fkn0wned archive

How Do I Open a Safe I'm Locked Out Of? (Forum Suggests Violence)

Guy forgets his safe code and the forum's answer is basically 'have you tried violence?'

User sinder locked himself out of a rented electronic money safe after forgetting the code, and asked Tech Support for a way in without a code. Instead of a real solution, the thread devolves into members cheerfully recommending hammers, sledgehammers, crowbars, angle grinders, and even a 'home EMP device.' A couple of genuine attempts (an eHow link, a drill-bit suggestion) get shot down by sinder's excuses about the reset button being unreachable. Classic low-stakes tech-support chaos with the forum's dark-humor personality on full display.

Try a hammer. If that doesnt work Try Dropping it onto concrete. If it still desont work you now have a banged up safe FULL of money :D— Slickz

U got pwned, i dropped my safe from balcony (5th floor) and nothing happened :D— April

angle grinder, or home EMP device :)— lulraep

My Facebook Has Been Hacked (Or Has It?)

A member asks for help recovering his hacked Facebook — and gets pointed straight back to the site's own hacking tutorial.

b3balla03 posted in Tech Support asking how to get his hacked Facebook account back. Forum regular Abysmal Enigmatic pointed him to fkn0wned's own account-hacking tutorial thread, seemingly not registering the irony. The exchange devolves into b3balla03 getting confused about a step in the tutorial (whose email address to use), unintentionally revealing he was trying to follow the guide to hack an account rather than recover his own. A small, slightly funny snapshot of the site's blurred line between 'tech support' and 'the cheat/hacking scene' it was built around.

im sure you've seen this tutorials already but you should give it a try.— Abysmal Enigmatic

does it mean write the hackers email adress or MY email adress— b3balla03

NEW VID CARD SON — Junnyerr's Ancient GeForce FX 5200 Saga

Junnyerr admits he stole a graphics card... and it's so old Windows 7 won't even talk to it.

A Tech Support thread where longtime member Junnyerr asks for help finding Windows 7 drivers for an ancient PNY GeForce FX 5200 card. Fellow member Filter breaks the bad news that the card is too old to be supported on Win7 and walks him through diagnosing his (equally dated) Dell Dimension setup via DxDiag, since Junnyerr just wants enough power to run CS 1.6. Classic low-stakes tech-support back-and-forth, notable mainly for Junnyerr's casual admission that the card in question was stolen.

Thank god I stoled this cheap shit.— Junnyerr

That card is OLD, wow man.— Filter

Just 1.6— Junnyerr

i lost my password x(

A locked-out noob, a Windows exploit tutorial, and a nitpick about the one detail everyone missed

A member named spudon8tr got locked out of their own Windows 7 account after forgetting a password they'd set, and asked Tech Support for a fix that didn't require downloading anything (since they were stuck on a guest account). Forum regulars including pikachu and duckbutta offered basic suggestions before veteran lulraep laid out a detailed sticky-keys/login-bypass method using a bootable Ophcrack disc, earning rep points from staff like Kimmi and ap3x for the writeup. The thread closes on a bit of comic irony when Benja_ori points out the fix still required downloading something despite the original constraint, which lulraep waves off with 'use a friend's computer.'

i've been away for a while, and i came back to my computer and realized i put a password on.. aannd forgot it x(— spudon8tr

so, use a friend's computer? common sense really.— lulraep

damn beat me to it— ap3x

Solid State Hard Drives: Worth $700 for 250GB?

2010's hottest tech debate: are SSDs worth $700 for 250GB?

A member named Paradix asks whether it's worth building a new PC around a solid state drive, given the eye-watering prices of the era, and which brand to consider. The consensus from the regulars is a firm 'not yet' — SSDs were still too pricey and impractical compared to a cheap 1TB SATA drive, though everyone agreed the speed was impressive. A nice little time capsule of early SSD skepticism before they became standard.

i mean an intel 250g was like 700 bucks!— Paradix

SSD's are fucking expensive as shit. Althoguh i gotta admit this is some fucking awesome speed.— Slickz

just get a 1tb SATA hdd, that will sort you out. space wise, you're set. speed wise, it won't really matter for a couple of years.— lulraep

System Idle Process - thejah's CPU Panic

A member panics over 'System Idle Process' eating his CPU — and it ends with a mod roast for closing.

A basic Tech Support thread where member thejah asks how to lower the mysterious 'System Idle Process' he thinks is lagging his PC. Fellow members bLunts and Unbeliveable explain it's harmless and doesn't actually consume resources. Thejah admits his real issue was a dying/failing computer (specifically his mom's aging rig struggling with Chrome), thanks everyone, and asks to close the thread — which moderator vermiLLion does, but not without a cheeky closing note calling out the exchange.

