News:

"The phone is a remarkably complex, simple device,
and very rarely ever needs repairs, once you fix them." - Dan/Panther

Main Menu

Topics in need of repair due to the Photobucket Ransom

Started by AE_Collector, November 07, 2017, 09:59:19 AM

Previous topic - Next topic

AE_Collector

Please post links to specific topics that have been adversely affected by the Photobucket a Ransom. If necessary provide the page number of the topic to help speed up locating the problem.

These topics have pictures like below instead of the original picture which was stored on Photobuclet and then linked to rather than being uploaded directly to CRPF. A Moderator will attempt to restore the pictures and then mark the post as COMPLETED. (Or maybe we will just delete the individual post once completed)

Terry


LarryInMichigan

I expect that, as more sites adopt this fix and Photobucket sees their traffic increasing, they will devise a way to stop it from working.

Larry

AE_Collector


AE_Collector

Quote from: TelePlay on November 07, 2017, 10:15:20 AM
This is what a topic will look like when fixed.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=136.0


Oh of course...I was temporarily forgetting that the bad links can't directly be replaced with the pictures, the pictures have to go at the bottom of each post rather than being imbedded in the text. This also means that there will be posts out there with MORE THAN 6 linked pictures in them. The only way to fix that is going to be to create multiple pictures in one such as John frequently does.

Terry

andy1702

Did anyone ever get anywhere fixing the image upload problems this forum has? Yes, I know there are "work arounds" but they are annoying and time consuming when every other forum in the worls seems to be able toa ccept any image size or file type and can also have the photos inserted where they should be within the text of the post using the insert image function. I think the site would get a lot more traffic if this was fixed.
Call me on C*net 0246 81 290 from the UK
or (+44) 246 81 290 from the rest of the world.

For telephone videos search Andys Shed on Youtube.

TelePlay

Quote from: andy1702 on November 07, 2017, 01:35:35 PM
Did anyone ever get anywhere fixing the image upload problems this forum has? Yes, I know there are "work arounds" but they are annoying and time consuming when every other forum in the worls seems to be able toa ccept any image size or file type and can also have the photos inserted where they should be within the text of the post using the insert image function. I think the site would get a lot more traffic if this was fixed.

It's fixed, the security upload issue that is. And it has been fixed for a good 6 months now. And what does this mean: "I think the site would get a lot more traffic if this was fixed."

However, if anyone tries to upload an image with the largest dimension greater than 2500 pixels, the server image processing software installed successfully to fix the security error issue, will develop resource problem, a buffer overflow, and the forum screen will go white, lock up or jump to "create a new reply" page. Simple solution, don't upload raw images from PCS phones.

STRONG HINT: Rotate, crop and resize images to no more than 2500 pixels on the largest side before attaching them to a topic for upload. Those 6000 x 4000 iPhone and other such large images which would require well over 40 MBytes of server buffer RAM to process (to eliminate the upload security error asked about) WILL cause an upload failure.

All of this has been posted in the "How To Post Photos on CRPF"  including this specific topic dealing with buffer overflow:

     http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=18551.0

THE SPECIFIC ASKED QUESTION QUOTED ABOVE AND THIS REPLY HAVE NOTHING TO DO WITH THE PHOTOBUCKET RANSOMEWARE ISSUE. THE SECURITY ERROR UPLOAD ISSUE/QUESTION IS BEING DISCUSSED IN THE ABOVE TOPIC LINK.



Now, it is not true, it is simply just not the case that "every other forum in the worls (sic) seems to be able toa (sic) ccept (sic) any image size or file type" since I know of sites that will just outright delete in full any attempted upload if the image is too large. Some sites have automatic image size checks (which we tried for awhile) and if the image exceeds the size set, an oversized upload error message is returned causing the image(s) to be rotated, cropped and resized before being accepted. And some sites have very strict, specific image requirements for uploading to the site. Such strict requirement of one site that comes to mind is attached showing the maximum XY pixel limits, the maximum file side of the image (only 600 KBytes vs the forum acceptance of 3 MByte images), and the exact way to create a file name for the uploaded image - and that forum has just under 2 million images as of this date so their members must think enough of their images to abide by the rules, take the time and make the effort to create the best image possible for upload.

We have discussed putting such size parameters on images to be uploaded. We hoped that members would take the personal responsibility to create and upload the best images of their phones possible (rotated, cropped, resized). It comes down to the question of allowing members to upload large, expandable images of reasonable, edited size and run the risk of some members pushing the size envelope until the buffers say no more versus strictly limiting images sizes as done in several ways on other sites forcing members to fit their images into a specific format. Being able to upload unlimited 3 MByte images to a free forum puts some of the responsibility on the person uploading the images to make sure they look great, present the image desired and successfully upload, without error.

