Stefania and Vista

I need the ICANN opportune branch help, or the support from an
international Registrar, to solve an annoying issue I
have with an Italian registrar (Register.it) the avoid the transfer of some
domains I registered through it.

What happened is very simple.

Thank to a promotion of this Italian registrar, I had the chance (on last
August) to register a certain amount of domains (about a hundred).

Of this promotion I have the original "step by step" screenshots and I indeed
didn't use any fraudulent method to register these domains (the name is mine as
well the VAT code requested during the registration process).

 After some days I tried to access the CP of this new domains and I
discovered that register.it had frozen them.

The reason?

The promotion was intended for only one domain per person and so they locked
any EPP - Password - Auth Code inhibiting domains transfers.

I don't understand why they did it, considering that I used (differently from
a lot of other people that surely filled the promotional forms with fake data) my real name,
real address, real VAT Code, real phone and personal email.

Probably I know (and you know) the reason.

With a fake name I'm not able to transfer the registered
domain to another registrar (I can't provide official Identity documents owned
by the fake name used). So Register.it is sure that if I develop contents and
activities on that domain, it will remain "at home" and will "pay" the
"promotional efforts" of the Registrar.

Since I used real data (and no double entries checking tools
had been set up on the database to avoid this), I could be able/succeed in
transferring the domains to another registrar.

They told me I've been fraudulent in registering all those
domains, and that I have to pay more and less 10000 USD to get my domains EPP.

I think that on national basis they can act against me, if
they really think I'm damaging them cause I've been fraudulently using their
promotion (if they're able to demonstrate it), but (even reading ICANN rules on
these kind of issues) they can't deny to provide the EPP code and let me use
regularly un-locked domains about which I'm the Owner ADMIN-C, BILLING-C.

 These are the domains involved and below them the screenshots
of the "step-by-step" procedure I followed to register them:

venicefarm.com
fioridarancio.net
edenservizi.net
associazione-consulting.org
bahiabossa.com
dentropadova.com
padovagate.com
venetotraining.com
euganeaservizi.com
beditalia.eu
beditalia.net
bedpadova.com
roompadova.com
roompadova.net
camerepadova.com
camerepadova.net
bedbreakfastpadova.com
bedbreakfastpadova.net
bedbreakfastcivitavecchia.com
bedbreakfastcivitavecchia.net
bedbreakfastitalia.net
bedbreakfastit.com
padovacom.net
civitanet.com
abitarepadova.com
abitarepadova.net
vicenzacom.net
padova-net.com
trevisonet.net
hellopadova.com
schiocom.com
thienecom.com
myvicenza.net
anticlericale.org
ceisitalia.com
ceisveneto.com
ceisveneto.net
ceisitalia.net
comunitalautari.com
comunitalautari.org
comunitalautari.net
comunitalautari.eu
lepatriarche.net
sgaetano.com
sgaetano.net
pasubio.net
vivischio.com
vivipadova.net
vivivenezia.com
veniceadvisor.net
recoaro.org
vinylgrabber.org
stantongirl.com
venicecounselor.com
venicelido.eu
venezialido.org
piazzasanmarco.eu
venicepromenade.com
veniceexcursion.com
venicementor.com
abanohotsprings.com
abanomontegrotto.org
termeeuganee.org
fattorievenete.com
fattorienaturali.com
disneyfarm.com
italianfarm.org
italianfarms.org
lafattoria.org
progettareformazione.com
formazioneformatori.eu
trainingtrainers.eu
difensoriassociati.com
difensori.eu
italianlawyers.net
formazionedonna.com
womentraining.org
padovaformazione.com
venetoformazione.net
venetoformazione.org
venetoformazione.eu
fondosociale.eu
fondosociale.org
fondosociale.net
fondosocialeeuropeo.org
fondosocialeeuropeo.eu
fondosocialeeuopeo.net
corsifse.eu
corsifse.net
corsifse.org
corsigratuiti.org
corsigratuiti.eu
formazionefinanziata.org
formazionefinanziata.eu
formazionefinanziata.net
borsedistudio.org
europeansocialfund.org
europeansocialfund.net
aulainformatica.org
aulainformatica.eu
aliasdigitale.com
digitalalias.org
digitalalias.eu
aliasdigitale.net
aliasdigitale.org
aliasdigitale.eu
esperanta.eu
esperanta.net
padovacasa.eu
venicehotsprings.com
abanohotsprings.org
abanohotsprings.net
abanohotsprings.eu
stefaniacastelli.com
stefaniacastelli.net
pratodellavalle.eu
pratodellavalle.net
bedpadova.net
promozionidubbie.com
dormireapadova.com
soulgroover.com
doyouvenice.com
mypadova.com
villeveneziane.com
villepadovane.com
veniceabout.com
veniceagain.com
veneziamica.com
jazzgroover.com
vernonburch.com
morethanvenice.com
venetianfriend.com
venicepenthouse.net
venicepenthouse.org
venicepenthouse.eu
schionet.com
schioonline.com
omniaservizi.net
vicenzanet.com
dentrovenezia.com
introducingvenice.com
veniceadvices.com
venicedoor.com
vicenzatravel.com
padovaminore.com
villamason.com

