PuterGeek.Com News Issue # 55 - A FREE newsletter for Win95, Win98, and WinME users!

Please take a look and see what you think. I feel that Howie has a great writing style... funny, and slightly sarcastic. His website is "Web Manor" at http://users.erols.com/hmmd/ and he is the creator of The Funnies, a wonderful humor email newsletter. After you look around his Corner... hehe... drop him an email and tell him what you think, there's an email link on all of his pages...lets give him a couple of hundred emails to answer <G>.

I know have the Putergeek.Com Sponsor List up and running. It does not replace the Putergeek.Com News newsletter in any way, rather it's an ultra casual list that I'll email whenever I'm headed back home (so people can call me), anything I find of interest (whether it makes it into the newsletter or not), and it's strictly for those of you who find what I have to say of value. Plus you must become a Sponsor of Putergeek.Com. :-) Most of the email to this list will be in the form of short notes. It might just be a link to a website, a joke, a new problem I've heard about, or anything I feel like sending.

The simple fact is that it has moved past the hobby stage. So I'm now asking for people to Sponsor Putergeek.Com. This is totally optional! When someone calls me for help and spends 90 minutes on the phone with me they normally ask how much $$$ I want. I say zero! There is no catches here... free means free. If people like my website, and/or the services I provide they are free to say thank you, Sponsor Putergeek.Com, send me a new 'puter (hehe), or none of the above.

If you're new to PuterGeek.Com or the newsletter please ignore the above. You have yet to see if what I offer is any good yet. For those of you that have been with me for a while, please take a look at the Fan page, and do what you feel comfortable doing. If you want to see who the current Sponsors are go to http://www.putergeek.com/sponsor/

Since the network pages have been on the site many people have called and emailed me with problems getting ICS (Internet Connection Sharing) to work. It turns out that many times the problem is caused by a "personal firewall". The firewall, while doing it's job, stops ISC from working properly. So if you have a firewall, please keep this in mind.

Personally, I feel that firewalls are totally over-blown. Yes, Langa, Lockergnome, and many others are constantly talking about them. Do I use one? Yep, it's called Linux! But I'm in the public eye more than the average user too. My IP (address on the internet) has only changed once in about the last 14 months or so.

I know many of you will disagree with me here... but let's think about this for a moment. Do you have anything on your 'puter to hide? Any secrets? Credit card numbers? Stuff like that? If the answer is no...why do YOU need a firewall?

Firewalls use resources. Memory, CPU time, and can conflict with many other programs. Simply by disabling "File sharing" via "TCP/IP" and password protecting you drives (if you're paranoid) will keep all but the *real* hackers from seeing any data on your 'puter, and why would they come after you?

InfoJump www.infojump.com has info on all the great newsletters. They also have a rating system. PuterGeek.Com News has been in the top ten for some months now. Every issue I provide a link and a reminder to please rate my newsletter. Of course, I'd love to get a "5"... a perfect score, but mainly I'd like to see all of you take a moment to vote. I currently have 1100+ subscribers, yet only 380 of you have rated this free newsletter. Will you please take a couple of minutes to rate the PuterGeek.Com News? You can use the link below if you wish to rate this newsletter a "5", or you can go to almost any page on PuterGeek.Com and vote at the top of the page.

I'm talkin' bout hide and go seek at dusk.
Sittin' on the porch,
Hot bread and butter.
Eatin' a 'super dooper sandwich'(Dagwood),
Red light, Green light.
Chocolate milk, Lunch tickets,
Penny candy in a brown paper bag.
Hopscotch, butterscotch, doubledutch
Jacks, kickball, dodgeball, y'all!
Mother, May I?
Hula Hoops and Sunflower Seeds,
Jaw breakers, blowpops, Gdog Janes.
Running through the sprinkler (I can't get wet!
All right, well don't wet my hair....)
The smell of the sun and lickin' salty lips....

Wait......
Catchin' lightening bugs in a jar,
Playin sling shot and Red Rover.
When around the corner seemed far away,
And going downtown seemed like going somewhere.
Bedtime, Climbing trees,
A million mosquito bites and sticky fingers.
Cops and Robbers,
Cowboys and Indians,
Sittin on the curb,
Jumpin down the steps,
Jumpin on the bed,
Pillow fights.
Being tickled to death.
Runnin till you were out of breath.
Laughing so hard that your stomach hurt.
Being tired from playin'.... Remember that?
I ain't finished just yet...

Remember when...
When there were two types of sneakers for girls and
boys (Keds &PFFlyers),
and the only time you wore them at school, was for "gym."
When nearly everyone's mom was at home when the kids
got there.
When nobody owned a purebred dog.
When a quarter was a decent allowance,
and another quarter a huge bonus
When you'd reach into a muddy gutter for a penny.
When girls neither dated nor kissed until late high
school, if then.
When your mom wore nylons that came in two pieces.
When you got your windshield cleaned, oil checked,
and gas pumped,
without asking, for free, every time. And, you
didn't pay for air. And, you got trading stamps to boot!
When laundry detergent had free glasses, dishes or
towels hidden inside the box.
When any parent could discipline any kid, or feed
him or use him to carry groceries, and nobody,
not even the kid, thought a thing of it.
When it was considered a great privilege to be taken
out to dinner at a real restaurant with your parents.
When they threatened to keep kids back a grade if
they failed and did!
When being sent to the principal's office was
nothing compared to the fate
that awaited a misbehaving student at home.

