billionlaughs, on me :-(( - on winXP help!

[Fredrik Lundh]

jmdeschamps at gmail.com wrote:

> Looking up different blogs etc on xml parsers I wind up on the site of
> Computer stuff, www.razorvine.net.
> And in the browser torture section, the billionlaughs.xml link (that
> you shouldn't use if you don't know what your doing, as was my case
> (mea culpa))
> Thinking I was about to crash the browser, I look up the web for
> assorted advice and find nothing except a post about the *killer xml
> file*...
> So hereb goes nothing... click, hang, reboot, hangs, (mouse pointer
> moves, that's it folks) the disk spins occasionally, the vents go up
> mad, I guess the CPU is working - have know idea on what.

the billion laughs attack is a carefully constructed XML file that takes 
requires an immense number of CPU cycles to parse...

> I'm able to boot in safe mode but don't know what to do next?

reboot as usual, and the next time you see a link that says "do NOT 
click if you don't know what you're doing", don't click on it.

</F>