Here's the screenshots:

This first shot tells surfers that Register.it gives a domain
for free (a present). It's totally free and (in red) "only for today". A free
hosting service is included (anyway if they don't want to provide this last
service,
there's no problem for me, but they have to let me manage my domains)

In this second shot all my real data are filled. No fakes. No
scam.

This is the third step: the control panel at Register.it (I
emphasized the "active your promotion now" section)   

This is the Bonus Window. From here the registering a domain
process, starts. 

The choosing a domain window.

The chosen domain is available. To finally check my data and
email I select the option "register to another person"  

Shoppin Cart. 

Checking Admin-C and Billing-C data. Final Steps at
Register.it 

The summary page at register.it. Disclaimers, contracts and
conditions don't talk about any issue relating to the promotion involved.

Here we are. The domain is registered. But….. 

Ok. This is the WHOIS result for "promozionidubbie.com"
domain. But….

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

[whois.register.it]

REGISTER.IT SPA - Whois Server Version 1.4

The Registry database contains ONLY .COM, .NET and .ORG domains.

     Domain name: PROMOZIONIDUBBIE.COM
     Created on: 2007-08-25
     Updated on: 2007-08-25
     Expires on: 2008-08-25
     Registrant Name: STEFANO CASTELLI
     Contact: Stefano Castelli
     Registrant Address: via Rovxxxx
     Registrant City: Padova
     Registrant Postal Code: 35142
     Registrant Country: IT
     Administrative Contact Organization: Stefano Castelli
     Administrative Contact Name: Stefano Castelli
     Administrative Contact Address: via Rovxxx, xx
     Administrative Contact City: Padova
     Administrative Contact Postal Code: 35142
     Administrative Contact Country: IT
     Administrative Contact Email: stefania.castellxxxxx
     Administrative Contact Tel: +39 348 302XXX
     Administrative Contact Fax: +39 700 5808XXX
     Technical Contact Organization: Technical Support
     Technical Contact Name: Technical Support
     Technical Contact Address: Via A Ponti, 6
     Technical Contact City: Bergamo
     Technical Contact Postal Code: 24126
     Technical Contact Country: IT
     Technical Contact Email: support@register.it
     Technical Contact Phone: +39 035 3230400
     Technical Contact Fax: +39 035 3230312
     Primary Name Server Hostname: NS1.REGISTER.IT
     Secondary Name Server Hostname: NS2.REGISTER.IT

>>> Last update of whois database: Sun Mar 16 09:52:15 2008 <<<

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

But the problem is in this mail they sent me…… 

————————————
Gentile cliente,

tramite i pannello di controllo intestati a Castelli Stefano risultano essere
stato effettuato un utilizzo improprio della promozione visibile dal link:

http://promotions.register.it/index_it026.html
"Register.it TI REGALA UN DOMINIO"

La sollecito a non effettuare ulteriori registrazioni, ho inoltrato la sua
segnalazione all'ufficio competente.

