27.05.2009.
Updates and ZA8
Ok, here we go. This is going to be a lengthy post so grab a cuppa, sit back, and be educated.
During the past few weeks we have been testing some updating, and while progress was slow due to slow communication from both my side and some of the testers', we did manage to come up with some decent information.
We tested on XP (Pro) 32 and 64 bit, Vista 32 and 64 bit, and ultimately Windows 7. We used all service packs, and no service packs, we used all windows updates and no windows updates.
<< The following applies to: Windows XP, Windows Vista >>
The results? Updating is safe AS LONG AS YOU BLOCK THE HOSTS FILE. I won't get into the technical details, but rest assured, you can update your apps without a cinch if you just use the Update command from the Help menu. I still don't recommend using or even allowing Adobe Updater to live as it tends to mess with far more than just the currently open app, but using updates from the help menu proved reliable 100% of the time. However, if you're not sure whether or not you have everything blocked properly, if you don't trust Adobe or if you don't feel like giving the apps internet access but do want the updates, behold. The safest way to update, 100% fail proof and contains ALL THE MOST ESSENTIAL AND IMPORTANT updates. These updates alone ARE ENOUGH and there is no need to download hundreds of MB of unknown stuff through the Adobe Updater or through Help - Updates. I sincerely suggest you use this link to update your apps:
http://www.adobe.com/support/downloads/collection.jsp?collID=1&platform=Windows
This way, nothing goes online that shouldn't, and when the setup requests online access, just deny it.
Thanks to Audaci0us for the link heads up!
There you have it, a 100% safe way to update, now there's no need to use their Updater.
On a side note, some people contacted me about ZoneAlarm for Vista 64, as ZA7 is not compatible with it. Here is a link to ZA8+:
ZoneAlarm 8.2
However, before you download and install it, take into account the following:
- if you have ZA7 now and just update to 8, it WILL MAKE YOUR PC CRASH. Uninstall ZA7 completely first, clean registry with BoostSpeed and then install ZA8. It should work.
- if you have ANY windows XP updates installed past SP3, do NOT use this, it WILL MAKE YOUR PC CRASH.
Even the makers of ZA warned people about using ZA8 and suggested uninstalling it, but that warning went out to the dumb sheep who actually update windows and think they're getting something useful (if I offended you with this statement, you're one of the sheep - stop updating Windows, it's no good). So as long as you don't have Win updates (with XP, not sure about Vista), and as long as you don't have ZA7, ZA8 is safe to use - I've been using it for a good while on a fresh Windows installation.
<< The following applies to Windows 7 >>
Now, as for Windows 7.
Microsoft and Adobe either have a new blood pact, or Adobe has turned their security measures into coldblooded hacking. Thing is, no firewall is decently compatible with Win7 yet, and seeing as the Win7 builds change every now and then, it's hard to keep track. The one that did its job somewhat well so far was Comodo firewall, BUT firewalling is not the issue with CS4 on Win7. What happens is Adobe apps accessing the internet through other apps which, to me, looks like pure app hijacking for the purpose of registration checking (yeah, I know how absurd it sounds). Of the three initial testers who used Win7, all three got something like this in their networking monitor:
(image by Ray in the pre-update era. Thanks!)
Notice how random apps go to activate.adobe.com? There is no reasonable explanation Adobe can give for this kind of behavior. Basically, CS4 does not live long on Win7, and I don't know how to make it live forever. Some users reported using it for months, others for hours before it imploded. I don't know. And frankly, until Win7 is finally out as a full version, I won't be making any CS4-Win7 updates whatsoever. Sorry. Good luck trying, though, if you find out anything useful make sure you let me know!
Ok, that's about it, sorry about the epic post. Any questions, e-mail me, corruptsuite4@gmail.com, best of luck updating and using the apps! A big thank you to all the testers from me, you've been a blast to work with, and even though it was a small number I was thrilled to have a such a motivated response in the first place! Thanks!
22.05.2009.
Downloadable hosts file
Been a while since I updated, rest assured we've been testing updating and results look promising. I will be making an update regarding that pretty soon, but right now I'd like to link you to this file:
Hosts file
It's my own hosts file, you may find it useful or if the hosts editing process is confusing you, just download this one and overwrite your own in C:Windowssystem32driversetc..
It also has several hundred thousand entries from spybot, don't worry about that, they're just there to keep your computer relatively safe from spyware.
So basically just download, unzip using 7zip as always, and overwrite your own hosts file with mine.
Keep your eyes peeled from an update regarding updates real soon.
