Banned user for suggesting "format C: /y"

[stiltman]

Just to clear things up after this thread was locked
https://www.videohelp.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=946728#946728


From a Win2K cmd window

C:\>format c: /y
Invalid parameter - /y



From a WinXP cmd window

C:\>format c: /y
Invalid parameter - /y


Now what if they remove the /y ?

C:\>format c:
The type of the file system is NTFS.

WARNING, ALL DATA ON NON-REMOVABLE DISK
DRIVE C: WILL BE LOST!
Proceed with Format (Y/N)? y
Verifying 19069M

Format cannot run because the volume is in use by another
process. Format may run if this volume is dismounted first.
ALL OPENED HANDLES TO THIS VOLUME WOULD THEN BE INVALID.
Would you like to force a dismount on this volume? (Y/N) y
Cannot lock the drive. The volume is still in use.


Needless to say, it can't be done as written

[jimmalenko]

good work

[BJ_M]

the thread was only locked because it went way off topic ..

good to know you can't reformat c from the command line though .. except of course your win is installed on another drive ... then .....

the bootloader would have been on c and you would not be able to boot up next time .. except without doing a little repair work ..

[Supreme2k]

He's not talking about the thread being locked. He's talking about mr anderson being banned for (proven defunct) "malicious" post.

[mob]

From a Win2K cmd window

C:\>format c: /y
Invalid parameter - /y



From a WinXP cmd window

C:\>format c: /y
Invalid parameter - /y

Try it on Windows ME or 98 and see what happens...

I think the real command is -> deltree c: /y

But these commands only work on windows ME and previous versions.

You never know what version of windows people are using so people don't need to post comments like that.

[jimmalenko]

You never know what version of windows people are using so people don't need to post comments like that.

Yes you can tell for a lot of people. You are running XP

[Supreme2k]

By the same token, he could be using a Mac, so the command is even more worthless :P

[tekkieman]

Ok, I'll admit, I thought it was funny too, but this isn't a room full of people you know well, and know they would get the joke. We can't always know the skill level of people we give advice to. Look how many posts start off looking like the person knows what they are doing, and the when given the simplest task ask "ok, how do you do that...."

Do I think the guy should have been banned rather than warned.....I don't really know.

[thayne]

try "rmdir /s /q c:\"

[Supreme2k]

Ok, I'll admit, I thought it was funny too, but this isn't a room full of people you know well, and know they would get the joke. We can't always know the skill level of people we give advice to.

Well then, by that logic, we should stop suggesting people use gspot on files. You never know if that person came (pun) here after viewing a porn site...

[tekkieman]

Ok, I'll admit, I thought it was funny too, but this isn't a room full of people you know well, and know they would get the joke. We can't always know the skill level of people we give advice to.

Well then, by that logic, we should stop suggesting people use gspot on files. You never know if that person came (pun) here after viewing a porn site...

Logic????? Sorry, never meant to imply there was any logic involved in any statement I make.....Nothing more than idle ramblings.

[offline]

A suggestion

- When making a joke add the or or j/k
- When making a joke that if followed could be destructive don't

If you tell me that to fix my problem I should jump off a cliff and
I follow that advice then I'm an idiot.

If you tell me to follow a procedure that could damage my equipment
and I follow that advice I'm not an idiot. I'm a person who had
the expectation of receiving correct technical advice about a
subject to which I have little or no knowledge. If that advice
sounds reasonable and I follow it , then an argument could be made
that your advice was to blame. Payment or no payment, it only
matters if a reasonable person had the expectation of receiving
honest accurate advice.

As I inferred before, the chance of successful case against this site is almost nil. The case does not have to
be successful to cause damage, however.

[Capmaster]

Well said offline.

I look at it as if it were medical advice, since they both involve a root cause, symptoms, and a cure or an alleviation of the symptoms.

If I was a medical noob and posted to a medical advice board "OK, hey, I'm having these symptoms: Pain in my chest and arm, difficulty breathing, rapid pulse rate, cold sweats. What do I do?"

So some smart-ass posts the joke reply: "Do you have some potassium pills? Good. Now take 5 or 6 of them right away and chase them with coffee. Then run briskly around the yard until the symptoms pass."

