6 ms·

In the early days of windows, many computer stores would have windows running on various pc's with little or not security, so it was very quick and easy to edit

In the early days of windows, many computer stores would have windows running on various pc's with little or not security, so it was very quick and easy to edit the win.ini "run=win.exe" line to just "run=". As soon as the computer was rebooted, it messed up and unless you knew how simple it was to restore windows, it would force the shop into reinstalling windows again.

folkrav 5y ago
I worked in a Canadian electronics store chain about a decade ago, the demo laptops were just pulled out of the box and setup without password most of the time, depending on who set it up. There was no particular security other than a Kensington lock and them being physically close to the registers.
digitallyfree 5y ago
The early days? Even today I see many demo machines setup with a default account and full admin rights, and kids mess with them all the time.
- pjerem 5y ago
  Ah ! I’m proud of our kids. I will be sad when this will not be possible anymore because the devices became too closed.
asdff 5y ago
For a time, you could have jailbroken your iphone by visiting a website in safari, no computer or any sort of wired connection needed. You'd go to the apple store and some kid would have gotten cydia installed on all the demo iphones already
- emptyparadise 5y ago
  Hah, they used to have a DNS filter for Jailbreak Me at the Apple Stores.
ryandrake 5y ago
Back in the late 80s/early 90s, my bored teenage friends and I would cook up floppy disks for the unprotected computers at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. that contained "special" payloads. Usually just "graphics/sound demos". Sometimes silly, sometimes lewd, always funny (for us, not for the stores). They were made to survive reboots, since the practice of re-imaging floor model demo computers had not taken hold yet. As far as I can recall, nobody was injured during these juvenile pranks.

folkrav 5y ago

I worked in a Canadian electronics store chain about a decade ago, the demo laptops were just pulled out of the box and setup without password most of the time, depending on who set it up. There was no particular security other than a Kensington lock and them being physically close to the registers.

digitallyfree 5y ago

The early days? Even today I see many demo machines setup with a default account and full admin rights, and kids mess with them all the time.

pjerem 5y ago
Ah ! I’m proud of our kids. I will be sad when this will not be possible anymore because the devices became too closed.

asdff 5y ago

For a time, you could have jailbroken your iphone by visiting a website in safari, no computer or any sort of wired connection needed. You'd go to the apple store and some kid would have gotten cydia installed on all the demo iphones already

emptyparadise 5y ago
Hah, they used to have a DNS filter for Jailbreak Me at the Apple Stores.

ryandrake 5y ago

Back in the late 80s/early 90s, my bored teenage friends and I would cook up floppy disks for the unprotected computers at Circuit City, Best Buy, etc. that contained "special" payloads. Usually just "graphics/sound demos". Sometimes silly, sometimes lewd, always funny (for us, not for the stores). They were made to survive reboots, since the practice of re-imaging floor model demo computers had not taken hold yet. As far as I can recall, nobody was injured during these juvenile pranks.