stevesh

Well, it doesn't seem like all you guys could be wrong, so I guess I'll have to reconsider my position.

Bad analogy, I guess. How about this. I leave my beloved classic Ferrari GTb in my garage, with the garage door open and the keys in the ignition. I go overseas for a week, and when I return, my car is gone. Yes, the scumwad who stole it is the bad guy, but don't I have some culpability due to my failure to implement the most basic security procedures? Maybe I'm missing something.

I guess my point was that if MS wanted to stop this they could, very easily. EULA or no, I think you have a responsibilty to mitigate the damage to the extent that you can. If someone noodles out my email password and is reading my mail, and I find out, would it make sense for me to yell and complain and sue, or would changing the password seem like the obvious action? (Simplistic example, I know, but the principle is the same). Very interesting comments here, though.

No, I'm thinking that if Microsoft sells me a CD that does something they don't want it to do, it's on them. Seems like all the big brains at MS could figure out a way to stop this if it were important to them. I don't think you can reasonably call this 'illegal' - it's not really even a 'hack' as far as I can see.

This: http://windowssecrets.com/comp/080403#story1 suggests that you can buy the 'upgrade'version of Vista and install it on a clean hard drive.

Zencart has a Google Checkout module that seems to work OK. If you only have a few items, and don't need a lot of features, fatfreecart.com uses Google Checkout too.

I've noticed that what is on the CPanel home page concerning disk space used usually bears no resmblance to what I know I'm using (based on what I have installed). I posted a question about this a while back, and was advised to open a ticket. I just don't worry about it now.

As you mentioned in your original post, this is the first time we've had this kind of problem with this kind of ungrateful whelp. Let's not let him/her screw the whole contest idea for the 99+% of us who appreciate a free anything. I live in MIchigan, and our Attorney General seems to have his head on straight - I doubt if this'll go far.

This site is done with Zencart - it seems to be at least part of what you're looking for: http://www.buysoul.com/index.php?main_page...products_id=476 This thread from the Zencart forums explains how it's done (sort of): http://www.zen-cart.com/forum/showthread.php?t=50488

Probably, but it looks like it'll work the way you want it to if you set the subdomain up in CPanel. Don't create the folder first - let CPanel do it.

You probably don't need to mention the name. We all get those scam letters from a variety of slimeballs. A similar kind of thing has plagued the magazine industry for years. The problem is that domain registration and website hosting well, are two different things. I'm not sure that TCH could do much more to integrate the ordering and renewal of both. Your domain renewal email from TCH will have a link to the proper place.

I just received my new Dell Vostro yesterday. AMD Athlon 64 X2, 1Gb RAM, 120Gb Harddrive, built-in wireless, XP Home - 475.94 w/free shipping. Add another Gig of RAM to be sure for 50.00 or so, and it would easily run all the software you listed.

I use Zencart and it works for me. Have you checked the Zencart forums for additional shipping info? What do you want to do shipping-wise that you can't do with the regular installation?

Looks the same to me in FF and IE7.

Not to beat a dead horse, but... Check this Slashdot post

I think you're in the wrong forum - we usually try to treat each other with respect around here. Thanks for your input.

Seems to me this is the important part of this problem. I've had this seem to happen with more than one domain registrar. It would seem to suggest that the registrar is in cahoots with the squatters...

I'd like to point out (voice of experience) that if your domain is taken over by a spammer, usually through an insecure script, you'll also get these kinds of messages. Maybe someone who knows more about this than I do could suggest how to tell the difference, if possible.

SSL can be set up when you install Zencart, or later by editing the 2 config files - very easy. See the (excellent) Zencart forums for more info. I would also recommend your own SSL certificate. Seems expensive, but a lot of potential customers don't want to see a shared cert.

Sorry, I don't understand the question - can you rephrase it to let us know exactly what you need to know?

Looking at your site with an FTP client, or CPanel File Manager, your site's root would be www.****.com/public_html From a web browser, it would be www.****.com We'll need to know what you're installing to suggest where it should go.

Seems to me you kind of answered your own question. The uptime and support at TCH are excellent (not something you can say about many hosting companies). I know which company you're considering switching to, and they are infamous for overselling their shared servers. If you're running close on disk space, consider a Silver Plan - 1.2 GB disk space and 40 Gb transfer for 55.00 a year. That's less than 8 bucks a year more than the other guys. If you don't really need 5Gb, why buy it? I don't know what you do with your sites, but if you're selling anything (that is, running a business) a few dollars a month shouldn't affect your decision anyway. I'll take great support over lowest price anytime. Steve

I'd second the SWF suggestion. More secure and easier to update. Looks good, too.

I use Joomla and really like it, but you're right about the steep learning curve. Once you 'get it', though, it works very well. Steve

Any of the shopping cart scripts will do what you want to do, though most use MySql as the database, but you can export to Excel. I use Zencart extensively, and though it's gross overkill for your application, it'll work fine with Authorize.net, and it's free.