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Allowing 3rd party remote access to pc (not OT!)

Having just bought a replacement car, and there not being a Haynes manual available for it yet, I did a bit of Googling and found that I could buy a set of genuine VW CD-based service manuals for my car off Ebay:

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The listing stated that the manuals covered the Mk Vl Golf, but before ordering I e-mailed the seller and specifically queried whether my particular model/trim/engine package was covered by the manuals. I was assured that it was.

I bought the disks and installed them on my laptop a couple of days ago. It is clearly the pukka VW service manual program. Unfortunately, after running the program, and entering my car's details (the details of my car are available in the drop-down menus within the program's opening sequence), I cannot access any information. I get windows stating that the information is 'Not available within ElsaWin', or 'information locked - start vehicle identification'. This latter procedure clearly accesses VWs databases via the internet and has been disabled (presumably because the disks are not authorised for private use by VW!).

I have been in correspondence with the seller (Stella!) who tells me that she has entered my vehicle's details into the program on her pc and all the workshop and servicing procedures are there to view. She suggests that I must have made an error when installing the program or the data disks (there are a number of steps that have to be taken in sequence, and the whole loading procedure took the best part of an hour) and that is why I cannot get any further after entering my vehicle's details.

She is now suggesting that I allow her to access my laptop (via

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so that she can set the program up for me...

I have never permitted a remote 3rd party to access my laptop and my immediate reaction is *NO*. Is there anyone who doubts that that is not the correct response to this request?!

I have suggested to 'Stella' that I should first attempt an uninstall/reinstall of the program to see if that works. I will have to get her approval for that because after installing the program it initially only works on a temporary 30-day trial code. I have to send the temporary code to her to obtain the final code to obtain long-term access. I suspect that if I reinstall the program it will generate a new temporary code and hence will require another final code from the seller.

Reply to
Ret.
Loading thread data ...

"Ret." gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

So you understand that you're using the software in breach of the licence

- which means illegally...?

Reply to
Adrian

n.com) so that she can set the program up for me...

Logmein is a valid program ... there is no real reason not to. You will need to install the software for her to access the machine. She can then remotely control it and you can watch too. When you're done just uninstall it and she no longer has access.

JB.

Reply to
JMB

Are you sure you've installed all the disks? You need to install the program and *then* the data for the cars you need.

BTW, most (if not all) Elsawin copies from ebay are hacked and illegal :-/.

There's an official source for manuals- it's time-based, but you can print them:

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Reply to
Chris Bartram

Until I'm officially advised of that I'll just assume that I've bought them from an authorised source...

It's all sorted now. I uninstalled the program and then re-installed it - and all is working ok now. Takes up a mass of HD space however because there is all the data for every VW vehicle going back for years...

Reply to
Ret.

OK. As it happens, an uninstall and (very lengthy) re-install has done the trick. There is over 8gb of vehicle data to install into the program.

Reply to
Ret.

Yes, SFAIAA I did just that when I first installed the prog. All is now working after an uninstall and reinstall. I don't know what went wrong the first time.

;-(

I'll take a look at that. The problem with the prog I've got is that there is now a mass of data on my laptop relating to Fox, Polo, Lupo, Tiguan, Caddy, etc. etc. that I neither need nor want. I could not see how to select the required data from the cabinet files because it is not clear what each 'cabinet' contains.

Reply to
Ret.

With the BMW equivalent, you can just install the 'admin' prog and get the data from the CD as required. Slower than having it all on the HD, of course.

Reply to
Dave Plowman (News)

OK. I had little alternative but to follow the instructions that came with disks. It does seem daft that you have to load tons of data that you will never need access to.

Reply to
Ret.
[...]

If you were a VW dealer, you would need access to it...

Chris

Reply to
Chris Whelan

Typical hypocrisy, expanding on the theme it's one rule for me and ..........................

Reply to
Fredxx

You've paid real money for an illegal copy of software designed for dealerships.

Lump it.

Reply to
Douglas Payne

I didn't even realise it existed outside the VW dealer network as a legitimate program.

Reply to
The Other Mike

Oddly, the needs of people using stolen copies of software rarely ranks highly in design meetings.

Reply to
David Taylor

It's a few GB, hardly worth worrying about.

Depending on the hard drive size, storage is currently in the range of 5 to 15 pence per GB. It costs less to store data on a hard drive than buying DVD's in jewel cases

Reply to
The Other Mike

We were somewhere around Barstow, on the edge of the desert, when the drugs began to take hold. I remember "Fredxx" saying something like:

Ding. I wonder if Kev would have been so willing to turn a blind eye to someone driving a stolen car, in his active days.

Reply to
Grimly Curmudgeon

In the theme of his recent postings, perhaps he should voluntarily give up his right to vote?

Reply to
Fredxx

Anything on this Ebay page to suggest the disks are illegal?

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Reply to
Ret.

Ah, so I can take drugs as long as the dealer doesn't inform me they are illegal? Get real.

Reply to
David Taylor

"Ret." gurgled happily, sounding much like they were saying:

Anything to suggest they're not?

OK - if you think they're genuine, legal, licenced, and all above board - how much would they cost from your local VW dealer?

Reply to
Adrian

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