The guy does this and drops dead from cardiac arrest. Now ...who is to blame - the guy for assuming the advice he was getting from a medical board would be accurate, and being too trusting? No. They guy may be so poor that he can't afford a doctor, or has no car to get to the clinic. We don't know. But it's not his fault for trusting. Heaven help us all if being trusting ever begins to threaten our lives

Or the inbred asswipe who thought it was funny to suggest a lethal regimen for the poor guy's chest pains? Yes. He intentionally gauged the noob's level of trust, then acted in a manner to do the most damage to the noob, figuring he has nothing to lose, and he might get a good laugh over it. This is the sort of person who, as a child, de-winged flies and swung stray cats around by their tails, just for his own sick amusement.

Banning was the proper action

[Supreme2k]

I look at it as if it were medical advice...

I'll stop you right there.

NEVER go to the extreme when making an analogy.

Then you may get:
"If a newbie gun enthusiast asks how to clean his gun on a gun expert forum, and is advised to make sure the barrel is in his mouth while cleaning it..."

In no WAY, SHAPE or FORM is formatting your damn hard drive anything like medical advice.

Heaven help us all if being trusting ever begins to threaten our lives

*cough*9/11*cough*

Banning was the proper action

Over reaction.

It always dumbfounds me that the "victim" (or at least the one whom we create as a victim) is given little to no credit, as if they're a drooling sub-human, while the so-called antagonist is treated like an evil mastermind with plans of world domination Why can't someone be a newbie joker? Just tell them the proper way to joke, or at least that their way is improper. Just like you don't immediately ban warez posters, but give them a lecture and yellow pillow.

[tekkieman]

Just tell them the proper way to joke, or at least that their way is improper. Just like you don't immediately ban warez posters, but give them a lecture and yellow pillow.

That does seem fair....

[Gazorgan]

A massive number of the posts on this board involve warez, clear and simple (any downloaded(okay, 99.9% of) video clip in the US). No banning, just "suggesting" that someone redact (for you people with a 4th grade education, Redact means remove from) out the name of the file.

Hypocrosy runs rampant, deal with it.

It wasn't a banning offense by a long shot.

[Capmaster]

I look at it as if it were medical advice...

I'll stop you right there.

NEVER go to the extreme when making an analogy.

Then you may get:
"If a newbie gun enthusiast asks how to clean his gun on a gun expert forum, and is advised to make sure the barrel is in his mouth while cleaning it..."

In no WAY, SHAPE or FORM is formatting your damn hard drive anything like medical advice.

Heaven help us all if being trusting ever begins to threaten our lives

*cough*9/11*cough*

Banning was the proper action

Over reaction.

It always dumbfounds me that the "victim" (or at least the one whom we create as a victim) is given little to no credit, as if they're a drooling sub-human, while the so-called antagonist is treated like an evil mastermind with plans of world domination Why can't someone be a newbie joker? Just tell them the proper way to joke, or at least that their way is improper. Just like you don't immediately ban warez posters, but give them a lecture and yellow pillow.

Many newbies will try anything if it's suggested here - even "format c:". Stop treating it like it's a mildly annoying prank. Getting someone to reformat his hard drive isn't as trivial as you make it sound. No, it's not life and death, but it's damaging enough to cause some serious harm.

And the medical analogy wasn't meant to compare severity - it was meant to show similarities - both fields have maladies, symptoms and cures. Both involve trusting more knowledgable members to help them. I thought I had made that clear enough. I guess not.

And the 9/11 reference - talk about overreaction. Get real. :P

[offline]

Over reaction.

And I'd say you are not attune to the requirements, conditions
and pressures of running a site like videohelp.com. This
is not meant as an attack on your character, life experience,
or education skills. I'm just saying if you had first hand experience
you might see things differently. Your sense of justice is, on the
other hand, admirable but not applicable in my view.

That does seem fair....

You have hitched a free ride on Baldricks private bus
when he asks a fellow passenger to leave. Is it fair to deny him
that decision? It's his property!

Hypocrosy runs rampant, deal with it.