System idle process i running like crazy its lagging up my computer does anyone know how to lower it ?— thejah

Complained about poor black people computers then told me to close the topic.— vermiLLion

The Median XL Download-For-a-Steam-Account Bounty

f0wh offered a free Steam account with L4D2 to whoever would download a Diablo II mod for him — because he was stuck on mobile data

f0wh, a longtime FkN Crew member, posted an odd little bounty: unable to download files on his phone connection, he asked someone to grab the Median XL Diablo II mod, extract a specific file's contents, and paste the (huge, ~123MB) text somewhere for him, promising a Steam account with L4D2 in return. drplobble doubted it was even feasible before finding a workaround via an HTML page, and admin ap3x stepped in, downloaded it, and hosted the file for f0wh directly. The request was fulfilled within a day and admin ap3x closed the thread as solved — a small, mundane slice of forum life showing the community's habit of favor-trading and casual file-sharing help.

It's simple, just be creative. Either upload to pastesites in several parts, or paste the text in an html file and upload to an ftp.— f0wh

Downloading now... also inb4 4k posts :)— ap3x

Spreading Thermal Paste: The Great CPU Cooling Debate

Pea-sized blob vs. credit card spread: an fkn0wned classic PC-building debate, thermal paste edition.

A member asked how others apply thermal paste when mounting a CPU heatsink, sparking a low-stakes but earnest back-and-forth of application techniques: dot-in-the-middle-and-let-the-heatsink-spread-it versus manually spreading with gloves or a credit card. Regulars including an admin and VIP-ranked members chimed in with their preferred methods, someone linked a diagram for Intel dual-cores, and a moderator eventually closed the thread as 'problem solved.' Pure vintage tech-support small talk, the kind of mundane-but-comforting thread that filled out the Tech Support subforum between the site's bigger cheat-scene drama.

Because he's baller like that. Anyway, I put a pea sized drop in the middle and let the heatsink do the rest of the work.— Viperstryker

I put a good-sized drop in the middle and spread it around with latex gloves.— ap3x

Problem solved.— deX-

2nd Laptop Password

A friend's locked old Dell turns into a group lesson on why you should always know your admin password.

A one-post member, tohamaru, asks for help getting past a mystery 'super admin' password on a friend's old XP-era Dell laptop after a normal reset disc and command prompt tricks failed. Regulars including an admin (ap3x) ask for more details, then the thread devolves into the classic forum reflex of recommending Ophcrack and joking that if that fails you should just smash the PC. It's a short, low-stakes Tech Support thread mostly remembered for its deadpan running joke rather than any real resolution.

ophcrack is the key, and when ophcrack fails, use a ERD and if erd fails, then just smash ur pc.— deX-

dex knows :)— lulraep

Boot this bitch and get ur pazzwordz xXx— sto0ka

Junnyerr's $800 Gaming PC Build

A 1000-Club regular begs for PC build help so he can run CSS 'on the highest settingsever' — gets roasted for his power supply choice

In this Tech Support thread from May 2010, longtime member Junnyerr asks for help assembling an $800 gaming PC capable of running Counter-Strike: Source at max settings and Assassin's Creed with a second monitor. He posts a rough Newegg parts list, admitting he's 'just a little boy' when it comes to hardware. Fellow members pikachu, PaynE, and StickyFingaz weigh in, with pikachu joking about being snubbed for MSN advice and StickyFingaz giving a real component critique (oversized PSU, weak GPU, suggesting a Radeon HD5770 and Phenom II X6 instead). A pretty mundane but charmingly earnest slice of early-2010s PC building culture on the forum.

I would wanna run source on highest settings while playing assains creed with my 2nd monitor— Junnyerr

Should've asked me on MSN . Now I distrust you.— pikachu

Okay dude . First the power supply is WAY TO MUCH.— StickyFingaz

AirRivals lag troubleshooting thread

An old-school forum member wrestles with 4fps in a 100-player dogfight and asks the tech board for a verdict

Longtime member slingblade asks whether his aging Pentium 4 rig (with a newly added Radeon 9550 card) could handle AirRivals' massive PvP battles without the brutal lag that made him uninstall it before. He carefully lays out his specs, drive space, and speedtest results, clearly not wanting to waste hours reinstalling for nothing. A couple of regulars, marz and Unbeliveable, chime in with modest, honest answers — basically 'you meet the minimum specs but don't expect miracles' given the scale of the in-game battles. It's a small, low-drama tech-support exchange, the kind of everyday help thread that filled out the site between the bigger scene happenings.

will i lag or will i not? how will i fare?— slingblade

well you meet the specs, but still doesnt mean you wont have slowdowns.— marz

He says thrs like 100+ people playing at the same time at one point.— Unbeliveable

Dodge the Windows 7 RC Deadline?

