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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2006-10-30

An Email Newsletter
from Fred Langa and Mike Elgan
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

1) GREAT NEWS!
The LangaList is Merging with Windows Secrets!

I have great news! The LangaList is merging with the Windows Secrets Newsletter, a well-known source of little-known tips published by Brian Livingston. I'll be the editor of the combined publication and Brian will be editorial director.

Brian will be familiar to many of you--- he's been writing about tech and personal PCs ever since there first *were* PCs. <g> He's the author or co-author of 10 books, including the best-selling "Windows Secrets" series. He also wrote a column for InfoWorld Magazine for 12 years--- an incredibly long time in this business, and a sign of his expertise--- and has been a Contributing Editor of CNET News.com, PC/Computing, PC World, Windows Sources, and Windows Magazine. But in the unlikely chance you don't know Brian or his work, check this out: http://brianlivingston.com/aboutbrian/

Together, the merged newsletter will have double my previous circulation — more than a quarter of a million subscribers, compared with about 140,000 today. This will extend the reach of the newsletter and help me to bring you even better content. At first, the combined newsletter will be called Windows Secrets & LangaList. On Jan. 1, 2007, the name will revert to simply the Windows Secrets Newsletter.

What's in it for you? For one thing, better service. As you probably know, I've been a one-man shop for most of the last 10 years, and running the newsletter simply has grown beyond what one person can reasonably handle. Brian, on the other hand, has an excellent, professional staff and a sophisticated email-publishing system that will remove almost all the quirks and oddities that have cropped up from time to time with my home-grown system.

For example, Brian's system automatically uses a form of digital signing ("domain keys") for each copy of his newsletter. Many ISPs look for this kind of digital signature as a way of validating email: With a domain key, it's much less likely that your newsletters will be falsely flagged as spam, so you get more reliable newsletter delivery. And best of all, this happens behind the scenes--- you don't have to do anything different.

Brian's system has many other benefits--- built-in anti-phishing protection, a one-click way to have any issue re-emailed to you (starting Nov. 16), a vastly improved subscribe/unsubscribe and change-address system, and lots, lots more--- including input from some truly world-class tech talent: http://windowssecrets.com/about/

You'll start seeing these benefits almost immediately: I've already moved my operations over to the WindowsSecrets.com server. (That's why you may have seen the "under maintenance" pages at Langa.Com these last few days: That was the move, in progress.)

The LangaList will keep publishing in its current format for a few more issues, and then you'll receive the first combined issue of the new, merged newsletter on Nov. 16, 2006. But there's a lot we need to do in the meantime, and the transition will go better if you know what's going on:

1. As mentioned above, I've already moved my operations over to the WindowsSecrets.com server. It's much faster and has a more powerful database engine than my old server. That means you'll see the name WindowsSecrets.com in my Web addresses from now on. But don't worry; it's still me! <g>

2. I've already given you a unique reader number as an anti-phishing measure, and to help keep things straight. How will you know that mailings from Langa.com and WindowsSecrets.com are really from me? Look for your unique reader number at the top or bottom. Spammers couldn't possibly know this number, so you can be assured my messages are legit. Your number is:

If you didn't receive  a reader number by email yet, you will, soon.

3. I'm upgrading all subscribers, both free and paid, to HTML. After the newsletters merge, free subscribers will still get a meaty, substantial newsletter and Plus! subscribers still will get all that, plus access to lots more content that's not in the free version--- and extra benefits besides (stay tuned for details!). But *everyone* will enjoy better delivery reliability and fewer format problems:

Why HTML for all? In the past, due to due to problems with early mail clients that existed when we started the LangaList, I couldn't let free subscribers get the HTML version by email: With just one of me here, I couldn't afford the time it would have taken to sort out all the myriad display and delivery hassles that would have happened. But today, almost every e-mail program works fine with HTML; and also lets you turn off images or turn off HTML entirely, if you wish. With the email clients taking care of that part of the problem, there's now there's no reason not to send everyone an HTML version.