Le ricordo che nella pagina di parcheggio e' correttamente indicato che "Register.it
si riserva la possibilità di modificare, sospendere o prorogare l'offerta in
qualsiasi momento. L'offerta è valida solo per il primo anno di registrazione.
E' severamente vietato l'uso improprio del sistema. Ad ogni cliente viene
offerto in omaggio un solo dominio: qualunque operazione volta alla
registrazione di più domini in violazione di quanto sopra comporterà l'addebito
automatico dei relativi corrispettivi secondo il listino prezzi Register.it e, a
discrezione Register.it, la sospensione immediata del servizio. "

Come indicato chiaramente dalla promozione, Register.it offre la possibilita\'
di registrare un dominio gratuito, l'utilizzo da lei effettuato non e' quindi
ovviamente autorizzato e la invito a non accedere ulteriormente al link sopra
riportato.
——————————– 

In few words it means that according to them I fraudulently
used their promotion so if I want to use my domains I have to give them this
money:

—————————————–
La invito ora ad indicarci la modalita' di pagamento per saldare la registrazione dei domini sopra riportato, l'importo ammonta ad un totale 6132?.

i domini registrati sono 146, per un canone di registrazione di 35? piu' IVA.

Grazie per la cortese collaborazione.

Buona giornata

Federica Previtali

Support Team

—————

Register.it SpA

—————————————– 

So I have to pay 35 Euros more VAT for each
domain registered (something like 55 USD for a mere
registration in common ccTLD domains class).

If you think this is a correct behavior from a registrar, I'll
stop bugging the net with this issue. On the contrary, if you're an
International Registrar representative, please contact me in order to transfer
to you these up listed domains, even calling for an advice the ICANN board or
Ombundsman.

On a national level, my legal firm is evaluating the best
strategy to act against them, involving, if the case, some consumers
associations. 

I'm looking for an International Registrar because my country
is afflicted by a malign sort of agreements/trusts of ICT services providers (to
be honest not only in ICT).

Thanks in advance

Stefania

I’m very worried….
I’m typing on a Vista Enterprise notebook, and 10 minutes ago, Windows Update override my update preferences (ask before everything….).
It istalled 4 updates without my permissions.
On another notebook, the behavior is different. They don’t install without asking.
Anyway there’s no trace of updates KBs…. They’ve been released yesterday (January 29), 24 hours before the Vista international launch.
Now it wants to to reboot.
I’m quite afraid.
I save this bottle message on this Blog draft section.
I will send it away from another machine, if Microsoft jackes me….

Is it not strange?
Take a look…..

Ok. Rebooted.
Saved, for now.

And tomorrow, I’ll get a regular one…..

A small issue I discovered this night is about the Internet Explorer on Vista.
Some programs ask for admin privileges in order to let Explorer show their interface (through IIS7).
One among others is Virtual Server 2005.
I usually synchronize (and Vista offers a huge quantity of tools to do it) Documents folders as well as Favorites or Pictures Folders.
With XP this kind of features were available through group policy management (in SBS environment) or changing some registry keys.
With Vista, create symbolic links is a normal everyday job easily achievable by right-clickin the special folders in the Start Menu.
And if you redirect your Favorites Shortcut in the start menu to a mapped network folder with “off-line” items inside, share your work among multiple machines becomes very comfortable.
I love Vista even for this.

The problem is that, for some reasons I’m investigating, if the mapped network is not connected and the Links Bar shows the off-lines files instead of the original network folder content, Explorer crashes if run as admin.
Deactivating the Links Bar from Explorer makes it start with no problems

Right Click on Explorer Quick Launch Bar to run Explore as admin

And then, the sad result….

And this is the Links Bar involved…

This is not an article. This is only the nth blog to exhaust ATI and convince them to release a ?&%&% openGL Vista compatible driver…

We’re talking about ATI. Not of  small unknown Korean hardware company.

For some more details on this issue, please, pick an article randomly among the tons available on the net.