A guy just wants Windows 7 to stop nagging him — the forum tells him to just pirate it already

A member named ilbknownas1 asks in Tech Support if there's a crack to stop the bi-hourly shutdown nags on his expiring Windows 7 Release Candidate, hoping to avoid a fresh install. Regulars including admin ap3x and 1000-Club member marz just tell him to torrent a final copy and activate it, while others chime in with loader/activation tool suggestions and a personal horror story about one such tool blue-screening a machine. Ends with a casual back-and-forth about which activation method is least hassle, in classic low-stakes tech-support-thread fashion.

just torrent w7 and then get the activator scrub— ap3x

i messed around with one of the loaders and it fucked up my windows, it booted up into blue screen.— aimshot120

ehh i guess i could do that, i just wanted a quick fix cuz i'm a lazy shit. lol— ilbknownas1

Rootkit Removal Help Turns Into Forum Banter

A member's PC gets hijacked by fake IEXPLORER.EXE, and half the forum shows up just to roast him for suggesting a reinstall.

User linh6496 posted asking for help removing a Win32/Mebroot rootkit disguised as IEXPLORER.EXE that was messing with his sound and spamming pop-ups. The thread turns into a casual back-and-forth of malware removal advice (rootkit scanners, HijackThis logs, Malwarebytes) mixed with the usual forum ribbing after he asked if reformatting Windows would clear a virus. He ends up reformatting anyway and reports the problem solved, though later replies note that wasn't strictly necessary. Small, everyday tech-support thread that captures the community's laid-back, teasing dynamic.

So I guess you're new to the whole computer scene— Junnyerr

The ONLY thing that will work is a rootkit remover Or reformatting NOTHING else will work— bLunts

I also love how junnyer is using my picture as his avatar, what an unattractive spic.— pikachu

How much would this cost? (upgrading an old PowerBook G3)

A free ancient Mac, big dreams, and a forum full of people telling him to just throw it away.

Member silentrock, having received a free but very old PowerBook G3, asked the Tech Support board how much it would cost to upgrade its RAM, video card, processor, and hard drive so it would be a usable Mac. The thread quickly turned into a pile-on of tech-savvy regulars and admins explaining that most of the components were soldered to the board and not upgradeable, and that buying a new machine would be cheaper and smarter. It's a small, mundane slice of forum life showing the community's tech-support culture and its usual blunt, joking tone.

why the fuck would you bother lawl. theres no point. throw it away and buy a new one for cheaper.— lulraep

most, if not all of the components you speak of here (except for maybe RAM) are soldered to the motherboard.— ap3x

You'll be able to upgrade the ram and hard drive, but do you really want to be an idiot today?— x1xtomx1x

New GFX Card: Budget GPU Advice for CSS (2009)

A guy with a $100-150 budget just wants to run CSS without lag — the forum piles on with GPU advice circa 2009

A member named tauruspt2 asks for help picking a budget graphics card ($100-150) for an aging Athlon X2 rig, mainly to play CSS, CoD, and HL2. Several regulars chime in with era-appropriate suggestions — Radeon 4870s, 4850s, 4770s, 9600/9800 GTs — trading FPS bragging rights along the way. Tauruspt2 ends up grabbing a PNY 9800GTX+ from Best Buy on tech advice, then runs into a 'no signal' display problem and asks for troubleshooting help. A fairly mundane but charmingly of-its-time snapshot of late-2000s PC gaming hardware talk.

Or if you want to spend some more money, get the HD4890, im getting 300fps easily on css— SuperOc

I like the 4850's, they're cheap and can run Crysis on max. GL to you mate! ;)— ap3x

well I ended up getting a PNY 9800gtx+ because it was only about $100 at my local bestbuy— tauruspt2

iStealer problem.

A quick MySQL hiccup, a fast fix, and one more small trace of the forum's shadier undercurrent.

A short, mundane tech-support exchange where user mr apple hits a MySQL error on a self-hosted setup tied to the infamous iStealer tool, and VIP member m1sterfopje points him toward a database configuration fix. The thread wraps up quickly with mr apple confirming he sorted it himself. It's a small, unremarkable snapshot of the forum's Tech & Security section, notable mainly for the casual mention of iStealer, a well-known password-stealing malware kit of that era.

