Team Fortress 2 Servers not Showing on List

I ran into an issue a couple days ago and it was when I was playing Team Fortress 2 by Valve Software. When I called up the Server list, the result was an empty list (no servers responding to the query). I then backed down to the Steam Client and tried there with the same result (but only with the TF2 servers; all other game servers appeared fine). I eventually was able to get the Steam client to show TF2 servers by deleting a file from the TF2 folder (I forget which one off the top of my head, but I found it in the Support section of Valve).

When I entered TF2 and tried again, I still didn't have a server list. Long story short, it was my Avast A/V that was causing the issue. The nice thing was updating the A/V (definitions as well as program) resolved the issue.

My thought is a file was put into the A/V definitions on one update, then removed on the next. Needless to say, I'm able to play again. Woo-hoo!

New Cable, Bad cable, Worst Company

I needed a longer IDE cable to reach the DVD-ROM and DVD-Burner I had in a "newer" computer. I bought a 36" cable made by Mad Dog Multimedia from Circuit City. After purchasing, I registered my cable on their website due to the cost and if something went awry, I wanted to be lined up for help from the manufacturer. Six months later I was saddened when I determined the cable was my source of LATEST DVD burning errors. I was getting better results with a 40-pin IDE cable compared to the MDMM cable. Knowing my warranty information was already inputted in their system, I contacted them by email looking for assistance for an RMA number so I could return the cable for repair/replacement. A week went by. They stated a 24-48 response time on their website (www.mdmm.com) so I tried again by email. Two additional weeks with no response. I then contacted their Customer Service by phone. A recording directed me to a differnt number, which sounded like some guy's voice mail. I left a message as per the nature of my call and asked for a call back. Didn't get one. Tried again a week later. Another voicemail, with no call return.

This is the first time I've encountered a company that totally neglects their customer base from a Support standpoint. After running into troubles, I Googled them and found I'm not alone. It looks like I'm going ot have to eat this one, but not before sending my story out into the Wide Web in hopes of preventing this to someone else.