5 Star Support AUP Agreement
http://www.5starsupport.com
"Acceptable Use Policy"

General:

This Acceptable Use Policy (AUP) agreement was specifically drafted for the 5 Star Support Forums (http://www.5starsupport.com/ipboard/index.php). By using these forums you agree to be bound by these conditions and the conditions set forth in our "Terms of Use" agreement. You can find our Terms of Use that is prominently displayed on our Home Page or by clicking the following link:

5 Star Support Terms of Use

5 Star Support is dedicated to bringing a safe and enjoyable venue for computer learning to its members. The 5 Star Support Acceptable Use Policy ("AUP") prohibits activities that include, but are not limited to the Policies described below. The terms of this AUP may change at any time and without prior notice; you are responsible for informing yourself of any changes to this AUP by periodically consulting this page. Posting in the 5 Star Support forums constitutes your acceptance of this Acceptable Use Policy Agreement. User agrees that this Agreement in its entirety applies to both public and private messages.

Unauthorized access to the 5StarSupport.com Web Site is a breach of these Terms and is a violation of the law. You agree not to access our site by any means other than through the interface that is provided by 5StarSupport.com. You agree not to use any automated means, including, without limitation; agents, robots, scripts, or spiders, to access, monitor, or copy any part of our site.

Policies:

You are prohibited to use your 5 Star Support account in conducting activities that include, but are not limited to:

• Commercial activities, advertising, or any other "for-profit" ventures not specifically approved by the 5 Star Support administration.
• 5 Star Support does not condone the use of illegal software of any kind. The Staff here at 5 Star Support will not assist members found to be in possession of such software.
• Sustained promotion of any non-5 Star Support activity or venture, profit or non-profit, public or private, personal or commercial, without approval of the 5 Star Support administration.
• Creating, displaying, or transmitting threatening, racist, sexist, or harassing language and/or materials.
• Creating, displaying, transmitting, or obtaining obscene or pornographic materials or any form of content which violates state and/or federal statutes and/or local standards of decency.
• Copyright and licensing violations including, but not limited to, providing or obtaining illegal copies of software or digital media (movies, videos, music, etc.) for which legal permission to distribute or possess has not been granted.
• Vandalism or mischief intended to incapacitate, compromise, or destroy 5 Star Support or other facilities, resources, or services.
• Forgery or attempted forgery of electronic mail or posts to electronic forums or any other act of deceptive labeling of the originator of an electronic communication.
• Obtaining goods, services, or funds of any form via electronic means by using the name and/or credentials of another person or entity without their consent and knowledge.
• Deliberately sending un-welcomed or off-topic messages to an individual or discussion forum. This includes continuing to send such messages after being asked by the individual or forum's owner/moderator to stop doing so even though the originator does not consider the material offensive or inappropriate.
• Transmitting unreasonable quantities of data or messages to persons or groups without their consent or request.
• Spamming or transmitting unsolicited material to a large number of individual persons and/or discussion lists, newsgroups, or other forums even though the material itself may not otherwise violate these guidelines.
• Being a continued impediment to other users through mass consumption of computing or network resources after receipt of a request to cease such activity, even if the activity is not otherwise disallowed.
• Transmitting without permission private information such as grades, medical records, financial data, or any other information that is protected by the Public Records Law or by legislation such as HIPAA, FERPA, etc.
• Attempts to compromise computer and/or network security measures or providing information/instructions for how to do so.
• Unauthorized, deliberate action which damages or disrupts a computing system or network, alters its normal performance, or causes it to malfunction. This includes intentional attempts to "crash" network systems or programs.
• Attempts to gain unauthorized access to 5 Star Support.
• Sharing of secure access credentials, such as passwords or private keys.
• Attempts to guess, capture, "hack", or decrypt the secure access credentials of other users.
• Attempts to possess, decrypt, or distribute data to which access has not been authorized.
• Attempts to elevate system privileges or access without consent.
• Unauthorized access of internal or external services through the use of stolen, guessed, hacked, copied, or discovered secure access credentials or other private data obtained without consent.
• The willful or negligent introduction of computer "viruses" or other disruptive/destructive programs into the 5 Star Support network or into external networks.
• Posting links to similar tech sites in replies to topic or new topics shall not be permitted unless the link is being used as a resource for the issue(s) at hand. However, links in signatures are allowed once a member has reached 50 posts. They should not be intrusive, misleading or enticing and are subject to Administration approval.
• Links to any sites of an adult nature are not permitted. Banner links are not permitted on the forums at any time. Members that continually post such items will be considered to be a "Spammer" and the account may be permanently terminated without notice.
• Advertisement links that are used for profit will not be allowed unless pre-approved by 5 Star Support Administration.
• Links to sites advertising products will not be allowed unless it is in relation to the topic in discussion. All other advertisement links are subject to Moderator/Admin approval.
• All links are subject to Administration approval and can be deleted from the members account without notice.