Getting this mysql error whenever I log into the page. Just wondering how I can fix it, I have the databases and shit setup, just wondering why its giving me that now.— mr apple

configure the mysql databse again from your host with you index, you made a mistake in there— m1sterfopje

Don't worry, I managed to fix it, thanks anyway.— mr apple

i7 860 vs Core2 Quad Q9550 build advice

Late 2009: Fkn0wned's tech nerds argue i7 vs Core 2 Quad while everyone side-eyes the GPU budget instead

A member called Niceyyyys asked for help choosing between a Core i7 860 build with a GTS 250 or a cheaper Core2 Quad Q9550 paired with a beefier GTX 275, working within a tight budget. Regulars weighed in with era-appropriate PC building wisdom, comparing sockets, cache sizes, and GPU options (including a nod to ATI's then-new 5000 series and the still-unreleased GTX 300 series), while one VIP member offered to continue the tech talk over MSN Messenger instead of the thread. A friendly, low-drama tech support exchange typical of the forum's Tech & Security section.

i have a low budget but with the quadcore i can buy a better gfx card— Niceyyyys

Add me on MSN for more info.— Sleeping Forest

if you love NVIDIA like me then try to get the GTX260 or wait till next yr when the GTX300 series comes out!— trinetyface

How to Reveal (Not Reset) the Admin Password on XP

S3RK wants to READ the admin password, not reset it — cue the semantic showdown

A June 2010 Tech Support thread where member S3RK asks how to recover (not reset) a forgotten Windows XP administrator password while having admin access on another account. Replies suggest the usual hash-dumping/cracking route, but S3RK repeatedly clarifies (in caps) that he wants to reveal the actual password, not change it, prompting a bit of back-and-forth confusion. Fellow member Nickiller007 chimes in with the same problem, and Blackfathom offers a follow-up link before bowing out. A minor, everyday tech-support exchange typical of the board's Tech & Security section, capped off with a site-wide VIP sale banner for US members.

I said REVEAL, in caps, for a reason. I don't want to change the pass. I want to find out what it is.— S3RK

im not sure i understand what your trying to say, if you have admin access on another account, change the forgotten (assuming its forgotten) password.— Blackfathom

i currently have this same problem i dont wanna change it i just want to find out what it is— Nickiller007

GFX Card Help: Budget GPU Advice for MW2 (2010)

Yunyun's got $200 and needs a graphics card that'll run MW2 — the forum delivers.

A straightforward Tech Support thread from June 2010 where member Yunyun asked for GPU recommendations under a $200 budget, mainly to run Modern Warfare 2. Regulars chimed in with era-appropriate suggestions like the Nvidia 7600GT, 9600GT, GTX 260, and 9800GT/GTX, giving a nice little time-capsule snapshot of budget PC gaming hardware circa 2010. Low-drama, helpful, community-support energy typical of the Tech & Security section.

If you have $200 to spend, DEFINITELY, without a doubt, get the GTX 260. It's an amazing card for the price, and plays any game you want on max settings.— Filter

nvidia 7600gt isnt that expensive and will play games like mw2— drplobble

AccessDiver Proxy Troubleshooting Thread

A guy switches routers, and suddenly thousands of proxies go 'fake' — the forum's proxy guru tries everything to fix him

Member synae posted a tech support thread after switching to a new Linksys router, finding that AccessDiver (a proxy management tool) suddenly couldn't validate any working proxies, with everything returning as fake or timed out. Regular misterfopje, a longtime News Master, stepped in with troubleshooting advice around proxy analyzers and judge configuration, even sharing a tutorial file, but despite testing thousands of fresh proxies across multiple sites, the pair never cracked the mystery. The thread trails off unresolved, with a one-post user chiming in months later to confirm they had the same unexplained issue.

its not a problem on ur side its obviously something to do with accessdiver.— gstringpanties

So yes it must be something with the things you changed, but no idea how you can fix that dude..— misterfopje

Xbox Hard Drive Rescue Attempt Fails

Dude fries his Xbox power supply, tries to salvage the hard drive for his PC, gets a lesson in why that's not how it works

Member thejah's Xbox power supply died and he was left with a locked hard drive he hoped to repurpose for his desktop PC. Regulars hitmanre, ap3x, and vermiLLion chime in to explain that without the original console (or a saved password/bin file) the drive is effectively stuck, and that Xbox drives aren't PC-laptop compatible anyway. A small, mundane tech-support exchange typical of the board's console modding crowd, ending with thejah still out of luck.

