Ok gang. I received an innocent Chat message from one of the friends in my list a couple of days ago. Everything looked normal and it had a link to a png type image. As I get these all the time, NOT THINKING I clicked the link and opened the image. Well what I thought was an image.

As soon as I clicked the link, alarms started flashing, the computer screamed in my ear, and my AV program went nuts. I keep my systems locked pretty tight for this type of thing and I use a renown AV program.

I killed the process immediately and allowed my AV to do it's thing. Anyway, since the unfortunate incident, I've been having problems with the Steam BootStrap, It keeps failing and Steam locks up.


Is anyone else experiencing this behaviour? There was a Steam client update around the same time as my incident and I don't know if it is a bug in the new Steam Client or if something got through and my system may be infected.

AS A SAFETY PRECAUTION... If you receive an unsolicited chat message from my User ID and it is a message with some sort of PNG link that I did not personally send to you in a chat, DON'T CLICK THE LINK!!! It may be something sent by whatever is causing my bootstrap problem and be something trying to infect your system!!!

I am in the middle of a FULL and DETAILED system scan now. This message is being sent via the Steam Website interface as I don't trust the version of Steam I currently have on this laptop.


Also, be warned

I have received a couple more of these type of message, inviting me to trade. One from an [UNASSIGNED] user name and one from a username Let's Rock?! According to the User Alias info, it looks like this is the same person.

These are the messages received.

Never tell your password to anyone.
Wednesday, November 12, 2014
8:56 PM - Let's Rock?!: Hi, I want to trade with you but cant add you from my trade account

8:56 PM - Let's Rock?!: ht tp : // steam coummunitty dot com/id/ en KP OL (< I broke up this link so no one can click it, but look at the word community this is definitely a phisher address)

try to add me pls

8:56 PM - Let's Rock?!: It's simple - copy link of my profile in browser and put button "add friend". I wait you, be faster pls.
8:59 PM - Pte Jack: If trading is all you wanted, you can defriend me... I don't trade
Friday, November 14, 2014
9:43 AM - Let's Rock?!: Hi, I know you. We are familiar from the school))

9:43 AM - Let's Rock?!: ht tp : // 8b dot kz/IMG_21 1 10 2014_1 72 7 (< Again I broke this url up so no one can click on it... )

look at my photo

Just saying and be safe out there, it looks like we have a spy in our midst.

Pte Jack

Same thing. Look up the Command Line Commenad SFC /Scannow

If you've deleted system files (Windows 8) you can run a command to check your Windows system files that will validate window. You could have also turned off Windows processes required by Steam to run SFM.

Look up SFC /scannow on the internet. It will tell you how to validate Windows (XP through Windows 8.1)

Left a note on the link... (You can delete the picture if you wish, it looks like everything is set properly). I don't know why this is giving you a problem. I think we went through computer specs and your's meet requirements. It loads fine on your brother's computer, what have you got on your and running that he doesn't?

yup, Go for it... The 2 links in the discussion will take you to the Microsoft site and automatically start the downloads. Run the exe files after you save them. (It's worth a shot!!)

Looking at my system (which is a 64 bit system) I have various Visual C++ 2005 and 2008 redists installed, what they are for, I can't tell you because I don't know. But I have both x86 and x64 versions loaded.

http://imgur.com/bUfqiTL

I did find this discussion with links to the Microsoft (x86) variants. As SFM is a x86 type program, you might want to download and install the 2005 and 2008 redists, then reboot your computer and try SFM again.

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/workshop/discussions/-1/900968855658467149/?appid=1840

These are Service Pack variants...

What version of Windows are you using? XP, 7 or 8

We were taking about volumeric light in the SourceFilmmaker Discussion Group and ended up talking about enhancing the scene using fog...

The chat got pretty involved around the fog topic... check out this link

https://steamhost.cn/steamcommunity_com/app/1840/discussions/0/864960354231352492/

http://i.imgur.com/zCgX33p.jpg

Of course you know about these links...

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Category:QC_Commands

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Skybox

https://developer.valvesoftware.com/wiki/Category:Modeling

I've had a little luck lately with decompiling and recompiling models for SFM. In fact I have finally been able to decompile the Nam_Vet (Bill) from L4D 1 into SMD format.

The QCs do not have to be as complex as if you were trying to model for game. Scratch the LODs and lose the hit boxes, they aren't needed.

As for the Collision models and the phymodels. I use blender, when I export my smds, I make 1 block around the entire model for the collision model and assign it a texture, doesn't matter what the texture is because it isn't seen, for the Phymodel I put a cube around the bip_head and texture that.

Export the SMDs, keep the qc to the bare essentials, make sure that guiStudio is pointed at SFM by loading the SFM gameinfo.txt file to Orangebox, create the vmts and vtfs, throw them into a materials folder under usermode, make sure the model name and material paths are correct in the qc and compile.

Usually works like a charm.

The biggest probs I have right now are eyes and lipsync. I haven't got the flex animations down yet and they give me some problems and are a real chore to plot out in Blender.

Unfortunately, I am not much of a Hammer fan. I only go there if I absolutely have to. (Hdr for maps, quick fix every now and again, etc) I find the interface just too clunky for my liking. Oh well, guess I'll be waiting for the official release.

I ran a couple of the pyroland compatable maps in TF2 as a server, there wasn't much changed. Most noticeable changes were the ammo caches and medkits. Buildings looked pretty much normal.
Other than that, it looked pretty much like just setting up a tf_Birthdays server.