But if you still want a plain-text email, no problem: Both free and paid subscribers can switch to a "notify-only" version, which will continue to be nothing but plain ASCII text and a link. (This is explained in point 4.)

And BTW: I'm discontinuing the "digest" version of the newsletter, because only about 250 readers out of 140,000 selected it. If you still want a short-and-sweet "just the facts" version, the Notify edition is a better option; see next item, below)

4. You need to choose a new set of preferences today. The Windows Secrets server allows me to offer you options that I simply couldn't offer you before. You can have an alternate address, in case your main one gets flaky at times. You can specify a particular locale to help us plan local content. And you can select the complete version or the notify-only version.

To set your preferences, please use the following link:

http://WindowsSecrets.com/langa/prefs/

If you didn't receive your reader number by email yet, you can use the "Forgot your reader number? Let us e-mail it to you." link on the above page to have the number mailed to your subscription delivery address immediately. If that still doesn't work, please drop a short note to the address shown in #5 below, for assistance.

5. I have a new e-mail address. Now that I'm editing Windows Secrets & LangaList, I'll be using a new address to send and receive e-mail. Please add the following to your e-mail program's address book and its "safe-senders" list:

    69.56.202.236
    216.182.80.209
    64.81.161.108

If your ISP or IT department needs reassurances, show them this note; and refer them to our ironclad privacy policy here: http://windowssecrets.com/privacy/  In short: Just as before, we'll never, ever spam you, and we'll zealously protect your privacy .

7. You'll be in good hands if you have subscriptions to both publications. (a) If you paid for subscriptions to both newsletters, I've moved your expiry date forward so you won't lose any of the time you've paid for. (b) If you have a paid sub to only one title, you'll still be a paid subscriber to the combined newsletter. (c) If you have free subscriptions to both, you'll only receive one copy of the merged publication. (d) If you used two different addresses to subscribe, wait until Nov. 16, then simply unsubscribe one of your addresses to eliminate any duplication.

Next week, around Nov. 6 or 7, I'll send you a very short HTML message as a test. Brian and I have developed a simple e-mail format that works well in virtually every e-mail program that's in use today. If you set your new preferences by then, you'll get the format you prefer, even if that's just a notification of the new message.

That's it for now! I'll still be bringing you great tips in the free version of the combined newsletter and even more great tips in the paid version. I'll just be sending the information to a lot more people.

Remember to SET YOUR PREFERENCES NOW!
http://WindowsSecrets.com/langa/prefs/

Thanks for your support. And now, on with the show!

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2) How To Stop Photo Thieves

I am attempting to assist a friend who is getting into photography. She has asked me to tell her how to make her sample photos copy proof. I know this can be done, but have no idea what to tell her. Can you please assist me with where to look for info on this. ---John

Unfortunately, it's nearly impossible to prevent determined and resourceful people from copying images from a Web site. When someone visits a site with a picture on it, the image file has already been downloaded to their system--- and it's on their screen. Even if you disable right-click saving, they can usually still find the cached version, or, easier still, simply take a screenshot, then crop away all but the picture in a photo-editing program.

Note that it is possible to prevent screen captures using a product called CopySafe ( http://www.copysafe.net ). The downside of CopySave is that visitors need a special, downloadable plug-in to view the pictures, which may be an unwise requirement for a site trying to attract visitors.

For maximum protection without harming usability, it's best to combine three approaches: 1) establish and communicate legal protection; 2) watermark the images; and 3) disable right-click saving.

Legally protect images by applying a Creative Commons license ( http://creativecommons.org/image/ ) or Copyright ( http://www.copyright.gov/register/visual.html ). Notifying visitors of these legal protections can serve as a limited deterrent.