there is no password, theres a bin file you need to make it work with regular computers again, if it was a stock hdd theres nothing u can do— hitmanre

You can't use the xbox hard drive for a laptop.— vermiLLion

Some Sites Won't Load: A Router Mystery Solved

f0wh can't load half the internet, blames everything but the router — spoiler: it was the router

Long-time member f0wh posted a Tech Support plea about certain websites (and MSN/Steam) refusing to connect while others, like the forum itself, loaded instantly. A reformat attempt made things worse (temporarily flagging Windows as non-genuine), with drplobble and thejah chiming in with reinstall/update advice. f0wh eventually solved it himself by fiddling with router settings and changing his MAC address, and mentions getting a genuine Windows 7 key from fellow member toasties. A minor, everyday tech-support thread that captures the casual troubleshoot-together vibe of the Tech & Security section.

I hate you and I will definately kill you. My computer is really fucked now, it says the windows copy isn't genuine— f0wh

I can close this because I found a fix and toasties gave me a genuine W7 key :)— f0wh

silentrock's Ubuntu/Vista dual-boot disaster

Tried to dual-boot Ubuntu next to Vista, ended up staring at a blinking GRUB error and a scary disk warning icon

A member named silentrock posted a panicked tech-support request after attempting to install Ubuntu 10.04 alongside Windows Vista in a dual-boot setup. The install seemed to go fine until reboot, when the machine threw a GRUB error instead of booting, leaving him running Ubuntu off a USB stick to investigate via GParted and Disk Utility. He posted several screenshot links (now dead) showing a warning icon on his hard drive and asked the Tech Support board for help, clearly worried about losing his files. It's a classic early-2010s 'I broke my dual-boot' cry for help, complete with apologies for not being able to embed images properly.

PLease help me with this fucking shit. Thank you guys.— silentrock

im kidna scared— silentrock

f0wh's Graphics Driver Meltdown

A crew member's laptop downgrades itself to 'Standard VGA' and the tech forum tries to talk him through it

f0wh, a longtime [FkN] Crew member, posts a quick tech support cry for help after his ATI Radeon mobility HD 5470 driver mysteriously reverted to the generic Standard VGA driver. Admin ap3x and VIP member fkngames chime in with basic troubleshooting (reinstalling drivers, Device Manager, Control Panel Display settings), but f0wh struggles to follow through, self-deprecatingly admitting he's a 'nub' at this. The thread ends anticlimactically with f0wh admitting he messed up the fix, and the topic gets locked as a mundane but charmingly human slice of old forum tech support.

I'm ultrasauce nub at this— f0wh

EDIT: I just did it wring— f0wh

Vent Lagging While Gaming

New laptop, same games, but suddenly Vent turns every match into a lagfest — the fix? Task Manager, apparently.

A member named Opti15 posted a tech support request about Ventrilo (voice chat) causing severe in-game ping spikes on a new Windows 7 laptop, despite the old machine running fine. Fellow members traded quick troubleshooting theories — connection quality, wireless vs. wired, and process priority settings — in a short, casual back-and-forth typical of the Tech Support subforum. The thread wraps up amicably with Opti15 reporting the issue likely resolved thanks to a suggestion from admin ap3x.

I just wnt to task manager and adjusted the task priority to realtime— ap3x

I use to have this problem when i used wireless. The second i hooked up to a cable it stopped :)— PopTart

VMware Workstation 7 + BackTrack 4 Final help thread

New guy tries wifi cracking with BackTrack 4, gets stuck, gets roasted for typing like a caveman

A member named 357 posted asking for help getting a wireless adapter working inside a BackTrack 4 Final virtual machine running on VMware Workstation 7, mentioning he was stuck on driver/compiling steps after following YouTube tutorials. Xanatos chimed in asking about wifi card compatibility, and 2000-Club veteran lam3r showed up purely to demand punctuation. A short, low-stakes Tech Support thread typical of the era's casual wifi-hacking curiosity rather than any real drama.

well im new at this wep cracking— 357

USE FUCKING PUNCTUATION GOD DAMN— lam3r

Unlocking Cores on the Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition

Building a Christmas PC and hoping the BIOS gods bless you with two free CPU cores

A Tech Support thread from November 2009 where member esahc26 planned a new Christmas build around AMD's Phenom II X2 550 Black Edition, hoping to 'unlock' its two disabled cores by picking the right motherboard chipset and BIOS features. The post lists a full parts build and a shortlist of AM3 motherboards with AMD SB710/750 southbridges believed to support the unlock trick via ACC (Advanced Clock Calibration). One other member chimed in agreeing that AMD750-chipset boards had better odds of success. A short, practical, very of-its-era PC-building thread, later locked.

motherboards with the southbridge amd750 have more of a successful rate of unlocking the 2 cores.— i dont hack

Where Can I Get VB6

A member goes hunting for a dead Microsoft language and finds only dead links and mockery.

