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LangaList 2003-09-15 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
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1) Auto-Reply Messages May Make You Vulnerable!Have you been getting "virus detected in your email" notices for email messages you never sent? Most of us have.
Mike is right--- these bogus "virus detected" emails are annoying. But it turns out that misdirected auto-replies are just the tip of a proverbial iceberg of problems: At the very least, auto-reply, "out-of-office," "I'm away from my email..." and similar messages waste time and bandwidth (and sometimes, for businesses, it's a *huge* amount of time and bandwidth). But they also can do more, actually serving to vastly increase the amount of for-real spam mail you get, and even opening the door to new viruses, worms, and other hostile attacks! It would take more space than is available in this issue to detail all the trouble that auto-reply messages can cause, and to show you the specific how-to steps you can take to avoid these problems. So, rather than gloss over this important topic lightly, I've devoted a whole new InformationWeek.Com column to it, available now at http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=14700320 There, I'll illustrate a three-pronged "hardball" solution that essentially eliminates *all* problems caused either by sending or receiving auto-replies. Or, if that approach is too extreme, I'll detail a couple ways you can send and get auto-replies with minimal risk to you and your contacts--- *safe* ways to auto-reply. Please click on over to http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=14700320 and check it out! Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) Critical UpdateYou probably already know this, so I'll be brief: Late last week, Microsoft released a new "Critical" update for three newly-identified problems in XP, 2K, and NT; two "buffer overrun" issues (I've lost track of how many "buffer overrun" problems Microsoft software has... sigh) and a "Denial Of Service" issue. Windows 9x/Me are not affected by these problems. Use Windows Update, or visit http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS03-039.asp for more detail. Microsoft also launched some consciousness-raising subsites to try to jawbone people into taking basic precautions with their PCs. It's all old-hat to long-time readers of this newsletter (keep your system patched; use a firewall; run antivirus software), but the explosive growth of the last few worms proves that many, many other people are ignoring one or more of these very basic defense measures. If you want to see the official Microsoft packaging of the above basic info, it's available in two flavors Home: Pro: The "Home" version is a little warmer and fuzzier than the "Pro," but the basic info is the same in both: Keep your system patched; use a firewall; run antivirus software. If you have friends running unprotected, you might want to share the above with them, and also show them this info on firewalls ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020412S0009 and http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=firewall&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) and this on antivirus software ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=antivirus&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) Plus! Edition readers may wish to see item #12, below, as well: A head-to-head comparison of antivirus tools. Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Fred Gets Bitten By The "Cannot Update" BugOver the last year or so, I've gotten lots of emails like the one below, but never had any first hand experience with the problem---- until about a week ago!
With no first-hand knowledge of what was going on with problems like the above, I've always had to give third-hand or general advice, but then--- for no obvious reason--- one of my PCs here suddenly could no longer use Windows Update. It was puzzling because I've set up all 11 PCs here the same basic way (allowing for differences in the OSes), use them in the same basic way, and connect through the same shared internet connection. Why would just *one* PC suddenly have trouble? I went digging through a ton of web sites, trying to find both a fix for the specific issue, and more universal information on causes and cures. Out of all the pages I searched, the one that had the best info is the oddly-named "MrScary" page at http://members.bellatlantic.net/~mrscary/winupfaq.htm . The information is unusually organized--- the most generally-useful info is at the bottom of the page. In fact, that's where I found my fix: Item V, deletion of the "wuhist" log file, restored my system's ability to perform updates. Apparently, a local log file of past system updates was corrupted, which caused the Update engine to stall every time it tried to process the file. Once you know what it is, it's easy to fix--- just whack the file, and let the Update engine rebuild it from scratch. The scripting problem that "Jennifer & Keith" reported also is covered there, in a separate item. In fact, there are many other fixes at the bottom of the page: It's hard to imagine an instance that at least one of the fixes there couldn't handle. The top of the "MrScary" page contains specific info on individual update items. If you have a problem installing one particular update, then you may well find the fix there. But if your Windows Update itself is broken, so that you can't install anything, scroll down to the bottom the page: There's a goldmine of information there! Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Hi Fred, I'm very happy
to have upgraded to the Plus edition of the LangaList. Thanks, Frank! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 4) "Searchandclick Scumware"
This actually raises a couple issues: First, I agree it's bad--- bordering on malicious--- when a tool installs with no reasonable uninstall mechanism. It's also beyond the pale when a tool aggressively installs itself without abundant prior warnings, or with the warnings buried in a fine-print or small-print notice to make things technically legal. (I don't know if that's the case here; but it's a too-common practice.) But the other main issue is the danger in using Admin-level accounts for routine web surfing--- especially surfing of potentially dangerous sites. XP, Win2K, and NT all allow easy creation of restricted accounts. These accounts can be limited so that it's difficult or impossible for someone using that account to make system-wide changes. Things like an unwanted toolbar that tries to install itself system-wide either won't work at all--- the install will fail--- or it'll install only on the limited account. Either way, the system as a whole remains safe! Click to email this item to a
friend 5) Free Virtual PCA "virtual PC" is a PC that exists solely as software. It's often used when you want to run one operating system entirely inside another: You let the main OS set up the virtual PC, and then you run other software on the virtual PC. The secondary software thinks it's on a normal PC, but it's actually running on software inside of software! Although deep emulation like that usually incurs a major performance hit, it can still be useful to overcome incompatibilities. For example, you can use a virtual PC to run Windows inside of Linux, or vice versa.