I suggest this one from Kelly Adams, another guy a little bit nervous with ATI….

In the meanwhile, appreciate the fabolous 3D effect of Linden Second Life app:

Of course I tried. Very faithful in the Vista openGL emulation sytem.

And this is the magic moment, my entry in Linden Country:

Nice, isn’t it?

For news duty, I have an Acer Aspire Notebook with 2 GB of RAM and an ATI  Radeon X700 driver board

Ah….. I was missing….

If you try to run Second Life on an XP Guest OS hosted by Virtual PC 2007 in Vista, no miracle’s allowed.

  leggi la versione in italiano

Is it possible to spend the second day of the year at your work desk?

Here’s an answer:

Padua, Italy (January the 2th - 8.45 p.m.): A not so young italian IT prof, formatting a company server, taking advantage of the missing employees

read more and the italian translation

I must be honest.

I don’t appreciate too much the Microsoft “live” product line….

On average, the products seem lower than the competitor’s ones.

Less functions, poor setting abilities etc….

More and less the same sensation that new Vista sidebar users’ feel, if they’ve been using the marvelous and free, Desktop Sidebar for XP.

In Italy we use an example that’s everywhere understandable: switching car model, from Ferrari to Fiat.

From the best to the fair…

Small play tools: this is my products related average feeling.

Three exceptions, however, I must point out; a sort of white swans among common ducks: the editor I use for typing this modest mine (Live Writer Beta), One Care, and the new Live Mail Desktop Beta, on which I’ll spend some lines…

Live Mail (Desktop) Beta is an IMAP, POP, HTTP mail client, simple, light but fast and reliable.

read more and la versione italiana

I didn’t mean to suffer so much, this morning (January the 2th), when, still in bed, I pushed by mistake the Blue Tooth button on my Acer Aspire Laptop (Broadcom 2045 USB 2.0 with Widcomm drivers).

I tried, some times ago, to make BT work with the native Vista Drivers, and it was a failure.

The rough BT Vista interface is the same of XP, so user can’t appropriately control services and devices features.

Casually, there was over my bed, together with my dogs and my laptop, a CD folderbook open casually in a page showing the original Acer Widcomm Drivers (you know…. a lucky shot… ;-).

I turned off the BT device, and launched the Widcomm app absolutely unfaithful.

I remember how annoying thsi process was in XP, with tons of not signed driver to explicit allow.

Well, what’s annoying in XP, become tedious in Vista. But at final, incredible, it works. I  turned on the BT device, and connected a Sony BT headset. I tried to make a phone call through Skype and it works.

Just say yes a dozen of times to dialogs like this:

And wait other 10/15 minutes tll Vista completes installs.

That’s it….

Ah….  these are the dogs and my bedpal laptop…. ;-)))

Stefania

The New year starts with an issue that involves offline files stored on a Vista mapped folder.

The problem can occurr if you use this Technet source magic workaround or this one (with the use of symbolic links feature) by Attila Megyeri. The goal of both is to move the offline files cache to a different path/position.

My “informal lab” is built around two machines, a desktop and a notebook, both running Windows Vista Ultimate 6000 (RTM), and a common folder (Favorites in this case). 

The pool of problems turn around the CSC folder and its subfolders control.

One of these problems, as in subject, involves the faculty to completely delete a file that’s cached in the new choosen storage position.

If you decide, as I did, to take a look at your “new” CSC content, you have to deal with the NTFS security features: ownerships, permissions and so on; as CSC folder, for design, is not accessible to local machine administrators but only to “system” account.

After a little bit of work right clicking folders and setting new ownerships and permissions, it may happen that the “system” account (the one that manage the sync processes) and the administrator one, are both not able to completely manage those folders anymore…. Sometimes, I’m such a lazy girl… :-((

So a dialog like this can occurr:

The file has been deleted by me (the administrator) but it still remain visible in explorer. Any effort to make it disappear is unsuccessful.