A member named Repulse asked the Tech Support board for help tracking down a working copy of Visual Basic 6, complaining that every warez link he'd found across multiple sites (including the forum's own archives) was dead. Admin ap3x noted VB6 was no longer supported and had no easy legal source, prompting Repulse to admit he didn't care if it was illegal. The thread devolves into a handful of unhelpful one-liners and jabs, with other members ribbing him for not searching hard enough and referencing a past 'rule change' that likely restricted this kind of file-sharing request.

I dont care if its an illegal version.— Repulse

guessing you wont find it here since the rule change.— marz

warez-bb noob.— lulraep

About new public CA hacks (killingspree777's authentication issue)

A guy's cheat client says 'Authenticated!' but the control panel says no — cue a mod shutdown citing GUID problems

A brand-new member posted screenshots asking for help after a Combat Arms hack client authenticated but denied him access to its control panel. A regular member briefly diagnosed the issue and mentioned the newest CA public hack had just gotten detected, before crew member lam3r stepped in and locked the thread, citing ongoing 'connection and GUID problems' per someone named ap3x. A tiny, mundane slice of the site's day-to-day cheat support life, cut short by admin housekeeping.

Authenticated!", yet when you go to its control panel, it says access denied— killingspree777

By the way the latest CA pub hack is now detected.— McCallum

We are currently having some connection and GUID problems according to ap3x.— lam3r

External HDD Trouble

thejah's WD Passport won't take new files — and he's not about to lose 131GB over it

A short, mundane Tech Support thread from December 2009 where longtime member thejah asks for help with a WD 320GB Passport Essential external hard drive that would let him remove files but threw 'corrupted' or 'disk in use' errors whenever he tried to add anything. Fellow member majrbrawl suggested the obvious fix — reformatting — but thejah pushed back since his laptop only had 80GB and couldn't hold the 131GB already stored on the drive. The thread ends unresolved, a small everyday snapshot of forum life outside the gaming/cheat scene.

i cant copy anyything unto my external hdd its a WD 320GB passport essential everytime i go to put sumtin on it a error pop up saying its corrupted or disk in use— thejah

Format it.— majrbrawl

i dont want to format it i got 131 gigs of stuff on it and my laptop has only 80 gigs— thejah

Any Ideas? — toastie's Broken CSS Achievement Strings

A garbled Counter-Strike: Source achievement popup turns into a mini troubleshooting thread with the regulars weighing in

Member toastie posted two screenshots showing broken/garbled text tied to a Counter-Strike: Source achievement notification and asked for a fix. A handful of familiar names chimed in with theories — a localization bug, reinstalling the game, wiping the cstrike folder while keeping cfg backups, or just waiting for the next update — with some good-natured bickering over whether waiting was a valid answer. Reinstalling didn't fix it for toastie, leaving the thread unresolved. It's a small, ordinary slice of the site's Tech Support board: quick, casual peer troubleshooting between forum regulars.

or maybe u wait for next update and it will automaticly fixed— dannzy

well i dont think he wants to wait for a new update, cus thats fucking lame.— zanderdanmark

Urgh... reinstalling it didnt help at all. It's still fucked any ideas?— toastie

Facebook Problem

A friend's Facebook got disabled overnight — was it hacked, or did they do something to deserve it?

Member darkslayer posted on behalf of a friend whose Facebook account was mysteriously disabled, sharing the generic Facebook support email response. Fellow members offered basic troubleshooting advice, with some suggesting the account may have been compromised or hacked and used to post something that got it banned. The thread wraps up with a crew member noting it was posted in the wrong subforum and issuing a warning, a common fate for misplaced tech-support threads.

