find more modern, efficient and safe ways of saving the information about which articles have been read. For example, the built-in newsreader in MS Internet Explorer doesn't use a "newsrc" file.
Some idiot has posted the same message over and over again. What is this?
Well, you just encountered a thumper "bombing campaign" - the work of one of those militant "child-savers" that hit the group from time to time. Since they usually are not men enough to discuss, they use this really clever way to make their point. Judge them by that. Put those guys in your kill filter.
There are so many pictures posted, and I don't have time to download all of them. How may I know which ones I should concentrate on?
First of all, do not panic. There's usually no need to stay up all night just because you're afraid to miss something. Almost all pictures are posted again and again; if you miss them the first time you'll get plenty more chances later.
When you see pictures from a series you don't know, look for indexes. They usually have something like "ix", "idx" or "00" in their names. If there isn't an index, just download two or three pictures (from different parts of the series), and use them to determine if it will be worth your while. Do *not* download the whole series and then complain to the poster that you do not like it! If you do not like it, well, that's your problem, not the posters.
If you want guidance on what kinds of pictures different series contain, there are annotated lists posted occasionally in the newsgroup by people with substantial collections.
I have some pictures from a series that I really like. How can I get the missing ones?
The easiest way is to just wait. All available series are reposted from time to time, some more often, some less. You may speed this up by posting what you have, stating what you want, and asking for completion (remember: filename in headline, numbers/names of missing files, index, one picture per message).. In most cases, it is totally useless to request pictures if you haven't posted anything before.
No one responded to my requests :-(.
Well, you must learn to live with that ;-). There may be a lot of reasons. Be patient, be stubborn, do a little posting, and you might be successful.
How can I keep my picture collection in order?
Get a decent file-manager (see IX.10) and a program that creates thumbnail catalogues (see IX.5). It is also a good idea to create text-files that include the names of collected or abandoned series and missing files, or to use a data bank application.If you manage your collection manually, it's a good idea to use a hierarchy of folders to keep track of your pics. Really large series, containing lots of pics, should have their own folders. Single pictures and small series may be sorted according to their initial letter. Create one folder for each letter (a - z) and one for each number (0 - 9). You'll also need one for all the files beginning with junk characters (!@$# etc.)
You may also want to have a few folders for odd pics which do not really belong in your small-tit collection, but which you like or need anyway (you've absolutely GOT to have a picture of a can of Spam, for example :-) ).