Hey guys, my wife subscribes to an email with giveaways and stuff, I happened to be shoulder surfing and noticed a giveaway for a free Christmas-themed flash drive. We filled it out with my info and they said it processed OK, figured maybe some people up here might wanna take advantage of this offer as well. No shipping fees, no nothing, looks like you just put in your info and they send it in 2-3 weeks. No emails from them so you can probably use a fake one.
Edit: Link removed by me, turns out it was a hoax.
Staff don't like this, they can delete it, just thought I'd pass it along.
I'm not even keeping mine, I've got no use for it, but I'm gonna load it up with PortableApps.com apps and gift it to someone.
[Moved to off-topic by mod Chris]
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Sent my order in. thing looks pretty cool xD
Just a note that this offer only is valid to people living in the United States
PortableApps.com Advocate
And I can convert her onto portable apps at the same time! Great idea, thanks for sharing.
I used to sign here, but the ink keeps smudging on my screen.
Looks cheesy, but it's free and you can't argue with free.
I found it amusing that email address is required but postal address isn't... they can ship physical items electronically these days? 
Thanks for the tip.
is it legit?
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
I'm probably going to get half the Amazon rain forest delivered to my doorstep in the form of junk mail but the only way I could see it not being legit is if it's a hoax and you simply never receive any flash drive.
They don't ask for any sensitive information like credit card number or SSN, so I can't see it as being a phishing scam.
Better scan that flash drive when you get it, it might be loaded with malware. Would make a nice scheme from a spammer's point of view - get an e-mail address and a postal address to spam, and load up some poor guy's computer with more spamming s/w.
I won't be getting this, just thought I'd toss a word of caution in here...
"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."
Scan it? I'm gonna format it and put PortableApps on it!
EDIT: You might be right though, perhaps I should format it using a Linux LiveCD, just to be sure (and I'm not kidding either!)
Good idea... using a Linux distro will almost guarantee you don't get your computer "loaded", and using a LiveCD will make sure you don't need to re-image your computer. Everybody wins except the possible scammers/spammers...
(btw, I have no idea whether the guys doing this offer are scammers/spammers or not - I just like to play it safe, and this is no exception)
"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."
thats what im planing on doing
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
I didn't think about malware. I wouldn't be surprised if it came with some kind of trialware software though. In any case, Windows 7 doesn't let software autorun, so I'll format straight away. Nothing they can put up there I can't get on my own, and probably from a better source (e.g. open source vs. payware/trialware).
Flash drives really make a good gift. I bought one way back in the day (32MB or something) and found out how useless it really was. Yay, a superfloppy. But in this day and age, with the web, the floppy is not only outdated, but so is its very purpose. So you load up a flash drive with the PA.c menu and the best apps, configure the apps (e.g. put Adblock Plus and AnyColor with a good Persona in Firefox, and bookmark some helpful sites), give it as a gift, it's awesome. 1GB isn't a lot to work with, but it's enough for a student. My favorite cousin just had a baby, and is going to school, it would come in handy for her.
Has any one gotten theres yet?
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
Not yet. But as, presumably, the first one to order, I should be the first one to get mine. I will post as soon as I get it when I got it so the rest of you can gauge about when you may get yours.
I signed up for mine maybe a day before I posted? My wife got that giveaway email and asked me if I'd be interested in the flash drive. I said yes, she filled it out on my behalf then and there. I told her to forward me the email so I could share it with y'all, but I think it wasn't until the next day when I actually did it. When she gets on the computer, she can be up there for a good few hours, and email's the FIRST stop. Then Facebook, then the various Rock Band gaming leagues (one of which is named for a WWE wrestler -- John Cena, no less -- a point I make jokes about every other time I see her on their site) and other boards. So I just give up and put the TV or the Xbox on.
That's why there are several computers in my household and one is explicitly mine (touch it at your peril), hand-crafted with my own blood, sweat and tears (and more importantly, my own money)
Unlike your other half though, I find other ways of wasting my time online. Like posting to forums about portable software and such.
Mine hasn't arrived yet either, wouldn't be surprised if I get it after Christmas (or never).
I think if there are coming it would take 1-3 weeks
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
I ordered it the same day you posted this. I have not received it yet.
I did get the reply email.
I ordered both from the links here.
There have been no deliveries or additional emails.
for any one who cares, I got ant mail with a free 2 gig usb drive link http://www.freebizmag.com/emailmemory01welcome.htm
I dont know if that will work for you.
but its there if you want
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
I'm also contemplating MP3'ing my favorite Christmas music (all the classics) and sticking it on the drive. I can play the music while setting up the tree and then use it as a tree ornament when I'm done. Then I can listen to it again next year and do the same thing.
Well, I just ran across a very interesting post on the InformAction Forums, where I'm a member.
luntrus, the OP, is (IIRC) one of the Avast! antivirus developers; he's also well-known on InformAction because he has his finger on the pulse of security & security issues around the world.
He warns that flash drives could not only be loaded with malware, but could also corrupt files by falsifying the size of the flash drive!
Fortunately, there's a freeware app that neatly handles these problems; due to forum rules, I'm not posting the link here but you can get it from the linked post.
DISCLAIMER: I am not associated in any way with Avast!, luntrus, H2Testw, or its author.
Use H2Testw at your own risk; I am not responsible for anything that may happen while you use it.
"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."
Can you clarify the statement about falsify the size of the drive? I've heard of vendors on eBay selling allegedly say 4GB memory cards but they are really only 2GB, just somehow formatted to a higher capacity. Inevitably they end up breaking pretty fast since they are operating a specification they were never designed for.
