WHAT ARE BOOT CODES? WHAT IS BOOTING, ANYWAY?
AND HOW DO I PREVENT MYSELF FROM BEING BOOTED?

Whew! Three questions in a row!  Ok, let's get to the meat of the discussion.

What are boot codes?  What is booting, anyway?

Simply put, boot codes are pieces of HTML tags (What is HTML? It stands for Hyper Text Markup Language -- don't ask me for details you have to do some research on your own).  If you haven't seen what an HTML tag looks like, click View > Source in Internet Explorer to see the "source code" of this page.  HTML tags are those enclosed with angle brackets.  Here's a piece of HTML with tags:

<a href="#what_is_booting">What are boot codes?&nbsp; What is booting, anyway?</a><br>

For example, ever wondered how other users (or even you!) are able to display text posts in the room in different fonts, sizes and colors?  Well, there you have it.  Yahoo! Messenger uses tags to display text on your chat screen in the font, size, and color the other chatter uses.

The problem is, there is an exploit when it comes to using HTML tags, especially in the chat room.  A combination of tags (there are many of them) are used by a booter to flood (or spam) the room and send you to limbo land.  The chat client can't handle it, thus it crashes.  That's why you get a YPAGER error.  In other words, you have been booted.  Why do people do these? Simple... they just want to annoy you.

So does that mean HTML tags are evil?  Of course not!   If it weren't for HTML, you won't see this page with all the formatting, colors, links and pictures.  The one who is using them (or mis-using, rather) is giving those tags a bad rap.

How do I prevent myself from being booted?

You have several options:

• Avoid "hot" rooms -- that is, stay away from rooms where booters usually run their scripts.

• Use Chat 2.0 or Java Chat instead of Yahoo! Messenger.  The web-based chat client of Yahoo! is more resistant to booting as compared to Yahoo! Messenger.  The only problem with the web version of Yahoo! Chat is the lack of bells and whistles Yahoo! Messenger has, like voice in PM and the ability to send and receive files to and from your friends, although this restriction is pretty easy to solve (see below for more details).

• Download a third-party chat client that doesn't have any of the weaknesses of Yahoo! Messenger, or an anti-booter that integrates with Yahoo! Messenger.  There are quite a selection out there, and it's hard to recommend which is the best... each has it's own pros and cons.  Ask for the opinions of the regulars of the Yahoo! Chat Help rooms.

Easy way to stop getting booted while enjoying the benefits of Yahoo! Messenger

Here's a practical and easy example of how you can prevent boots.  You don't have to download an anti-booter or a third-party chat client.  All you need is Yahoo! Messenger and either Chat 2.0 or Java.

The secret here is you have to maintain two separate Yahoo! accounts.  Use one account exclusively for chat room purposes and the other account exclusively for PMs, voice in PM, and file sends with those in your buddy list.  (Note that I specifically said "accounts" and NOT "aliases" -- these two terms are totally different, and using an alias in lieu of a separate account is practically worthless since it defeats the main purpose of not getting booted.) 

So, how do you set it up?  The first thing you do is sign-up for another Yahoo! Account.  Depending on your preference, you can use the new account as your chat room ID while maintaining your old ID where you keep your buddy list.  You can also do it the other way around, the new account will hold your buddy list while you use your old ID for chat room purposes.  Of course, using this method means you have to tell your friends of the change and add their IDs in your new account, which is rather tedious compared to using the new account as your chat room ID. 

Assuming that you already set things up, all you have to do is follow these two simple steps:

1. Start Yahoo! Messenger and log-in using the ID where you maintain your buddy list.  Once you are logged-in, DO NOT enter the chat room using this ID.  Just leave it running in the background or minimize it, so it doesn't clutter your desktop.

2. Click here to open up the sign-in page of Yahoo!'s web-based chat client [http://chat.yahoo.com] and log-in using your chat room ID (the other account that you were supposed to create).  Once you are logged in, choose either Chat 2.0 or Java and enter the usual room you go into.

Once you are comfortable with this setup, just tell your friends that the visible ID they see in the user list is used exclusively for chatroom posts and chat room voice, and that they should PM you through your "invisible" ID.  And since your Yahoo! Messenger ID is not seen in the chat room by the user list, the booter does not know it, hence, Yahoo! Messenger is virtually unbootable -- literally.  Even if the booter tries to boot you through the visible ID in the user list, you're still safe since Chat 2.0 and Java Chat are more resistant to booting.  So, you can now sit back, relax, and laugh at the booter.

A nice "side-effect" of this setup is you can screen any new friends you meet in chat.  Since they only know your visible ID, you can decide later on if you want to add them to your invisible ID.  Another one is if you have a full-duplex sound card, you can hear what's going on in chat room voice and at the same time have voice in a PM box.  Of course, for those of you who are stuck with a half-duplex card, you have to disable voice in the room before enabling it in a PM box and vice-versa.

Basically, that's all there is to it! Enjoy

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