I noticed that those 'security systems' are usually nothing more than a few Internet explorer tweaks. So, i thought of a way to defeat them, what quite succeeded because I've seen quite a lot of those systems and till today I managed to get around them.
Usually those systems are nothing more a maximized (full screen) Internet Explorer page, with Info on it about the rates or something else. What you first might want to know are the basic shortcuts for IE e.g.
F1 = Internet Explorer help !!
Shift + Click = Open link in new page
Ctrl + h = history
Attempt 1.
a lot of the times F1 wil just do fine. After pressing f1, click around untill you get into the internet options page. The go to 'connections' and see if there's a proxy specified (somewhere in LAN settings), if that's the case, just check out that option and you're done.
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A proxy-connection is something like this.
Your computer -> proxy server -> webserver
And here's a standard connection (simplified)
Your computer -> webserver
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If you request a webpage through a proxy, you tell the proxy to fetch you that page and send it to you (something like a shield). That way, the proxy can decide to get the page for you or not. If you don't pay up, the proxy won't let you through, that's it.
This scenario is quite common, but of course, somtimes the 'Internet Options' are locked up, so you can't reach them.
MAKE SURE TO SET THE PROXY TO ACTIVE AGAIN AFTER YOU ARE DONE
Attempt 2.
Remember the new window short cut? Wel.... Use it. After you get a new window, go to 'view' -> 'explorer bar' and then something like 'folders' or something (I'm not very sure because I have the Dutch version of Windows XP).
Anyway, you'll see a bar on your left, with a standard 'Your Computer' structure with folders , drives and stuff. Then get to the 'desktop' folder. Check the 'file' menu again , you'll notice the standard things you'll see when you right-click on your desktop.
Make a new shortcut to command.com OR c:\windows\system32\cmd.exe, these are executables for MS-DOS (Oohh blessed that good old dos). Run it and you'll see a dos prompt. Now do type the following:
- ftp
- o
- ftp.mozilla.org
- login with anonymous (password = an email adress
just make it up)- lcd c: (make sure you fill in a directory you can write to c:, or c:\temp , whatever)
- get "pub/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/1.0/win32/en-US/Firefox 1.0.zip"
- close
- exit
this will download the browser firefox onto the computer, as some of you might know, this is a opensource browser. Because firefox doesn't require an install and doesn't copy Internet Explorers Proxy settings, just unpack it and run it. Easy as that. (of course any other NOT M$ depending browser will do Opera, Netscape etc etc)
MAKE SURE YOU DELETE THE BROWSER(S) AFTER YOU'RE DONE
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I was planning to reveal 3 tricks, but it's getting late now....
But before I quit, here's some of my experience with those pay-systems (systems I managed to get free internet access on)
- Computers at local libraries, 4 times, (they changed it three times) + some other libaries makes 6
- Computers at airport and subway stations in Hong Kong
- Computers at hotel in Paris.
The main reason why i do it is just because of the fun. I see those things as a puzzle that must be solved.
Of course, why would you want to know this. I don't know. Maybe it will be usefull to you. Or just use it to impress your friends
NOTE : If you want to try these things, I'm not responsible if you get busted by an old library lady
NOTE 1,5 : Above things work about 80% of the time. The other 20% is possible too.
NOTE 2 : These things CAN'T be considered hacking, IT'S NOT. It's just a little playing with the settings.
and they don't mind too. But i don't think i should tell them that i can print for free too (A) 