Watermarking can mean two things. In its simplest form, it's overwriting the image with some identifying marker that spoils the photos for others and allows you to demonstrate later that the image is yours. Most online stock photos agencies use this method. Here's an example: http://tinyurl.com/y93883

A more elaborate kind of watermarking is called steganography: the art and science of writing hidden messages. In the case of digital photos, you can embed a steganographic copyright message in an image in a way that's essentially invisible to the eye. While this won't prevent people from copying your images, it is a way to prove that a copied image is yours. In other words, it's a way to prove a legal case against an infringer. See http://tinyurl.com/4aphq , http://tinyurl.com/yfxv6b and http://tinyurl.com/yhxjm5 .

For the third thing--- disabling right clicking--- the simplest way is to add to the page that displays the pictures some well-crafted JavaScript. Here's an example script: http://tinyurl.com/b5ij . While this will deter casual image thieves, it's certainly not high security: Clicking View/Source on the menu will bypass the JavaScript and reveal the page's raw HTML code; which can be picked apart to find the URL of the image you're trying to protect. Still, disabling right clicking is at least a speedbump, and may help remind image thieves that they have no right to copy the images on the page.

Another way to prevent right-click downloads is to position pictures on a web page underneath transparent GIFs. That way, a right-click "Save As" download gives them the useless GIF, not the picture. You can do this with cascading style sheets (CSS) ( http://tinyurl.com/fym5b ), JavaScript ( http://tinyurl.com/sh3xg ) or with a table ( http://tinyurl.com/yxczs5 ).

And a more elaborate approach is to use Adobe Flash ( http://www.adobe.com/products/flash/flashpro/ ), which is probably too expensive and complicated for photo protection alone, but if you're already using Flash, it might make sense to use it for this purpose.

This combination of legal, visual and functional deterrence should be enough to dissuade most would-be picture thieves--- without turning away welcome visitors.

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3) VMware? SATA? Can't We All Just Get Along?

In a recent edition of the LangaList, one of your readers writes that VMware doesn't support SATA drives ( http://langa.com/newsletters/2006/2006-10-09.htm ). I'm not sure what he means by that, as the type of hardware should be transparent to the software ... that is, if the OS recognizes it, the software should too. My main drive on my XP Pro machine is a Western Digital 250 SATA II drive, and VMware works fine for me. Charles Gaefke

Thanks, Charles. VMware does not support SATA drives, but as you've discovered, they can learn to live together. The VMware.com site has a FAQ on the subject for those wanting to pursue this: http://www.vmware.com/community/thread.jspa?threadID=27693

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4) Playing (Safely) In I.E.'s Sandbox

Hi Fred, I searched the archives and could not find any reference to this neat little (242KB) program called SandboxIE, although I thought I had once seen you refer to it. ( www.sandboxie.com )

It is designed so a user can surf or run programs in a sandbox. It is free, but the $20.00 license fee allows you to force any programs you wish to run in a sandbox, saving a few clicks and ensuring your protection (well worth the money, and no, I have no affiliation with the vendor).

There is a manual procedure for taking safe downloads and other files out of the sandbox, and writing them to disk. "Sandboxie changes the rules such that write operations do not make it back to your hard disk." Since using SandboxIE, my anti-spyware products (including Spyware Doctor, Spysweeper, Spybot S&D, Adaware Plus, and many others are finding nothing after long surfing sessions. If I see something weird happening, I terminate the sandbox in two clicks (hasn't happened yet). Any malware picked up will be gone. But the malware would not have affected my OS anyway, as nothing is allowed to write outside of the sandbox.

I realize that more things can be done with the virtual machines, like run operating systems in them, but for surfing safety, which most users have to be concerned about, avoiding exploits, etc., SandboxIE seems to be the way to go.

BTW it is called SandboxIE as it was originally written for IE, but works seamlessly with all the browsers I've tried. (A host of IE shells, Opera, Firefox and IE7 Beta).

Of course it will not protect against phishing, as phishing is not malware, but a scam. However, anti-phishing tools once installed in the browser do work when running sandboxed.

Programs launched from within a sandboxed browser automatically run in the sandbox, including download managers, etc.

