
How to download a web browser without any web browser - FranzSunder
Some days ago I found an old computer and wanted to download some software but I realized there were no web browsers installed. In addition, this computer has only one working USB port, so I cannot insert devices without disconnecting the keyword. How can I solve this situation?
======
daveloyall
[https://duckduckgo.com/?q=http+via+telnet](https://duckduckgo.com/?q=http+via+telnet)

;)

Reasons this won't work:

* Browser installers generally live on https.

 _So, we 'll cheat!_

    
    
        scp ChromeSetup.exe mywebhost.besttldever:/var/www/html
    

* Telnet displays the server's response on screen. .exe files are binary.

I searched a bit and didn't find an obvious way to get the httpd to use some
sort of 7-bit encoding.

 _So, we 'll cheat!_

    
    
        $ base64 ChromeSetup.exe > ChromeSetup.exe.txt
    

* Your console buffer is too short. You don't know how to terminate a telnet session.

 _reconfigure... killall telnet..._

Let's do this!

    
    
        hobbes@metalbaby:~/scratch$ telnet mywebhost.besttldever 80
        Trying 52.20.234.148...
        Connected to mywebhost.besttldever.
        Escape character is '^]'.
        GET /ChromeSetup.exe.txt HTTP/1.1
        host: mywebhost.besttldever
        
        
        
        HTTP/1.1 200 OK
        Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2015 16:04:16 GMT
        Server: Apache/2.4.16 (Debian)
        Last-Modified: Wed, 28 Oct 2015 15:59:21 GMT
        ETag: "132ad2-5232c470de522"
        Accept-Ranges: bytes
        Content-Length: 1256146
        Vary: Accept-Encoding
        Content-Type: text/plain
        
        TVqQAAMAAAAEAAAA//8AALgAAAAAAAAAQAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
        AAAA+AAAAA4fug4AtAnNIbgBTM0hVGhpcyBwcm9ncmFtIGNhbm5vdCBiZSBydW4gaW4gRE9TIG1v
        ZGUuDQ0KJAAAAAAAAADrS9CIryq+268qvtuvKr7bonhf24UqvtuieGHbuyq+26J4XtvXKr7b6Xtf
        260qvtuKXVvbqSq+23LVddukKr7bryq/294qvtuieGXbriq+268qKduYKr7bil1g264qvttSaWNo
        ryq+2wAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAABQRQAATAEFAJf06FUAAAAAAAAAAOAAAgELAQwAACYBAADKDAAA
    

...ok, copy and paste the whole thing into a file, and...

    
    
        hobbes@metalbaby:~/scratch$ base64 -d ChromeSetup.exe.txt > ChromeSetup.exe.fromTelnet
        hobbes@metalbaby:~/scratch$ diff ChromeSetup.exe ChromeSetup.exe.fromTelnet 
        hobbes@metalbaby:~/scratch$ 
    

Viola!

~~~
daveloyall
By the way, you didn't mention the OS of the machine with one USB port... So I
don't know if you have a base64 decoder handy!

Let's suppose Windows... The internet says that `certutil` can decode base64.

If your machine doesn't have that tool, try constructing a .eml file and
copy/paste the base64 content in as an attachment. OutlookExpress can open
that.

------
dublinben
Using the built-in FTP client of the OS, you can download the latest copy of
Firefox.[0]

[0]
[http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mozilla.org/firefox/r...](http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/mozilla.org/mozilla.org/firefox/releases/latest/)

------
LarryMade2
Download browser installer on a second computer

Hook the usb port to a hub, then hook the keyboard and usb stick in. or if it
has gui unhook the keyboard and use the mouse to copy the file then eject the
drive and hook back in the keyboard.

If that doesnt work you zip up the browser installer and null-modem the file
over with two modems and a phone wire.

~~~
daveloyall
Two modems? I wasn't able to get ~1998 era modems to talk to each other
without POTS. I don't remember if it was the dialtone, or the ring, but
something was preventing the negotiation from even starting.

Now, a "null modem" link without the modem, just via serial or parallel,
that's easy.

~~~
LarryMade2
Yeah, you have to set a command on the "calling" modem to disable the "detect
dial tone" feature with ATX3. Used the modem to modem to move stuff between 64
BBS and macintosh

[http://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=larry:proj...](http://www.portcommodore.com/dokuwiki/doku.php?id=larry:projects:modem_line_switch&s\[\]=atx3)

------
cylinder714
If it has a CD or DVD drive, you could download and burn a LiveCD of an
operating system like Ubuntu to another machine, boot from that, then download
whatever you need to the computer's hard drive. You could also buy a computer
magazine with a disk bound inside to save time, but that would cost some
money.

------
daveloyall
Create a script which runs in a loop and copies any files found on a usb stick
to the hard drive.

Start the script, then remove the keyboard and plug in the USB stick.

------
lazylizard
you can ssh or rdp to it and not have to use the keyboard perhaps