Possible Actions Taken for Violation:

It is important to understand that while 5 Star Support is privately operated, its administrative team and key members are made up of extremely capable individuals. This is said to serve as a warning - we like having fun and sharing information about computers - do not access this site for the purpose of committing any prohibited activities outlined in the "Policies" section of this AUP. In most cases, violations will merely be edited or deleted. 5 Star Support may, in its sole discretion, with or without notice, suspend or terminate your use of this Site and remove or discard any Content on the Site, for any reason and without limitation if you violate these Policies. 5 Star Support may also bar you from any future access to the Site.

Repeat violators, or illegal actions, will be reported to your Service Provider or Network Administrator. Which may lead to the notification of the law enforcement organization that would support your physical location. This action may lead to criminal prosecution and/or suit for damages.

We understand that everyone makes mistakes, and we never turn anyone away or disallow access for merely making mistakes. However, for those who choose to not abide by the 5 Star Support AUP and agree to its terms, we will disallow your access and ask that you do not return. It cannot be emphasized enough, abide by these simple guidelines - or do not use the 5 Star Support Forums.

Property:

All content submitted to the 5 Star Support Forums are posted on the site for the benefit of its members and visitors. While 5 Star Support does not claim ownership of user-contributed content, we reserve the right to request and/or claim copyright protection of certain types of content when applicable.

User-Contributed Content does not represent the opinion of 5 Star Support. 5 Star Support holds no liability or supports no warranty towards the type, amount, content, or definition of any user-contributed content. This waiver also extends to whatever content that may be considered private or proprietary. In other words, the user is responsible for the information contributed, posted, or submitted. Any content submitted by the user may be used by 5 Star Support for any purpose it deems necessary.

Liability:

5 Star Support has no practical ability to restrict all conduct, communications, or content that might violate this Policy prior to its transmission on its server. Also 5 Star Support cannot ensure the prompt removal of any such communications or content after transmission or posting. Accordingly, 5 Star Support does not assume any liability to visitors and members for any failure to enforce the terms of this Policy.

Under no circumstances will 5 Star Support be liable for any consequence relating directly or indirectly to any action or inaction you take based on the information, services or other material on the Site. While 5 Star Support will attempt to keep its Site current, accurate, and complete, 5 Star Support and its content suppliers cannot guarantee, and will not be responsible for any damage or loss related to the timeliness, accuracy, or completeness of the information, services, or other material on the Site. All information is "as is" and without any warranty of any kind.

Internet Sites:

The Site may provide, or third parties may provide, links to other Internet sites. 5 Star Support has no control over such sites; 5 Star Support does not endorse, and is not responsible for, any such sites or the information, material, products or services contained on or accessible through those sites. You acknowledge that 5 Star Support shall not be responsible or liable, directly or indirectly, for any damage or loss caused or alleged to be caused by or in connection with use of or reliance upon any such information, material, products, or services. 

Unauthorized Software and Utilities:

Anyone found to be providing or obtaining illegal copies of software or digital media is removed from 5 Star Support forums immediately, however, from time to time well meaning members will post offers of drivers and other utilities in an attempt to assist people who are in a jam.

We have to make it clear that we are in no way associated with these offers. We have not tested them and we do not recommend their use.

Whilst we are sure that the vast majority of our members are honest and genuinely trying to help, there are unfortunately a small minority who are out to cause mischief by supplying files containing Trojans or Virii. If you accept any of these files from another member please be aware that you do so at your own risk.

General posting rules and tips: 

Please try to do some basic research before posting. 
Most fundamental questions are answered at the FAQ area on the main site. You can locate the FAQ area by clicking the Troubleshooting FAQ drop down menu which is located in the navigation structure to the left of any web page on 5 Star Support.

Please do not contact an Administrator or Moderator directly for help via email or using the Private Message system. It is important to everyone's learning that all questions be posted in the proper forum.

Do not post the same topic on several forums. 
Please do not cross post, once is enough. 

Please do not to "bump" your topic. 
Replying to your own topic to get it to the top is annoying. Try to have some patience, this is a bulletin board, not IRC. In most cases, your query will be answered quickly. But, it may take some time (e.g., one or two days) before someone can answer your query. 

Do not hijack topics. 
Please try to stick to the author's first post in each topic, if you want to discuss something else, create a new topic. 

Try to choose a subject that describes your topic. 
Please do not use topic subjects like: "Help me!!" or: "Problems".