Newsgroup hassles

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Guest

Not really sure where to put this since it concerns two general comments/beefs
about accessing Support Newsgroups.

I had trouble getting into Newsgroups at all. I would get down the menus to
the newsgroup I wanted but then I would get a page saying it was not
available on the server. I could then get the newsgroup posts to display by
searching in the search box for the newsgroup id but I still couldn't paost
to it. After fruitless weeks searching on the web and on MS Support I
accidentally discovered that everything worked if I turned off the ie6 pop-up
blocker. Maybe this should be obvious (should it??) but it wasn't to me. I
think you should either fix this (presumably the Post and Reply window is
implemented as a sort of pop-up) or at least tell people.

The other issue is net.passport. Whe I try to post or reply in a newsgroup I
get the passport sign-in. I sign in OK but instead of taking me back to the
newgroup it throws me back to the menu page (English....games....etc - a very
user friendly thing in itself (not)). When I crawl back to the newsgroup
page, find my original post, find the post I want to reply to, the reply
button simply doesn't work. Nor does the "new" button. I have to sign out and
then sign back in again and then trudge the long road back to the newsgroup.
Then the reply works. This is not so much clunky as wearing hob nail boots
and a couple of biscuit tins.

Hope this is helpful. It was cathartic to me anyway.
 
Hope this is helpful. It was cathartic to me anyway.
Click to expand...

Start using a Usenet reader instead of a web interface and you will find
life a lot easier and more responsive.
 
Leythos said:
Start using a Usenet reader instead of a web interface and you will
find life a lot easier and more responsive.
Click to expand...
And just to add some details to the good advice you've gotten:

Since you are using the web interface, you may not realize that this is
really a newsgroup. You will get far more out of this resource if you
learn to use a newsreader. There are many good newsreaders for Windows,
but you can use Outlook Express since you already have it. Here are
some links to information about newsgroups:

http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page3.html#12-09-02 - a brief
explanation of newsgroups
http://michaelstevenstech.com/outlookexpressnewreader.htm
http://rickrogers.org/setupoe.htm
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=/support/news/howto/default.asp
- Set Up Newsreader

http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

http://aumha.org/nntp.htm - list of MS newsgroups
microsoft.public.test.here - MS group to test if your newsreader is
working properly
http://www.mailmsg.com/SPAM_munging.htm - how to munge email address
http://www.blakjak.demon.co.uk/mul_crss.htm - multiposting vs.
crossposting

Malke
 
Malke

Thankss for the advice (and the others) and I shall certainly try the links
but I am not really a usenet head so the web interface suited me OK. You are
right of course I did not really appreciate that it was an ordinary newsgroup
and that I could get it via the newsreader in ie. But I camer at it from the
MS support link,as I am sure many people do. So I cannot be the only one in
the world who uses that route for that reason. My contention is that if MS
are going to steer people that way they should not be implementing a pop-up
blocker which blocks the site without telling people. Like many other aspects
of Windows (I have had multiple problems I have never had before especially
after XP2). I think MS are in danger of confusing themselves and the pubic at
large.

Meanwhilw I'll try the newsgroup route. Thanks again for telling me.

David Quinn
 
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