Interesting, Ross. Thanks! Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Don't Make Me Beg! :-)If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it useful too! Just use the following link to recommend the LangaList---your friend may find a new source of useful information and you just may win one of three FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS to the LangaList Plus! edition given each month. (If your name is drawn and you're already a Plus! subscriber, your current subscription will be extended by a full year.) Check out the details at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm . Thanks for recommending the LangaList--- and good luck! Click to email this item to a
friend 7) "Only For Gurus" (Not Really!)Frequent writer Eran Rosenmann suggests this:
Thanks, Eran. The site is basically a different front end to selected content from Microsoft's sites that you might otherwise miss or have a hard time digging out. It's definitely *not* only for gurus, as preconfigured searches such as "Docs for Beginners" show. If you're not comfortable with the Microsoft site's organization or the search tools Microsoft provides, "Only4Gurus" might be a help. Click to email this item to a
friend 8) Code Load Success StoryCode-loader Norm Laramee writes:
Do you have a home page or website? (It doesn't matter what size.) Please
click over to
http://www.langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join the thousands of
LangaList readers who have "Loaded the Code!" (If you've already "Loaded The
Code" and are wondering if your site will appear here or on the Langa.Com web
site, please see
http://www.langa.com/link.txt ) Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At PC Help Mobile Sunfire Barbie Youth hockey site Pops Page Kid's Cedar Adirondack Rocker DHK Bookmarks Raymond Dale eBooks and More AnRon Duggin's World Click to email this item to a
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--------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) Weird (But Free!) Monitor Fix
It's nice when little free fixes work, isn't it? 8-) Trouble is, your cable probably has been permanently damaged: a wire or connector is broken, and is now being held in place only by the external tape. It may work for a while--- even a long while--- but the damage is done. Still, this fix is better than springing for a whole new monitor! And more generally: This is another example of how small mechanical things can affect your PC in major ways. Cables, fans, dust, temperature, etc.--- it's important to pay attention to the *mechanical* aspects of computing, as well as the electrical and logical ones! Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsThis week, two related items: 1) Reader Bill Webb sent this along:
Yikes! It's a variant of the ancient "Nigerian Scam" email, but this time from one "Col. Frank Langa" in the Congo. We're not related, honest! <g> The classic Nigerian scam goes back 20 years or more: It was originally circulated by fax. But even the first versions were much like the current ones: Someone claims to be a member of the ruling family or a government official in a small country, usually in Africa; they've somehow ended up with a ton of money that they need to move offshore immediately; and they'll pay you--- a total stranger--- some large percentage of the fortune to let them move their cash through your bank. All they need, of course, are the details on how to access your bank accounts electronically.... The scam is old and shopworn, but it must still work because it's still circulating. That leads to item #2: 2) Reader Henk Frijters sent along this link http://j-walk.com/other/conf/index.htm to an absolutely wonderful spoof page announcing "The 3rd Annual Nigerian EMail Conference: Write better emails. Make more moneys." The agenda includes a debate between Lady Mariam Abacha and Mr. Godwin Oyathelem on "The effectiveness of using all UPPERCASE characters;" and a Tech Session where Mrs. M Sese-Seko reveals valuable secrets about "Those Pesky Email Headers." The page is a marvel. Check it out! Click to email this item to a
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