Unfortunately, this could be a case of account stealing. Someone has definitely hacked into your account, posted something inappropriate, and got banned!— linh6496

If its been disabled it must be for a reason, does anyone else know your login info? It could of been disabled manually— drplobble

Wrong section - Warned— f0wh

Computer Problems: MW2 Black-Screen Freezes

A guy's rig blacks out mid-MW2 and the whole Tech Support crew blames the graphics card

Member Unbeliveable posts his PC specs after his screen randomly cuts to a 'No Signal' black screen while playing MW2, though the audio keeps running. Regulars troubleshoot in classic forum fashion — dusty ports, dying GPUs, driver updates — while others chime in with similar issues in Burnout Paradise and Half Life 2. The consensus lands on a failing or underpowered graphics card, a mundane but very of-its-era tech support thread with the usual mix of VIP members and casual members helping each other out.

So i prob is when i play MW2 Or Smth like that it occasionally freezes and gives me a black screen saying No Signal but i can still hear shit going on in the game.— Unbeliveable

gfx are a pain in the fuckin ass... at least you got one. My lappy? nope. fuckin onboard shit. fml.— Paradix

guess its grafix card becoz its kinda weak for a thirsty game like mw2— schehf

WoW FPS Drops After Reformat

A guy reformats his PC, WoW starts black-screening, and the forum's best guess is 'check your temps.'

A member called Josh Terrible {HxC} posts in Tech Support about post-reformat trouble on his old ATI Radeon X2600 rig — World of Warcraft would run fine until he moved, then the frame rate tanked or the screen went black, sometimes needing a driver swap just to recover the display. A couple of regulars chime in with mundane troubleshooting theories (peripheral drivers, RAM, overheating) but no resolution is posted. It's a small, low-stakes slice of everyday early-2010s PC gaming life on the forum rather than any drama or notable event.

i get a good 60 fps but when i move i get a drastic drop in fps or a black screen.— Josh Terrible {HxC}

maybe something is overheating? did u check the temps?— kubaxplx

Celeron D346 Overheating in a Sealed Case

A member's ancient Celeron D346 was cooking at 60C+, and the fix suggestions ranged from liquid cooling to just... waving your hand at it

A member called TheLeader asked for help with his aging Intel Celeron D346 running hot (60C+ under load) inside a vented-less, no-name case with a Gigabyte 945GME-RH board. Regular forum members chimed in with cooling suggestions like adding fans or going liquid, but TheLeader wanted something cheap and case-friendly. The thread wraps up with a dry joke from longtime coder 'pikachu' about just fanning the CPU by hand, capping off a low-stakes, mundane tech-support exchange typical of the Tech Support subforum.

Wave your hands next to it.— pikachu

Buy a tower and give it liquid cooling.Or if you like get a tower and put in more fans.I myself have over 8 fans.— Unbeliveable

GTX 260 Buying Advice

A member weighs MSI vs. EVGA vs. XFX for a GTX 260 upgrade — and XFX sweeps the vote.

A VIP member named kubaxplx asked the Tech Support crew for advice picking between three GeForce GTX 260 cards (MSI, EVGA, XFX) back in December 2009. Replies were quick and unanimous, with several regulars vouching for XFX's build quality and warranty. A low-key, helpful hardware-shopping thread typical of the era's PC-building chatter on the forum.

XFX is the way to go man, they make kickass gear.— ap3x

xfx. their warranty ownz— i dont hack

PaynE's TV Resolution Meltdown

No picture, no clue: a simple TV hookup turns into a slow-motion troubleshooting circus.

A member named PaynE plugs his PC back into his TV after a long break and gets no display at all, suspecting a resolution mismatch. The Tech Support regulars pile in with the usual fixes — try a monitor first, update drivers, reset the BIOS — but PaynE keeps clarifying that the screen is completely blank, not just misconfigured. It ends with a Members-tier newcomer suggesting he borrow a neighbor's VGA cable to test, a reply that landed three weeks after the thread went quiet.

I cant even use the computer because there is no picture.— PaynE

do you have a neighbour?? go there and try your VGA there.— TheLeader

Website Review: dakota's Free Xbox 360 Elite Referral Scheme

A member swears his cousin got a free Xbox 360 this way — the forum's response? A resounding shrug.

Long-time member dakota posted a classic 2010-era 'free Xbox 360 Elite' referral scam pitch in the Tech Support subforum, copy-pasted straight from an eBay listing format, complete with referral links, offer-completion steps, and reassurances that it was '100% real'. It's a textbook GPT (get-paid-to) / freebie-referral scheme of the kind that circulated widely on forums and eBay at the time. The thread got exactly one reply, from pikachu, who dismissed it in two lines — a fittingly deadpan, low-effort end to a low-effort scam pitch.

I promise you, this is 100% real. I wouldn't jeopardize my ebay account status if this was a scam.— dakota

Nobody cares enough. I barely play xbox anymore.— pikachu

Restarting When Playing Games

PC rebooting mid-Bioshock — turned out to be a bad stick of RAM, case closed by staff.

