Glad the link helped, torquebar. For future reference, that link and many more were from searching the message you posted, 'Establishing connection to PulseAudio. Please wait...' (without quotes). And searching 'linux Xonar-STX-III' may resolve the sound card problem. Eg: this was the first of many hits from the Xonar search: https://forum.level1techs.com/t/solved- … ntu/135742 

Unless it's cutting-edge-new hardware or software, it's kinda rare to find a Linux problem others haven't found, and resolved.

Good luck.

This help?

https://www.antixforum.com/forums/topic … nt-launch/

Maybe one of several deb versions of libavformat58 at pkgs.org works?

I agree and think it's the best answer. It's a personal thing. Suggestion: burn an iso (Xfce, MATE, Cinnamon) to a USB stick and boot to ram. Booting to ram gives an installed responsiveness. Try each of them for a few days to get a feel for the desktop's apps, options and creature comforts. Sooner or later you'll know which desktop to install.

A quick search for PUA.Win.Trojan.Xored-1 in quotes finds this, posted years ago: https://askubuntu.com/questions/1006237 … ns#1006252

Clamav identifies them as Win exploits and trojans. As @chris2be8 noted, it means they need a Win filesystem to run, and are incompatible with any Linux filesystem.

@aluma's suggestion is one way to deal with it. Another is a small script to delete stored data inside the directories in ~/.cache/mozilla/firefox/xxxxxx.default-esr/ or wherever they're stored.

The text for xserver-xorg-video-all: "It does not provide any drivers itself, an may be removed if you wish to only have certain drivers installed."

Purging the video-all pkg may screw up a dependency or three but can probably be resolved. I don't have a formal DE or any xorg meta-pkgs. Xserver-xorg-core, its dependencies, xserver-xorg-input-evdev/kbd/mouse and a video driver run this screen.

Welcome. Got a 2014 i3 with 2 cores/4 threads, 4GB RAM and can easily run any Devuan environment. Try 'em out and pick the one that feels right for you.

Looks like Novacustom sells only laptops. While I prefer a desktop, they've got great reviews and are worth considering. Still reading about nitrokeys. System76 has great reviews, too, with desktops and a mini with good spec options.

Saw Arkenfox's about-config settings: arkenfox.github.io/gui and recalled Ghack's and other's recommended settings. Have edited them by hand but many/most edits don't survive upgades. Using node.js would help.

The local computer shop only works with Windows, no coreboot help there. Found some mobos sold with libreboot and the Amibios site has an option for open source firmware. Hafta check first but either might be a way to go. The mobo/cpu are 8 yrs old and although they work great, your timing is appropriate.

Thanks, zapper.

@GlennW

You're welcome, Glenn. WinXP days, with Netscape, Winamp, Zonealarm and stopping by grc to read and learn. Ever use BlackViper's site to configure services?

Haven't seen it here but I'll keep an eye out. Did you find that from grc's All Ports test, another site's test or local?

That's good news. Hard to tell initially... sometimes it's easy and sometimes it's anything but.

You might try LibRedirect when at FB. It's a FF addon that redirects the connection to youtube and most social sites through privacy friendly frontends.

I used to use LibRedirect to watch/download youtube videos with youtube and googlevideo disabled in NoScript. Since youtube began splitting audio from video I had to download them separately. Used ffmpeg to join the m4a and mp4 but it became tedious. Started using sites like youtube4kdownloader_com and 9convert_com/en404 to download a video with audio.

Thanks for starting this thread, Glenn.

Great thread. Got me curious so I looked up 'hacked bios' and in the list of alternate searches was 'hacked bios download.' A number of sites have tools (for good or ill) to hack/edit most any bios.

Among many similar, null-byte.wonderhowto_com had these articles:

Found a 2015 'BIOS Hacking' article at Schneier:

https://www.schneier.com/blog/archives/ … cking.html

I've tested ports at grc_com going back to WinXP days. Good site for learning although it's mainly for Windows. A recent test on Common Ports with NoScript set to 'Trusted' for grc:

Did a test at youtube. Ran macchanger and restarted the router for a new IP, and found youtube's 'suggestions' were the same videos I'd watched the day before, despite watching a completely unrelated video. Next day, after macchanger and router, I booted TinyCore from a USB. Although watching a video unrelated to those I'd previously watched, youtube's 'suggestions' were what I'd watched both previous days.

Seems youtube's had my MAC address, stats and profile for as long as I've had this hardware. Google's everywhere and can likely identify public facing hardware no matter what security is used. I assume the other major and social networks can do the same.

While talking with neighbors when Facebook first became a hot site, I mentioned to one I wasn't interested in joining Facebook. When she said she'd never emailed me about joining I rechecked her email. Facebook was stealing members' contact lists and sending invites to contacts in the member's name. Dunno if they still do it but I've stayed away from social networks since then. When I vounteered I suggested members change their Facebook's registered email to another email with no contacts, and not use FB's in-house mail.

Got two versions of Devuan, each on a SSD, and keep personal stuff and backups on two parked HDDs. FF is for general and Waterfox for email, with NoScript, PrivactBadger, a few 'about' page tweaks and no stored passwds. I try to keep apps/services/firmware which listen to a minimum, or block when possible. Eg: iucode-tool firmware is not installed as a tiny OS inside Intel CPUs uses it to 'phone home.' Also keep ~50 default modules blacklisted.

Guess it's a balance between security and what's comfortable to maintain. It's feeling like I'm doing something yet knowing nothing I do can prevent a seriously targeted attack.

Appreciate all the tips and ideas.

That may be the problem. I did the same from one OS to another. Resolved it when I set the copied .mozilla directory to old and started fresh.

You're very welcome. And thank you for the link... she's a gem of information!

Freespoke is very good. Been using it for a month or so and it finds stuff others don't. Also, LibRedirect is a useful extension: https://libredirect.github.io/

In the video below, Max Igan tells pretty much the same story as Catherine Austin Fitts. Fitts' strength is financial whereas Igan's is highlighting specific events with common sense.

Holodomor 2.0 The Rebirth of Bolshevism
July 6, 2022
1:16:30
https://odysee.com/@thecrowhouse:2/Holo … lshevism:c

Thankfully, Dr. Reiner Fuellmich has actually been doing something about what's going on:

Gates, Fauci, and Daszak charged with Genocide in Court Filing
Dec 20, 2021
https://www.thedesertreview.com/opinion … 063ed.html

He got shot down by 'legalities' in several countries and is now beginning another suit in New Zealand:

Dr. Reiner Fuellmich: Breaking! Crimes Against Humanity Trials Begin! (Video)
June 3, 2023
37:24
https://zeeemedia.com/interview/dr-rein … w-zealand/

No surprise Fitts's damning reports, Fuellmich's suits, Igan's highlights and many others have been ignored by MSM. Maybe AI has had those 'fact check' algorithms in searches for years?