Catching the fireflies could happily occupy an entire evening.
It wasn't odd to have two or three "best" friends.
Being old, referred to anyone over 20.
The worst thing you could catch from the opposite sex was cooties.
It was magic when dad would "remove" his thumb.
It was unbelievable that dodgeball wasn't an Olympic event.
Having a weapon in school, meant being caught with a slingshot.
Nobody was prettier than Mom.

Scrapes and bruises were kissed and made better.
It was a big deal to finally be tall enough to ride the
"bigpeople" rides at the amusement park.
Getting a foot of snow was a dream come true.
Abilities were discovered because of a "double-dog-dare."
Saturday morning cartoons weren't 30-minute ads for action figures.
No shopping trip was complete, unless a new toy was brought home.
"Oly-oly-oxen-free" made perfect sense.
Spinning around, getting dizzy and falling down was cause for giggles.
The worst embarrassment was being picked last for a team.
War was a card game.
Water balloons were the ultimate weapon.
Baseball cards in the spokes transformed any bike into a motorcycle.
Taking drugs meant orange-flavored chewable aspirin.
Ice cream was considered a basic food group.
Older siblings were the worst tormentors, but also the fiercest
protectors.

Napster to Charge for Access
----------------------------------------------------------------
"Napster, the controversial but popular music file-sharing Web site, will
start charging users a membership fee later this year, the head of
Bertelsmann, Napster's parent company, said Monday.
"We have an idea of the price range but it is too early to publicize it,"
Bertelsmann chief executive Thomas Middelhoff told journalists on the
fringes of the World Economic Forum held in this Swiss resort town.
The California-based Web site has allowed some 44 million users to easily
pass along digital music files, most of which have been copied from CDs.
Music companies however have sued the site for copyright infringement.
Middelhoff expressed confidence a membership fee would not deter users of
Napster's controversial site."

--Picking the right home network with Windows Me
Thinking about setting up a home network? Home networks actually come in a few sizes and shapes, and there are several factors to consider before picking the type of network that is best for you. This guide is a great way to get to know your options.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsME/using/homenetworking/articles/firststeps.asp

--Discover 30 ways to enjoy the Internet more
From using more than one e-mail account to turning your favorite Web graphic into your desktop background, we've assembled more than two dozen great ways to improve your Internet experience starting right now.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsme/using/internet/tips/default.asp

Among other things, this thinly veiled diatribe touched on the
fact that MSN Explorer automatically migrates your existing
Outlook Express e-mail to the MSN Explorer Web-based e-mail.
Actually, it was a reader quote that touched on that. There's
nothing wrong with MSN Explorer's e-mail, but leave Outlook
Express the heck alone. This is very heavy handed, and I'm not
the only one in the press to criticize it. So, anyway, from the
MSN Explorer team, I got this letter in response:

Hello Scot -
I know you're not a big fan of Outlook Express, but noticed the
following MSN Explorer-related quote in your latest Windows
Insider newsletter: "The final release of MSN 6.0/MSN Explorer
still migrates a subscriber's e-mail to a Web-based e-mail, so
once installed, your MSN e-mail cannot be accessed through
Outlook Express." I understand MSN Explorer was not the focus of
the story, but wanted to reassure you and your readers that a
migration tool is included in the final release of MSN Explorer
for users who would like to switch back to their original OE or
POP3 e-mail client.
To get back to POP3 e-mail, users can go to visit this MSN
Support Page:

At some point or another in the game, most every columnist is
probably reminded of the late Red Smith, the awesomely talented
sports columnist for the New York Herald Tribune and The New York
Times. Smith used to say that writing a column is easy; you just sit
down at your typewriter and open a vein. When Win Letters have come
hard, I usually thought of Smith and the six columns a week he turned
in and felt grateful -- and sanguine.

We are living in an age of technological change the likes of which
the world hasn't seen in 100 years. The technologies of the early
20th century -- the electric light bulb, the airplane, the
phonograph, the motion picture -- changed civilization. It's plain
that the technologies that are new today will do the same. Technology
that was abstruse and inaccessible in past is today commonplace. What
10 years ago was the sole province of wireheads and geeks, namely
PCs, is now considered in some circles to be as vital as the
telephone.

Society changes when you suddenly give billions of people the
opportunity to communicate in new ways to one another, relieving them
of the burdens of distance or time. Technology has changed the way we
work, the way we play, the way we relate to government, and the way
government relates to us. Just this last week, hundreds of thousands
of people were called to demonstrate -- successfully -- against the
Philippine government by text messages on their cell phones.

