Ok. Here are some simple rules to avoid ever being accidentaly kicked/banned by punkbuster. Everyone read them, cause from now, you cant claim ignorance in the point. Getting kicked by cheating files in your q3 will mean YOU CHEAT!

Situation I

So you want to try out a cheat.

Heres how:

Copy your entire quake to another folder. Make sure its somewhere far far away as to never accidentaly run that infected quake instead of your normal quake. Never make shortcuts to the infected quake. Hell, youll only need it once anyway. Now go to your original quake and make it entirely read only. Hell while you are at it, if you know how, make it also hidden and system. Then make another backup of quake. put it in a zip, and password the zip. Now nothing can touch that, and you have one copy of quake to fall back to if you screw up the rest.

Install the cheat into the copied quake directory (not the original quake or the passworded zip file). Check several times if it is the right copy of quake you are putting it in. If you accidentaly still put it in your real quake, DELETE ALL FILES! Hell, if you want to be extra sure, format the partition it is on. (just remember to have the backup copy zip somewhere else)

Test the cheat, THEN DELETE THE INFECTED QUAKE. Make sure it is completely gone, then restore your original quake. Just in case, keep the zip arround.

Same goes if you are testing cheats for the purpose of catching cheaters. No reason to have crap happen to you. Its just 2 minutes to make another copy of quake to infect, and its YEARS to clean your name after you get busted.

Every time you are done, DELETE THE INFECTED QUAKE. Thats right, for each cheat, make sure its another copy of quake. Hell, that will help you in being sure its THAT actual cheat you are testing.

Situation II

So you share a computer with someone else.

Well its really tough now, but you can still keep your quake clean.

Here's how:

Windows XP has an option to make some folders private. Use it on your quake, and give the other users their own quake copies. Quake is not big, and im sure youd rather have one DivX movie less on your comp and avoid being permanently banned, than the other way arround. If its the other way arround, then you are a complete idiot and we dont want you here anyway. Go die in a corner.

You can use Windows Help Center, Google or even ask people how to make a folder private. Also, you can make your copy of quake in a zip, password the zip, then delete your quake before playing, and restore it from the safe zip everytime. A small price to pay for avoiding any inconvinience. Of course, if you use anothers computer, ask him to allow you to do the same. If he doesnt, dont play on that computer.

On linux, its even easier to make your files private. Fell free to ask how, im sure people will help you.

Apendix I:

How to make your passwords foolproof:

I mentioned passwords up there. Heres how to make an virtualy unbreakable password. Make a segment of letters(regular and capital), signs and numbers that is 16 characters long. for example: a5Gx!Kji7l12Vhj!

Now break it into 4 character groups. Example: a5Gx-!Kji-7l12-Vhj!

Write down a big 26 by 26 table (26 rows, 26 colums). Mark them with letters from A to Z. Now put you four 4-letter combinations in 4 different cells in that table. Remember their locations in the exact order, row first column second. For example: a5Gx is placed in ZB, !Kji is placed in BD, 7l12 is placed in JG, and Vhj! is placed in SF. You have to memorize ZBBDJGSF.

Now break that down on two groups. Example: ZBBD-JGSF

Make another table that is 10 by 10 (10 rows, 10 columns). Label them with numerals from 0 - 9.

Now place those two groups into two cells. Example: You place ZBBD in 56 and JGSF in 72. You memorize 5672.

There you go, you just have a 16 character, virtualy unbreakable password, and you have to remember only 4 numbers. Even an idiot can do that (bank cards have 4 number pins for example), so now you have no excuse that someone broke your password and infected your zipped safe copy. If, somebody goes through the true hacking process of breaking the password, then just consider your self completely unlucky. We dont need unlucky people here, so go die in a corner. And while you are at it, take vengance on the guy who broke your password.

Apendix II

If you want to spread the word about this put this in your sig:

[code:1]- Click here for a complete guide to avoid being false accused of cheating. Please read, ignorance is no excusse. -[/code:1]

Apendix III

Please spread the word about this on servers too. You can use this bind:

bind x "say Check forums.excessiveplus.net, under Server Setup, to see what not to do if you want to avoid being caught by PB."
________________________________________________________

There you go, the complete guide how to avoid being falsely accused of cheating, or accidentaly kicked by pb. Can i get this as a sticky, announcement? Also, make sure you point everyone here to read it. I will also put it in my sig, all who want can do the same.

Bottom line: NOW NOONE CAN CLAIM THEY DIDNT CHEAT IF PB SAYS OTHERWISE.

Thank you for reading.