I do not run my email client in the sandbox, although there is a procedure for modifying the SandboxIE.ini file to allow incoming email to write to disk. "What, me worry? I surf in a sandbox!!" ---Cheers, Howie M

Thanks, Howie. Sanboxie is getting rave reviews from many users. The developer, Ronen Tzur, released the current version (2.64) October 14. I tested it with the new Internet Explorer 7 and had no problems.

Note that if you're considering an upgrade to the registered version (which sports additional functionality and has no nag screens), you'll save $5 by making that decision while it's still October. The author of Sandboxie plans to hike the lifetime registration price to $25 on November 1.

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5) Building Boot Disks From CAB Files

Hi Fred. I look forward to Sundays and Wednesdays. You wrote... The biggest showstopper for many users is that PE Builder--- and UBCD4Win--- require a normal Windows installation CD. Many PC OEM "recovery" CDs or hard-disk recovery files won't work with PE Builder, and that's the only installation copy of Windows many users have." I discovered that while I have no installation disk on my HP XP Pro computer, all the installation CAB files are on my C:\ drive and Bart PE Builder worked just fine. For those who don't have a disk it might be worth trying it. You might be surprised. ---Robert

Thanks, Robert. Yes, sometimes, the CAB files are on the recovery CD; sometimes they're on the hard drive--- although they may be stored in a hidden recovery partition.

For many ideas on dealing with these "no standard setup CD" situations, see http://tinyurl.com/yk5ww6

If you can get at the CAB files somewhere, you then have a world of possibilities open to you, including the use of PE Builder and UBCD4Win .Since the programs are free, it certainly doesn't hurt to give them a try--- even if you don't have "normal" Windows XP install disks.

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6) Eudora Down... But Not Out

Fred: Great News Letter! (Plus Subscriber) Missed you when you were gone.

I see where ole' Eudora is retiring, I have used the old girl since Sep 2000 and she has worked very well. What would you recommend to replace her, that would have the same and possible additional features? Thanks, Tom

I've had a love/hate relationship with Eudora for a long time as well, Tom. I love its features, but it's still a bit buggy, even after all these years; and still chokes from time to time on the volume of mail I push though it. For the last couple years, Qualcomm (the publishers of Eudora) hasn't done much with it except to add a few almost-meaningless bells and whistles. Some fundamental problems with the software have remained uncorrected.

But--- good news--- Eudora is NOT going away; rather, it's been released as Open Source software--- like Linux, Firefox, Netscape, and many other excellent software packages. We'll have to see if the OS community picks up the ball and improves Eudora. If they do, I bet Eudora will be a great email tool once again.

I'm sticking with Eudora in the meantime--- I have too much time invested in my filtering system to throw it all away prematurely. But if you're ready to switch, other good email tools include The Bat ( http://www.ritlabs.com/en/products/thebat/ ) Mozilla/Thunderbird ( http://www.mozilla.com/en-US/thunderbird/ ), OperaMail ( http://www.opera.com/products/desktop/m2/ ) and many more: http://tinyurl.com/yxlk9d .

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7) How To Save Web Pages

Hi Fred, Using Google, I find a site page I want to save, then save it to my Documents, hard drive. BUT, if the page is removed from Google at a later date, I've lost my "save". Is there a way to "Memorialize" the saved page on my hard drive? Thanks, ---Clyde

It appears from your note that you're attempting to save links to the web pages of interest, rather than saving the web pages themselves, which is what you really want. The surest method is to save the pages and photos themselves. From Google, click on the link and open the page. Using Internet Explorer, choose Save As from the File menu. Pick the folder you'd like to save the page into. From the "Save as type" drop-down menu, select "Webpage complete (*.htm, *.html)" and click on the Save button.

Alternately, if you have Outlook Express installed (even if you don't use it) you can select save as type "web archive, single file," which puts all the pieces of the target web page in one neat self-contained file. (See http://langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-02-24.htm#2 )

Using Firefox, choose Save Page As from the File menu. Pick a location, then choose "Webpage, complete" from the "Save as type" drop-down menu and click on the Save button.