Is this the type of thing you are talking about? Or actual malicious software/hardware on the flash drives that intentionally reports misinformation to the operating system with the intent of corrupting data. I've never heard of such a thing.
Maybe I'm just gonna set fire to this thing and bury the ashes in my back yard. If I ever get it that is.
yes, that's the kind of thing I'm talking about.
If I understand the scam correctly, the internal controller has been modified to report a high size - say, 2 GB or 4 GB - to the host PC. However, the flash drive only contains 1 GB or sometimes even less - one poor guy ended up with a "2 GB" drive that barely crossed 400 MB.
The intent isn't to corrupt data, IIUC, but to scam people. And, according to those articles, it's working pretty nicely.
There's no need to destroy the drive, just run that H2Testw app. It'll format the flash drive (destroying any malware, or anything else, along the way) and see what its actual size is, regardless of what size the drive claims to be.
This could be a legit offer, but I don't believe in taking chances... still, once you run H2Testw, then format the drive again (just in case), it should be a nice free bargain.
"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."
I read a thread where I saw your name, and was trying to remember where it saw it...
Luntrus or as I know him, Polonus, is not actually a dev for avast! but he does frequent the forum, is very security aware. (I've certainly learnt a lot from him ;)) He even posted that one on the avast! forum too.
To be honest though, I am slightly sceptical about this free drive thing...after all, the saying goes, you don't get something for nothing...I bet there will be some kind of software on it...hopefully not malware...
Maybe no-one wants a 1GB drive anymore...they are so cheap now, the standard is often bigger than that...
“There is a computer disease that anybody who works with computers knows about. It's a very serious disease and it interferes completely with the work. The trouble with computers is that you 'play' with them!”Richard Feynman
It's my belief that it comes with software on it to utilize the FlyingShare website. Which, from what I can tell is some kind of file-uploading service. They're obviously hoping to get you ridiculously entrenched in using their service that you'll feel you can't live without it and shell out some hard earned cash for the "pro" features or something like that.
I personally couldn't give a flying flip about it, and I'll readily use it as a Christmas tree ornament if all else fails. That's if I ever get one, for which I'm still doubtful.
Still, we've got some pretty good mileage out of this thread though.
I'm also a bit leery of this offer, which is part of the reason I haven't signed up for it. Still, with proper precautions, you can get something for nothing... (probably, like Darkbee said, they're hoping to hook you into buying a pro membership on a file-sharing site - fat chance)
huh, I could have sworn luntrus (aka polonus) was an Avast! dev. Perhaps just a super-active, really knowledgeable forum member? Anyway, his posts are excellent & informative. I always get a lot out of them...
"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."
Just use a GParted live CD (which is handy to have anyway) to format it, and you'll be free of malware, trialware, shovelware, or whatever else they put on it without risk. My guess is they want to get rid of 1GB drives and collect addresses.
I personally have a 1GB flash drive already as well as an 8GB memory stick and a PSP to act as a card reader and a 320GB WD Passport, so this offer isn't really appealing to me. If you don't mind them having your address, you can probably take the OP's idea and give it away.
Vintage!
i have so many drives that i lost track of them all (@_@)
Still haven't gotten mine. But if they waited the maximum 3 weeks they said to ship them, that would have meant it went out on the 22nd, since I posted this a day after I ordered mine. So I guess we could still get it next week.
Maybe they're just collecting addresses, I don't know. I automatically discard all junk mail anyway. I'm not buying anything that I'm solicited for in the mail because that would be rewarding a behavior I disagree with. The exception is coupons, but everybody gets the coupons regardless, that's not something they bombard you with because you signed up for something completely unrelated somewhere. And even so, I ignore their offers too, like the checks and the "limited edition" plates and knives. "Limited edition" my foot, it's like some comedian said, they say they make ten thousand pieces, well there's 1-10,000A, 1-10,000B, and so on. They make millions of them and they cost pennies to make. Four easy payments of $19.99? They're laughing at you all the way to the bank.[/rant]
I moved house, and am getting my mail forwarded. USPS doesn't forward junk mail.
Let's hope the flash drive isn't junk.
Did anyone ever get one?
i am curious too. did anyone get it yet?
I did not
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
It was just a dirty-great-big rip-off afterall and I hold Nathan personally responsible!
lets get a posse together and HUNT HIM DOWN!!!
Im with yall
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
NOO!!!
We have to get his wife... then mess up the forum layout some more with all these replies.
LOL. Right here, y'all. With my level 48 Soldier on Borderlands with my hacked submachine gun that fires 11,200 rounds at a time and doesn't use bullets... not exactly by my side, but sitting on my Xbox at home. Damn, guess he can't help me too much. Anyway, I never got mine either.
You tried to give these guys a nice tip; it wasn't your fault it was a hoax. Now they're going to ingratefully hunt you down??
I'm with you, all the way.
"The question I would like to know, is the Ultimate Question of Life, the Universe and Everything. All we know about it is that the Answer is Forty-two, which is a little aggravating."
second. Knock it off guys.
Too many lonely hearts in the real world
Too many bridges you can burn
Too many tables you can't turn
Don't wanna live my life in the real world
LOL. It's all in good fun. But the topic should probably be locked.
It was? I was being serious....
jk
"It's just an online installer. It's not going to mug you.", JTH
"The shell is the key to unlock Linux's greatest advantages."
In all fairness, you can't be ripped off if you didn't pay anything in the first place.