Resync doesn’t do the job and nothing happens even if you run scandisk etc…

Don’t panic, and get back to CSC folder and start another session of right-clicking over folders, subfolders and even files (I highly reccomended to temporarily disable the UAC to safe your healthness)…. This will let you improve your ownership and permissions to reach the goal.

At final you’ll succeed in sweep away those hated ones from your view!!!

Happy new year to all the crazy Vista pioneers!!

Italian:

Il nuovo anno parte con la descrizione di una problematica che riguarda file fuori linea salvati su un unità mappata di Windows Vista.

Il problema può insorgere se si è utilizzato questa procedura descritta nei forum Technet o quest’altra di Attila Megyeri. Obiettivo d’entrambe, spostare la posizione predefinita della cache dei file fuori linea.

L’ambiente di lavoro è costituito da un Notebook e da un Desktop con installato Windows Vista Ultimate RTM 6000 ed una cartella condivisa con attivata l’opzione ”file fuori linea”: la cartella, in questo caso, è quella dei “preferiti”.

Le problematiche che possono insorgere riguardano il controllo della nuova cartella CSC (quella della cache dei file fuori linea), progettata per non subire accessi da altri account se non quello di sistema.

Se si decide, come io ho fatto, di curiosare all’interno della cartella CSC, bisogna cominciare un’estenuante battaglia con le caratteristiche NTFS di sicurezza: proprietà, permessi d’accesso etc…

Può succedere, dopo l’imponente mole di click a cui si è sottoposti, che nè l’account di sistema nè gli amministraori siano più in grado di avere un controllo completo della porzione di file system coinvolta. Mi capita di essere un po’ cialtrona alle volte. 

Può succedere quindi di trovarsi davanti ad uno scenario simile

ho cancellato il file come amministratore, ed in effetti non c’è più, ma continua ad essere visibile. Ogni tentativo di eliminarne completamente la presenza, fallisce.

A nulla vale risincronizzare il tutto.

Nemmeno Scandisk risolve la questione.

E’ inutile lanciare improperi. Bisogna tornare ad occuparsi dei permessi e della “proprietà” sui file e cartelle che non vogliono sparire.

A furia di click col tasto destro (è consigliato disabilitare momentaneamente l’UAC per non impazzire), si riuscirà a far sparire gli odiosi fantasmi dalle cartelle.

Un augurio di Buon Anno a tutti i pionieri di Vista!! 

The environment is Vista Ultimate RTM as Host Os and XP PRO SP2 as Guest.

Thanks to Exertrack workarounds posted on ”Solved! Windows Vista and Vodafone 3G“ and to the marvelous MWConn app, that works to me better and lighter than Vodafone Mobile Connect software, the problem to connect a Vista Notebook to the most reliable UMTS service (at least in Italy) seems, for the moment, resolved.

For “academic” curiosity, nevertheless, I tried to install VMC Software (VMC 4.02.0006) in a Windows XP Guest OS running on Virtual PC 2007 hosted by Vista Ultimate RTM and make my Merlin Quadriband board work without any of the described workarounds.

As easily can be imagined the problem is the PCMPCIA control on a Guest OS.

Mapping the correct COM ports, that allow MWConn to perfectly work on Vista (Host), doesn’t do the job.

The physical ports are Com4 and Com5, and Virtual PC gives the chance to map the guest Virtual ports to the physical ones.

However, the systems desesperately hangs using the 99% of CPU resources; CTRL-ALT-CANC is the only way-out for the issue.

Disabling physical ports in Device Manager, obviously, avoids the COMs mapping; and, finally, I can’t see other chance to succeed in doing my test.

Any suggestion?

L’ambiente è costituito da Vista Ultimate RTM come Host ad XP PRO SP2 come Guest.

Grazie ai consigli di Exertrack pubblicati in “Solved! Windows Vista and Vodafone 3G“ ed alla meravigliosa applicazione MWConn, a mio avviso migliore è più leggera dello stesso software Vodafone, le problematiche di connessione ad Internet attraverso la migliore rete UMTS (perlomeno in Italia) sembra, per il momento, risolta.

