C&T: Rules and Guidelines - Updated (5/11/11)

[The Admin]

Computers & Technology Forum Rules and Guidelines

Welcome to the Computers & Technology forum! Computers & Technology (C&T) is intended for technical help-based threads. Feel free to ask for help regarding computers, programming, music players, and other various technology.


Other important stickies!
Done to death topic list! (Must read!)
Virus, Trojan, Spyware removal guide


Commonly Misplaced Threads
The following types of threads are commonly misplaced:

• Questions About Gaia Features
  - Please use the Questions & Assistance forum instead.
  
  
• Video Game Discussion
  - Please use the Video Game Discussion forum instead.
  
  
• Discussions of a Technical Nature
  - Please use the C&T Tech Talk forum instead.
  
  
• Discussions of a Scientific Nature
  - Please use the Science & Technology forum instead.

[The Admin]

Computers & Technology Forum Etiquette

Here are some helpful tips for your stay at the C&T forum.
Please keep these in mind and refer to them regularly!

• Ask a Smart Question! When making your topic you should include:
  
  • A clear title summarizing the problem. Avoid vague titles such as "HALP! Computer problem!!"
    
  • A clear and detailed description of the problem and any symptoms your experiencing e.g.programs running slow, crashes, freezes etc.
    
  • All error messages
    
  • When the problem first occurred and how long it has been an issue.
    
  • The exact name of any faulty equipment e.g. "HP Officejet Pro K8600 Printer"
    
  • The operating system you are running and your computer specifications if you know them.
  
  
• Do not flame other users.
  - Not all people have the same level of technological proficiency. Do not flame or belittle somebody for their level of skill or lack thereof.
  
  
• Do not post harmful or misleading suggestions or answers.
  - No jokes here. Posting malicious or harmful advice is unacceptable in any form and will not be tolerated.
  
  
• Do not offer gold (or other things) as a reward for our help.
  - We help because we enjoy doing so!
  
  
• Do not post anything on the "Done to Death FAQ"
  - These threads have been covered time and time again, any topics on the done to death list will be removed.
  
  
• Do not ask for somebody to PM or IM you.
  - There is no need to bring a users questions to private messages when you can respond in the thread by keeping your messages in the forum you can get responses quicker and from more people.
  
  
• Do not post about ROMs.
  - Simply put, ROMs are illegal.
  
  
• Do not ask how to bypass a systems security
  - Methods of circumventing security settings or protection without authorization, such as bypassing school web filters, hacking or cracking are also illegal.
  
  
• Do not bump.
  - The C&T forum is slow. Please wait until your thread falls off of the first two pages to bump it.
  
  
• Do not bring a thread back from the dead.
  - Posting in threads that haven't been replied to in a long time is known as necroing.
  If a thread hasn't been responded to in over a week the original poster has clearly gone or the issue is resolved so there is no need to try and assist them further.
  
  
• Help NOT convert.
  - Please do not suggest other operating systems or software as a fix for a users problem. This is not a solution to their problem and will be treated as spam.
  
  Billy: There's a bruise on my banana!
  Tux: You should try oranges, they can't get bruised!
  
  As you can see here in this example while Tux's point about oranges was a valid one it isn't relevant to fixing Billy's banana.
  
  
• Do not reply to a thread or post that you've reported.
  - Once it's been reported, leave the post or thread be, and it will be handled by a moderator. Posting to alert users that they have been reported is spam and you will receive a warning.
  
  
• Do not reply to flamers/trolls
  - Replying to rule breaking users is giving them undeserved attention, ignore the user and report them immediately a moderator will then deal with the situation.
  
  
• Do not ask us to do your homework
  - C&T is not a homework resource and will not do your homework for you. If you want help with rounding an idea out you can ask. But no one can do your homework for you. All threads asking to have their homework done for them will be deleted as spam. In addition doing your homework for gold is considered Off-Site Trading and this is a bannable offense.

[The Admin]

How to Report

Abuse of the report system will result in a warning or ban of your account.

Report a Post

Use the Report Post link when an individual post in a topic contains inappropriate content.

Reasons to Report a Post:


• The content of the post violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The content of the post is off-topic.
  
  
• The member who made the post has a signature which violates the rules.

Report a Topic

Use the Report This Topic link located next to the "Reply", "Share" and "Subscribe" buttons.

Reasons to Report a Topic:


• The topic violates the Terms of Service or forum rules.
  
  
• The topic is in the wrong forum and should be moved to a more appropriate forum.

If you need to contact a moderator via Private Message, please use the "View Forum Moderator" link at the top of this forum to find a moderator.



Report Hacking, Scamming or Abuse & Harassment?

The Hacking, Scamming and Abuse or Harassment report forms can be found at the bottom of the forum index. When submitting a report, ensure that you fill out all fields and include as much relevant information as possible.

Report A Hacking
Use this form to report a Hacking. Hacking, on Gaia Online, refers to the unauthorized access of an account by someone other than the account owner. In most typical hacking cases, an unauthorized person enters an account which does not belong to him or her and takes items or gold from the account, often changing the account information so that the original owner can no longer access his or her account.

Report A Scamming
Use this form to report a Scamming. Scamming is when another member of Gaia takes your gold or items, or tries to take your gold or items, by making false promises of giving you rare items, get-rich-quick schemes, or by any other deceptive means. Scamming generally involves a situation in which two members of Gaia make an arrangement to trade gold, items, or a Gaia approved service (e.g. avatar art commission) with each other and then one of the parties involved in the arrangement fails to live up to his or her promise of an exchange.

Report Abuse or Harassment
Use this form to report ongoing Abuse or Harassment. If you are reporting harassment or abuse that is occurring directly in a thread, please use the "Report This Post" button instead.