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Admin
Cute. Not reeally WTFy, but cute.
The real WTF is the WTFvertisement, complete with partner ID link. What's the commission like on the Reseller Program?
Admin
The real WTF is that Data Deposit Box doesn't automatically backup Konqueror bookmarks.
captcha: I am a robot, and can't read that.
Admin
Any chance of this mindless slashdot idiot related drivel being forcibly driven from the comments.
Excellent wtf though :)
Admin
I like what fark does: Change the text "first post" to "Boobies!" and reset the time stamp on hour into the future.
Admin
No amount of planning can ever compensate for a wtf-user!
Very nice story!
Admin
He should try 12345
Admin
Hey, that's the code on my luggage!
Admin
Yeah, when I get home from a hard day's work, I too enjoy a frosty beverage.
Budweiser - the beer for men! Budweiser - when you just can't stop slapping the wife around.
Budweiser.
Admin
Hopefully, they have whatever the Administrator-equivilent password is and can reset the user's password...
Admin
Having thought about it for a few minutes, I wonder if they also require byzantine password change rules (you know, 8+ characters, mixed case, at least one digit and at least one non-alphanumeric symbol, changed every month with no repetitions for at least 13 months)? Should make getting this guy up and running more interesting...
Admin
I wouldn't mind seeing something similar being set up here. Or, better yet, disallow anonymous comments for x minutes (or x comments by registered users).
/TotalFarker
Admin
How much are they paying you, Alex? Or are you really cheap enough just to do it for the partner linkref?
Admin
Who gives a fark how much he gets for it? How much you paying him to access the site, numpty.
Admin
Admin
Or maybe they should look through their inventory system and find out what monitor he had 5 years ago and get the yellow sticky note off the side of it?
Admin
Usually when an organization retires an old mainframe system, they would dump all of the data into flat text files (or some type of easily accessible format) so that they could easily be opened by other means in the future.
Their server room must look like an IT history museum.
Admin
Numpty?! wipes tears of laughter from her eyes
Admin
WTF? no one does this!
Admin
Too bad, they do not run on Linux.
Admin
Online Backup? Try Mozy, 2gb/month for FREE, unlimited $5/month. Nice interface. I've used it a couple times for "undelete."
https://mozy.com
Admin
They do after the first disaster. Until then, it's just wasted money, since nobody's ever had to recover from a backup.
Admin
Admin
Typical User Issue = TUI They want and expect the best when what they get is what they paid for....
Admin
Shameless upfront 'vertisement: http://attonlinevault.com/
Admin
That just cracked me up. The sad thing is, it's probably true. I've seen it elsewhere
Admin
well it only makes the day beter for the sysadmins. Now they can yell at the user for forgetting his password, and look around the nets for some exploits for a ancient system to gain some access.
Admin
i think the important question here is: are they hiring?
Admin
Got an old computer hanging around?
Not afraid of Linux?
Check out BackupPC, I use it all the time and its file pooling allows me to back up all of my computers in a lot less space than it would take normally.
No, I'm not getting paid for this in any way, just a happy customer.
Yes, BackupPC is free ware
Admin
Got an old computer hanging around?
Not afraid of Linux?
Check out <a rel="nofollow" href=""http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/" target="_blank" title=""http://backuppc.sourceforge.net/">BackupPC, I use it all the time and its file pooling allows me to back up all of my computers in a lot less space than it would take normally.
No, I'm not getting paid for this in any way, just a happy customer.
Yes, BackupPC is free ware
(grumble, grumble, BBCode... grumble)
Admin
I remember doing something like this for a person on a Windows XP system. The user was having problems accessing things on the network, so he was advised to un-join and re-join the domain. Once he'd removed the computer from the domain and rebooted, he realized that he'd forgotten his admin password (at MS, in most groups that I've been in the user will configure their own PC).
Admin
Just block annonymous comments until there are 5 posts by logged in users.
Although the Fark approach is amusing too.
Admin
And here I thought that this was going to be a story about a backup tape that manifested itself with no human, um, input, a la the Immaculate Conception...
Admin
I have found this free backup service to be really nice. http://mozy.com/ I most like how I can keep my own key securing my data even from the backup service.