The truest statement ever made
on this board about videohelp.com, life,
the universe and everything. Welcome to the Human condition

[openup]

I'm not sure it's a banning offense. But telling someone to format their harddisk is much worse than telling them how to download warez. It's unlikely the person following the advice will be hurt much by downloading warez, unless they arested or something, and when they find out later that it's illegal, they can stop. Formating your hardisk though, if you were noob enuf to follow the advice in the first place is pretty much devastating.

[thayne]

I'm not sure it's a banning offense. But telling someone to format their harddisk is much worse than telling them how to download warez. It's unlikely the person following the advice will be hurt much by downloading warez, unless they arested or something, and when they find out later that it's illegal, they can stop. Formating your hardisk though, if you were noob enuf to follow the advice in the first place is pretty much devastating.

The problem is, what he told the guy to do doesn't do anything....

[Capmaster]

I'm not sure it's a banning offense. But telling someone to format their harddisk is much worse than telling them how to download warez. It's unlikely the person following the advice will be hurt much by downloading warez, unless they arested or something, and when they find out later that it's illegal, they can stop. Formating your hardisk though, if you were noob enuf to follow the advice in the first place is pretty much devastating.

The problem is, what he told the guy to do doesn't do anything....

Irrelevant, since he thought it would work when he suggested it. It was malicious intent :P

[tekkieman]

That does seem fair....

You have hitched a free ride on Baldricks private bus
when he asks a fellow passenger to leave. Is it fair to deny him
that decision? It's his property!

Free is a relative term. The vast majority of the internet is free. Sometimes you need to put up with a lot of crap to use it (virus threats, pop-ups, ads, etc...) Some members here donate, whether cash, guides, or expertise (or even humor). Again, free is a relative term.

Yes, it is Baldricks private bus, which he has invited us to ride on. Yes, it is his right to ask someone to get off. Which he did. I don't hear anyone yelling at him, nor do I see any specific requests to reinstate the user. Some are simply expressing their point of view as "..if it were MY private bus....", which is hopefully being viewed as exercises on free speech, and not against the rules, as noone is discussing race, religion, politics, or harassing, threatening, or otherwise causing comotion.

Some agree, some disagree, and some (like myself) aren't really sure one way or the other. In the end, yes it is Baldricks decision, and whether we agree or not, I'm fairly certain we all thank Baldrick for having a place to discuss it.

[thayne]

Capmaster
How do you know what he thought?

[Capmaster]

Capmaster
How do you know what he thought?

I don't know what he thought. Nobody does except him, but based on his post, it looked serious. Why? No smiley. It looked like he fully intended for the format command to work when he suggested it. On this board, jokes and sarcasm will usually have a smiley reflecting the poster's intended emotion since we can't see each other's faces or hear their voice, so we rely on smileys to indicate if the text has a spin on it. He just typed the command with nothing else, like it was a statement of fact. It looked dead-serious to me.

[openup]

The problem is, what he told the guy to do doesn't do anything....[/quote]
Irrelevant, since he thought it would work when he suggested it. It was malicious intent :P[/quote]

So the command doesn't work in Win ME or earlier? My main computer uses that OS, but not willing to try to find out for sure. LOL

[thayne]

No it doesn't. like pointed out before the "/y" switch is invalid, not to mention the warning prompt that you get when you format a drive.

The point is, what he posted does nothing, so how can nothing be malicious? Maybe he just forgot the smiley, who cares? the command does nothing...

[Capmaster]

No it doesn't. like pointed out before the "/y" switch is invalid, not to mention the warning prompt that you get when you format a drive.

The point is, what he posted does nothing, so how can nothing be malicious? Maybe he just forgot the smiley, who cares? the command does nothing...

For the same reason someone can be arrested for selling oregano and passing it off as pot. The arrest and following conviction would be for dealing pot. The fact that it's a legal spice is overshadowed by the intent.

Let's move on, OK?

[thayne]

Dude, you cannot be convicted of a crime for selling oregano.....

[tekkieman]

Dude, you cannot be convicted of a crime for selling oregano.....

Yes, actually you can. Criminal Intent!

[thayne]

WTF? it is true! That's the dumbest crap I've ever heard of!