These rules are in place to make CompuForums a great place for everyone. If you do not agree with them, do not post here. If you are unsure about any part of these rules, then do not hesitate to contact us before you post.

Advertising Rules:
You may NOT post a link to any website you own, unless it it is a reply to a question and the page contains an article that is helpful to the person who you are replying to. However, if the web page sells a product, then you may not post it under any circumstances.
You may also never post a link to any other computer forum.
You MAY have a link to up to three websites in your signature. This must be a signature set in your user control panel, not appended to every post.
You MAY NOT have any link that is from an affiliate or referral program.
And you MAY NOT post an advertisement saying "contact me for details" rather than a link either.
Please note that the private messaging system is automatically checked for any PMs containing URLs. Any member advertising through the private messaging system will be delt with.

Specific to Computer Question Threads:
Before you post a question, be sure to use our search function to see if we have answered it before.
Make sure that you are posting in the right forum- read the forum description carefully, for example, no computer questions in the Introductions forum, and don't ask a Windows-related question in General Hardware.
Do not hijack another thread by posting your question in another person's thread. Always post your own topic if you have a problem.
Don't ask "what's best" because this question cannot be answered objectively. Everybody has their own opinion about what's best in a certain area. The best is what works best for you!
Similarly, do not post long threads with a list of components and ask us to tell you if they are good. You are building the computer, not anybody else.
Also, do not post in old threads. Generally, a thread considered old has not had a reply in over a month.

Community Spirit:
If you are here for computer help, then help others here if you know the answers to their questions. Don't just take from the community. If you are not very computer literate, then you can post in our general off-topic, non-computer forums [ http://www.compuforums.org/general/ ]. Also you can refer your friends to the site, and if you find us helpful, consider a premium membership and help contribute to the site running costs with a small fee in exchange for special privileges [ Premium Membership ]. If you, a member of the community cannot help the community, then the community cannot help you. If you however insist on only posting in relation to your own computer problems, then you will politely be asked to find help yourself if you cannot help us, which is a very easy thing to do in exchange for the time taken to research your problem and provide an effective solution for free.

Accounts:
If your username contains a URL, it will be edited. For example, if you registered as www.google.com, your username will be changed to Google. We reserve the right to change this without notice.
Multiple accounts are not allowed. Any multiple accounts created by the same user will be deleted, or every single account may be deleted/banned.
Posting illegal or adult images or text in your profile, signature or avatar is not allowed.
We do not remove any posts or accounts by request, unless they are in violation of these rules.
When you sign up to an account, you agree to receive our regular newsletters and reminders if you do not visit for over a month. You can log in monthly to stop these, or send a Data Protection Act form + removal request to us at any time so we can remove your details.

Post Content:
This is an English-language forum, so please ensure that your posts are understandable. While spelling mistakes and typos are natural, you must ensure that you only write in Standard English words – no abbreviations. Do not use ALL CAPITALS in your posts. As there may be younger people reading the messages posting here, swearing must be kept to a “PG-13” level, and software word filtering in place to ensure this. If you would like to use swear words in order to describe yourself, then please consider using asterisks instead. Any posts or images of sexual, violent or illegal nature are not tolerated, and will be removed and punished. You may not post your e-mail address, postal address, phone number, IM nickname or any other personal details on the forum. This is for your protection.

Legality:
You may not discuss ANY illegal activity at CompuForums. This includes, but is not limited to: piracy, breaking into computer networks, violation of privacy, cracking passwords, and hiding evidence, as well as links to websites that encourage such activity. As a site hosted in the United States of America and owned by a citizen of The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, any posts that may be seen as breaking a law of both of these countries will be removed on sight). All IP addresses of posters are recorded. If requested by law enforcement agencies, the IP address of the poster, which can be used to locate the poster's address, will be handed over.

Attacks on other members:
We DO NOT welcome bullying here. Any member seen as targeting another member and/or insulting them due to their point of view, nationality, race, sexuality, religion, ethnicity or physical ability will be punished. Also any behaviour seen as a deliberate attempt to invoke argument or conflict is not welcome.

Copyrighted Material:
You may not post any material that infringes on the copyright of others. In accordance with Section 512 of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act, if you are a copyright owner and you feel that a member has infringed upon your copyright, then please do not hesitate to contact us for the quick removal of your content in a reasonable amount of time.

Punishments:
For every single post that you make that breaks a rule, then your warning level is increased. The warning level is very fair and gives you many chances to rectify your behavior.
Here is a breakdown of the warning system:

For the first time you break these rules, your discipline level will reach Level 1. This warning lasts for ten days before your discipline level reaches Level 0 [no warnings or punishments].
If within ten days of your first warning your break another rule, your discipline level will reach Level 2. Your discipline level will not go back to 0 for three months.
If, after reaching level 2 you still continue to break the rules of the site, you will reach discipline Level 3, the first punishable level. You will be banned from accessing the site for 24 hours. Your discipline level will expire to zero in 6 months. If, after being punished, you break the rules again, you will be banned for 7 days. This is your last chance – if you break the rules once more in 12 months, then you will be Extradited from the forum – permanently banned.

Disclaimers
All content submitted, unless it is infringing as noted above, is immediately the copyrighted material of CompuForums.
CompuForums is not liable for any message posted here. Liability for the content of each message resides with each poster.
No guarantees or warranties are made regarding the advice and information published on this website. All information is used or mis-used at your own risk. CompuForums is not liable for any damage or loss whatsoever, including, but limited to, loss of data, death or injury, damage of equipment, or loss of profits. By connecting your computer equipment to this website, and/or registering an account here, you are hereby agreeing to these rules and disclaimers.
Premium Memberships are donations and not refundable.
We reserve the right to make modifications to these rules and terms at any time, and it is your responsibility to ensure you are up to date with them.