A Tech Support thread from February 2010 where member Unbeliveable described his PC randomly restarting after about 10 minutes of playing graphically demanding games like Bioshock and Wolfenstein. Fellow members, including staff like NIX and m1sterfopje, suggested causes ranging from overheating GPU to faulty RAM. Unbeliveable confirmed a bad RAM stick was the culprit, and the thread was closed by moderator vermiLLion as solved a couple months later.

Fixed it the Ram was bad.— Unbeliveable

check your RAM memory, happened me too and one of the banks were broken :)— m1sterfopje

Need some Steam Help (Microphone)

A guy's mic worked everywhere except CS — then he fixed it himself before anyone could reply

PaperPistols posted a Tech Support thread in April 2010 about his USB Logitech headset mic failing in Source engine games (CS, CSS, DOD:S) despite working fine elsewhere. He edited the post minutes later saying the problem was solved and asked for the thread to be closed. Moderator vermiLLion closed it shortly after per the standard OP-requested closure procedure — a mundane but very typical piece of the forum's day-to-day tech support traffic.

Problem solved. No need to post. Feel free to Close.— PaperPistols

This topic has been closed by a moderator(me). Reason: " OP requested "— vermiLLion

CS:S problem written by Napi

One lonely post, one broken download, zero replies — a tiny time capsule of tech support limbo.

A brand-new member named Napi posted a single support request in the Tech Support subforum, asking for step-by-step help getting some downloaded tool (linked to a forum attachment) to run, describing an error after extracting the file with WinRAR. The thread got no visible replies, capturing that classic 'first post, never answered' fate common on the site's Tech Support board. It's a minor, quiet artifact rather than a dramatic one, but typical of the day-to-day troubleshooting traffic on fkn0wned.

i can't get this system working could somebody help me step by step?— Napi

Can't Install Photoshop CS4 (Unanswered Tech Support Thread)

One member's routine reformat turns into a Photoshop CS4 install headache nobody answers.

A short, unresolved tech support post from a user going by JZA, who mentions reformatting his PC (something he says he does every six months) and then hitting an installation error trying to set up Photoshop CS4. He tried the usual fix of disabling antivirus and reinstalling, with no luck, and asks the board for help. The thread shows no replies, just a lone cry for tech help lost in the Tech Support subforum, with the page's ad banners (Anabolic Innovations, hide-hack notices) as the only other noise around it.

I recently formatted since its like a thing I do every 6 months , and now when I try to install photoshop cs4, shit says Done, with errors.— JZA

Wanted: NA Player to Set Up an Aika Online Account

One lonely post asking a North American to help region-lock a free MMO account.

A brief, single-post request thread in Tech Support where user PlabBaBe asks if any North America-based member can create a game account for them for 'Aika Online' (aika.gpotato.com), a free-to-play MMORPG that likely had regional account restrictions. The request is minimal and low-key, asking for account details to be sent via PM. No replies, no drama, just a small everyday sliver of the region-locked gaming era.

I want you to ask if anyone whos from NA, can make me a Game account for this game here— PlabBaBe

IPB 404 Error on Admin Headquarters Link

PaynE hits a 404 wall trying to reach the admin headquarters forum

A short Tech Support thread where longtime member PaynE (of the '1000 Club' rank) reports a broken link on the fkn0wned.com IPB-powered forum, pasting the classic 'Not Found' Apache error when navigating to an admin section. It's a minor housekeeping post rather than any big saga, but it's a small snapshot of the forum's day-to-day tech quirks and its IPB software backend, sitting alongside an era-typical VIP sale banner ad for USA members.

The requested URL /forum/67-admin-headquaters/ was not found on this server.— PaynE

Bypassing a Proxy

A member wanted to know if the person he was messing with could actually unmask his IP behind a proxy — and got shut down before the thread even got going.

User LooseJuice posted asking whether someone he'd been secretly winding up on another site could realistically use 'hackers' to bypass his proxy and expose his real IP address. He was skeptical the threat was credible and wanted the Tech & Security crowd's take on how feasible IP unmasking through a proxy actually was. The thread got no visible replies and was locked, leaving the question unanswered — a small, quintessential slice of the site's paranoid, proxy-and-IP-obsessed tech culture.

is it possible for the person who owns that site to bypass that proxy to find out my real IP?— LooseJuice

So far, they don't know I'm the one causing the problems, obviously, knowing my IP will change that.— LooseJuice