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8) They Just Keep Coming And Coming...

Thousands of your fellow readers have "Loaded the code." Please click over to http://langa.com/code.htm , and maybe you can join them! (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://langa.com/link.txt )

Speaking of which: Here's another eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal:

View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site
http://langa.com/randomlink.htm

Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At
http://langa.com/readersites.htm

Web Development (NZ)
http://www.pageup-nz.com/

"Life Under Construction"
http://sprezzaturaron.livejournal.com/

Daily Cup of Tech
http://www.dailycupoftech.com/

Affordable IT
http://www.affordableitguy.com/

Firewall Info
http://www.sunshadowz.com/articles/firewalls_who.htm

Pinoy Adventures
http://1day-at-a-time.blogspot.com/

Business Opportunities
http://www.bizopzine.com/

 Kitchener Waterloo (Ontario) Resource
http://www.kwtimes.com/

Tech Stuff
http://goldcoaster.wordpress.com/

Chainsaw and Fine art (Canada, naturally <g>)
http://www.geocities.com/aruba692003/index.html

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9) Still Waiting For Microsoft's Mail...

My programs crash pretty often, and when that happens, a window pops up that asks me to send an error report to MS, which I do. What happens to these reports? My impression was that MS would analyze them, and eventually email back the reason these programs crash. Is that a fantasy? Why should it be a one-way flow of information from me to MS? What do I get out of these reports? Sincerely, Steve Brown

Microsoft won't take the initiative to get back to you, but you can theoretically go find out the status of your report on the Microsoft Online Crash Analysis Web site ( https://oca.microsoft.com/en/welcome.aspx ). The service uses .NET Passport to identify you. In rare cases, the cause of your crash can be identified, and the problem solved--- usually with a link to an updated driver or some downloadable repair tool. More often than not, however, your report won't result in a direct resolution to your problem.

The most important benefit is indirect. Microsoft claims that it gathers error information from all users who report crashes, identifies trends, then informs companies that are causing the problems with their applications or drivers.

If you'd rather not be presented with the error reporting dialog box, you can turn it off. Right-click on My Computer and choose Properties, click on the Advanced tab and click on the Error Reporting button. You'll be presented with a dialog box that enables you to configure which programs error reporting will track--- including an option to disable the lot.

And BTW, if your programs "crash pretty often," something's very wrong. Even on out-of-date versions of Windows (such as Win98), a properly set up and maintained system should be able to go at least days or weeks without trouble; and in XP, serious crashes are normally very, very rare. But the key in both cases is to have a system that's set up right, and well maintained. Please check out the abundant resources here ( http://langa.com/archives.htm ), here ( http://langa.com/search.htm ), here ( http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx ) and at Google for solutions to the root cause of your system's problems.

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10, 11, 12, 13) Plus! Edition Highlights:

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition about 40% more content including:

• How To Dump Dumprep.exe
     (it's eating 100% of this reader's CPU!)
• Is Perfect Disk Closer To Perfection?
     (another defrag option)
• Protecting "My Documents"
     (... and optimizing "Windows Defender")
• More On X1
     (two reader letters on this hot topic)

Plus! Edition info: http://langa.com/plus.htm 

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14) Just For Grins

Hello again, Fred! If you like pranks, you're going to love this one! It is one man's rebellion against two pesky electronic roadside signs which apparently were left flashing their messages loooong after the road construction was complete. As he describes it, the prankster found a "humorous and nonviolent" way of communicating his own message that it was time to take them down. More at: http://tinyurl.com/nwlhd  ---Cheers! Greg Rajewski

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Please remember to  SET YOUR PREFERENCES NOW!
http://WindowsSecrets.com/langa/prefs/  .
See you next issue, 2006-11-02!

Best,

  Fred & Mike

Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win a prize!)

An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://langa.com.  (The HTML version of each issue normally is available by 9AM EST [UT-5] of the issue date.) All past LangaList issues are also available at the Langa.Com site.

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This newsletter is a service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 2006 Fred Langa / Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

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