TelePlay

Getting this topic back on topic, I was working on topics with PB linked images, downloading them, numbering them and attaching them to the topic/reply for posterity. Then I ran into this topic which is about 4 years old.

     http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=9550.msg102211#msg102211

When I open this reply, with the extension in place, I get the Photobucket ransomware image for about a half second and then the space goes white, the PB image is not picked up by the extension. The ransomeware image disappears and nothing is displayed, just a few lines of blank space, white space where the link would have put the picture.

I put the small red image I created after each of these 5 external links to show where the links are within the text.

This reply in question is about 4 years old, the image seems to be on PB, but it seems the extension does not work on this PB account image. It has to still be on PB in that if it were not, a URL error would appear.

Does the extension not work on all images, is PB fighting back against the extension or is there something I missed?

Below are the external image codes posted within that reply for reference. It may be that even with this extension, some PB images can't be recovered/seen?



[img width=700 height=525]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/Claven2/phones/Image4_zps474e40ac.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/Claven2/phones/Image5_zps10bc1002.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/Claven2/phones/Image6_zps77b58b04.jpg[/img]
[img width=700 height=525]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/Claven2/phones/Image7_zpse84360d8.jpg[/img]
[IMG]http://i33.photobucket.com/albums/d85/Claven2/phones/Image8_zpsa2fb800a.jpg[/img]


==========================

Still waiting for links to be posed here to forum topics with PB images in them. I can find some by creative searching but members posting links as they find them would be really helpful so that anyone can spend there time fixing these image problems that the forum has.

GLadstone

#8
Hi TelePlay,

RE: reply #7 above:

The photos from Claven2's Photobucket account may have been deleted.

Or, perhaps the privacy setting of the photos and/or album was changed and the extension can no longer "see" the photos...

----------

These links are probably already on your to-do list, but here are a few to check out:


From the list in the "Example #3 for not using image links to photos on external sites" topic:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=18470.0



http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=221.msg24001#msg24001  fixed on 11/8/17


http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=6952.msg79012#msg79012  fixed on 11/8/17



---

From the "Peroxide Treatment Detailed Instructions" Topic:
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1146.msg197047#msg197047


From page 2, Reply #24: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1146.msg14516#msg14516  fixed on 11/8/17

From page 2, Reply #25: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1146.msg14517#msg14517  fixed on 11/8/17


From page 3, Reply #34: http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=1146.msg14550#msg14550  fixed on 11/8/17


----------

And, an idea to locate other topics that may need to be fixed:

Once you find a topic with photos shared from Photobucket, check out the member username and explore their posting history.

Hope that helps.

Take care,
GLadstone

TelePlay

#9
Thanks, and to let everyone know if anybody is working on this issue, the above reported Photobuck external image links

     http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=19200.msg197166#msg197166

have been fixed, each of the external images downloaded from Photobucket, saved with an increasing numeric file name, the text annotated to refer to the file name (attached image number) and the images uploaded without issue to the reply.

Yes, takes time, a lot of time, over 40 minutes for the above posted links, but for the good of the forum, or at least anyone interested in the information provided in each of those (peroxide treatment and painting).

HarrySmith

John, many thanks again for taking the time to fix this stuff for us! Your efforts are applauded & appreciated!
Harry Smith
ATCA 4434
TCI

"There is no try,
there is only
do or do not"

TelePlay

#11
Thanks, Harry.

======================

Additional topics "fixed" within the past 2 hours. Some of them quite informational.

http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=9550.0  ( fixed )
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=93.0  ( fixed )
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=91.0  ( fixed )
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=66.0  ( fixed )
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=59.0  ( fixed )
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=129.0  ( fixed )
http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?board=75.0  ( fixed )

=====================

Members are asked to report (cut and paste URL links) of topics with Photobucket images here as additional replies so they can be repaired.

twocvbloke

Mr. Bones' signature has a photobucket ransom image in it, just noticed now while looking for an old photo of mine... :)

TelePlay

Quote from: twocvbloke on November 10, 2017, 05:36:09 AM
Mr. Bones' signature has a photobucket ransom image in it, just noticed now while looking for an old photo of mine... :)

Yes, you are correct. I spotted that soon after PB changed their policy. Mr. Bones was not logging in and then did one day. I sent him a PM about that. He did not reply or change that image.

Also, some older members who do not log on have PB images for their icon profile. HELLO CENTRAL who has not logged on in six years is one example.

    http://www.classicrotaryphones.com/forum/index.php?topic=5311.0

When clicking on the link, you will note the page continues to load until the server times out and then the large white space under his handle, where his externally linked icon would be, collapses down to no space at all.

No one can change the profile except the member. So, those problem will be there forever. 

twocvbloke

Quote from: TelePlay on November 10, 2017, 08:26:12 AMNo one can change the profile except the member. So, those problem will be there forever. 

Ah, some forum software usually allows admins (sometimes Moderators too) to change the signatures (usually used if they have something offensive, annoying or that breaks ToS of the forum), don't know if that's true with SMF, I've only experienced "the other side" of the PHPBB2 forum software myself... :)