*note: I don't work for the company in any way what so ever.
Admin
Admin
Admin
Remember, Alex does some anonymizing.
That means that the admins weren't the best money can buy, the restore did not work, and several people probably got canned worse than albacore tuna, except for Paula.
Ah, [releases intestinal gas] now I feel better.
Admin
Dwayne: Just have it turn "captcha" into "Boobies!"
(...here we go 'round again....)
Admin
lol... is that supposed to be inspirational, because I think it has worked opposite :p
boobies: poindexter - ah yes, something he will never see
Admin
You cannot never plan for abject stupidity.
Admin
I had to resurrect an ancient system, although it was archived in the form of the full machine. It ran Venix. Not Xenix. Venix. Source code was needed for some government (NTSB, likely) investigation. Impressed that the government would be so thorough, I did my duty as an American. After failing to find the installation media or any obvious (or non-obvious) means of booting single-user, I booted from a Linux floppy, ran back to my desk, made a second floppy with a hex editor, and ran back and changed:
root:VrlFCSFf4zu3q:0:0:Super-User:/:/bin/sh
to
root::0:0:.............Super-User:/:/bin/sh
No word on the result (or even subject) of the investigation.
Admin
And that's why I not only write down all my passwords, but I also make backup copies of the post-it notes and archive them. I have them organized like a RAID 1, only made of paper and duct tape.
I am so fucking proud of it.
Admin
Commendable in the way they are able to get back the old data.
Commendable - and it may be like shooting fish in a barrel. With an automatic shotgun. Using 00 buck shot. and a hand grenade for good measure afterwards.
Why ? Because it costs them a heap of money to maiantain all these old emulations, virtual systems and actual hardware to get at their old data. Assuming that they have no storage issues (old data from the seventies and afterwards will usually not make any significant dent on any suitably sized modern storage system), they should have converted their data completely to their respective new systems as they were retiring their old system.
With the approach used it is obvious to me that they did not migrate their data - so it is fragmented over any number of old environments used and not available for unified querying in the current system. Additionally they are incurring (problably comparatively massive) costs in keeping old system alive (space, electricity, manpower).
Why would they do that ? And don't that they got burned in '68 and kept scared until 2007 - for 39 years ? That's not the way organizations work.
I can only make out two possible reasons for an approach like the one in the OP:
1.) It is a regulated industry with regulations directly or indirectly requiring longtime access to old IT systems.
2.) They organization has products with a long usage life cycle. They kind of products where the original employees die of old age before product support is curtailed by their (grand-)sons and daughters. IMHO, could be some kind of defence contractor (for example tanks or naval ships - they stay in service and afterwards in storage forever).
Admin
Do you also keep copies of the key to the filing cabinet under your welcome mat, in the attic, and on a magnet on the filing cabinet? ;)
Admin
There is only one website for online backup information, news and information you need to read:
http://www.BackupReview.info
It is a fantastic site, well presented.
Admin
Amen!
I am currently working at the next best thing, so I consider myself very lucky.
Captcha: Pointer - Delivering only the best WTFs since 1838.
Admin
8" Floppies? You were lucky!
One production machine I worked on a few years ago still had core memory and a paper-tape punch. After a severe crash, you might have to 'toggle-in' the boot program using the switches on the front of the machine, joy! Mind you, that was a rarity, the computer ran for 25 years with a 99.7% uptime.
When the laboratory held an open day, the mollycoddled cray-botherers in the computing department decided to make a history of computing display (how original), so the call went out, did anyone have any old punched tape? A souvenir perhaps?
No, we replied, but if you want we can punch a fresh roll for you?
At first they didn't believe us, and in the end they sent two people over to witness the tape being cut (presumeably just one person wouldn't have been believed).
Admin
When the hell did everyone else hit 2008? I'm stuck in February 2007!
Admin
And, since everyone gets offended when CAPTCHAs get posted, I'm just going to give the hint: arr.
Admin
So I guess there might be something similar for the "old old" mainframe. But the moment when the manager had trouble rmembering his password sure had some entertainment value ;-)
Admin