Per curiosità accademica, tuttavia, ho provato ad installare il software Vodafone (VMC 4.02.0006) in un sistema operativo Guest (Windows XP PRO SP2) gestito da Virtual PC 2007 ospitato da Vista Ultimate RTM 6.0.6000 Build 6000 al fine di far funzionare, senza i trucchi dei post più sopra segnalati, la mia scheda Merlin Quadriband

Com’è facilmente immaginabile il principale problema è il controllo dello slot PCMCPCIA da un sistema operativo Guest.

Mappando le corrispondenti porte COM, che consentone a MWConn di lavorare perfettamente su Vista, non si riesce ad ottenere il risultato sperato.

Le Porte fisiche sono la COM4 e la COM5 e Virtual PC prevede la possibilità di “mappare” le porte virtuali a quelle fisiche. 

Purtroppo, però, il sistema si blocca utilizzando il 99% delle risorse CPU e terminare Virtual PC, attraverso CTRL-ALT-CANC, è l’unica possibilità percorribile per riprendere il controllo della macchina.

Disabilitando le porte fisiche in Device Manager, ovviamente, non consente il mapping delle porte COM e, in finale, non vedo altra strada per poter riuscire ad elaborare il mio test.

Qualche consiglio?

Hello.
Bad News for the ones intentioned to use MS OneCare as a Virus/Worm barrier for a Guest OS managed through Virtual PC 2007 on Vista Host.

The Issue concernes the Virtual Network Adapter.

After the Virtual Machine Reboot (Guest OS, in this case, Windows XP PRO SP2….but the same strange event happened also with Ubuntu Linux install and, obviously, no OneCare in it), the IP Address of the Network Adapter reports a strange IP Address (from an unknown DHCP source) surely not present in any segment of my LAN.

The address is 192.168.131.65. My Local Lan (and so the Host Os, in this case Vista RTM) has a different IP Class.

No other adapter on the machine (an Acer Aspire Notebook), has got a static IP or a configuration that can explain the event.

No way to surf or to differently use the network, even if a static address is forced in the Guest Network Adapter.

An interesting amount of data are exchanged between the Guest Adapter end the environment; which kind of data and for which reason is not avoid to know (I don’t have net tools installed and the needed time to analize them, at the moment).

In any case, the Guest Network Address is attributed by DHCP.   

So, it could be nice, for me and the community, if someone could know and tell what’s behind this..
One Care, in my opinion, is a reliable tool (even too much paranoid, in some ways….), but sure an healthy friend of basic user PCs.

Ciao,

non ho buone notizie per quanti intendessero usare Microsoft One Care per proteggere Sistemi Operativi Guest gestiti da Virtual PC 2007 su Sistemi Host Vista.

Purtroppo devo segnalare una problematica che affligge la scheda virtuale di rete del sistema operativo ospitato (Guest).

Dopo aver installato One Care (su sistema Guest Windows XP PRO SP2, ma la stessa questione accade, per assurdo, anche con Ubuntu Linux, ovviamente senza OneCare), ed effettuato il riavvio di routine, la scheda (in DHCP, naturalmente) presenta un indirizzo strano ed alieno alla mia rete locale.

Tale indirizzo è 192.168.131.65. La mia rete locale, così come il sistema operativo ospitante (Host), ha un’altra classe di IP.

E nessun altro adattatore di rete riporta indirizzi statici  o configurazioni che possano spiegare l’evento.

In ogni caso non c’è modo di utilizzare la rete, né per navigare né per altro. Tuttavia una consistente mole di dati è scambiata, dalla scheda del Guest, con l’ambiente; anche se non ho potutto effettuare un analisi, per mancanza di strumenti di rete e di tempo, su tale traffico che ne spieghi la natura e le ragioni.

Se qualcuno conosce le ragioni dello strano comportamento di Virtual PC 2007 in questa occasione, potrebbe felicemente comunicarlo alla community.
OneCare è un ottimo strumento di protezione (a volte fin troppo paranoico) per il PC di utenti con skill informatici non troppo “affilati”.