I can think of no subject matter more exciting to write about each
week, and that makes giving up this column all the more difficult.
But I've been hired by another publishing company to work on a
project that will take sufficient time and energy that to continue
writing Win Letter would cause either my job or this column to
suffer. Neither option is acceptable to anyone, so I'm stepping
aside.

Win Letter will of course continue, and there's a silver lining. Its
new author is someone you probably already know and like. Mike Elgan,
who founded this newsletter, is returning to the job. His first issue
will appear next Wednesday. So I'm leaving you in the very best
hands.

What made authoring Win Letter so worthwhile were your reactions.
It's a particularly humbling experience to send out a column on a
Friday afternoon and spend the weekend being told by hundreds of
strangers what an idiot you are. On the other hand, that same
experience is thrilling -- to connect so directly with so many
passionate readers is every author's dream. (The few of you who
discussed my parentage were unanimously incorrect, however.) More
than a few of the attaboys also made me dig my toe into the ground a
bit. I answered far too few of your notes, but read every last piece
of mail and trivia response, saved the vast majority, and am grateful
for every one.

MORE ON W97M/MELISSA.W
Last week we explained to you how a tiny change in the Word
file format disguised a year-old virus, W97M/Melissa.W, so
most anti-virus scanners couldn't identify it. We also
explained how Microsoft is responsible for changing the
file format (via an obscure change in compilers for the Mac
version of Word), thus giving the virus a place to hide.
And of course we also cast a cold eye at those anti-virus
software manufacturers who took the hype low road,
spreading lots of smoke but precious little light.

For those of you who rushed to Microsoft's defense: yes,
surely, absolutely, there's no question that this was an
unintentional side-effect of a very tiny change. It reminds
me of the first Word 97 virus, which I found posted on
Microsoft's Web site nearly five years ago. One of
Microsoft's marketing people uploaded a document describing
the virtues of Office 97. They originally wrote the
document on an infected Word 95 machine. When the marketeer
saved the doc in Word 97 format, they used a special
beta-test version of Word 97 that didn't have anti-virus
protection enabled. The virus mutated into Word 97 format
all by itself.

For those of you who claimed this was yet another
conspiracy by the The Evil Empire: oh brother. It was a
simple mistake. We have plenty of gripes about the fact
that something as fundamental as a file format change
wasn't caught earlier. And Microsoft's response could've
been better: antivirus software developers figured out that
the file format had changed, but it took some prodding to
get an explanation from Microsoft about why and how the
changes took place. In the end, though, it was a plain
old-fashioned screw-up, nothing more, nothing less.

And in defense of the less-obnoxious anti-virus software
manufacturers: I can understand why the marketing people
wanted to identify "Melissa-X" as a new virus, instead of
correctly calling it a new flare up of the old Melissa.W.
If you've been following along with the technical details,
you'll probably agree: it's hard explaining in one sentence
(or less!) that "Melissa-X" is just Melissa.W with a new
hiding place; yes, the AV software works fine; no, it
didn't "miss" catching a year-old virus. It's just that
sometimes viruses hide in the darnedest places, eh?

SOFTIES UNDER SIEGE
By now you know all about the extensive outages at
Microsoft Web sites
(http://news.cnet.com/news/0-1003-201-4601555-0.html?tag=tp_pr
). You might not have considered how extended outages will
effect Microsoft's "subscription" model for Office 10 in
particular - where you have to renew your subscription
periodically - and the .NET strategy in general. WOWser
SteveP put it succinctly:

"These outages point out one of the concerns I have over
Microsoft's .NET strategy. The idea of .Net is users would
communicate with Microsoft servers in order to upgrade and
renew licenses and for what Microsoft hopes will become a
more prevalent use of pay as you go real-time services. Yet
what happens when Microsoft goes off-line like they have
this week?

"Look at the costs to your own organization. Imagine that
this week, your licenses expire for Word 2002. According to
the subscription model, after your license expires, you can
read and print existing documents but not modify or create
new ones. Your business would collapse under a three day
outage. How is that any different from your file server or
email system being off-line for three days?...

"In fact if you asked Microsoft at the beginning of the
year, that 50% of their Internet properties would be off
line for three days, Microsoft would tell you their
redundant links, massive server farms, data centers
scattered across the globe, and extension operation
planning and management would mean that sort of large scale
outage could almost never happen... In the past a major
storm 3,000 miles away on another coast would have little
impact in your daily operations. Now a problem with a
router misconfigured by a single technician, could
potentially impact hundreds of thousands of business'
across the globe.

"In an environment where it is hard to even keep up with
the latest software patches and making sure the tape backup
ran last night, are companies prepared for the additional
requirements of disaster planning in a connected .NET
world? I am skeptical. Now, I wonder where I put my
WordPerfect 5 floppies?"

We can only agree, Much of what Microsoft is proposing in
the NET, subscription and registration wizard systems
assumes a virtually perfect network system. And such a
system doesn't exist - no matter what the Microsoft spin
doctors might care to believe. It's something we've been
saying for a long time in WOW, but Microsoft is pushing
this line for their own self-interest not that of their
customers.

And even if Microsoft is caught out, instead of re-thinking
their approach they'll go into denial. We saw that in the
past when our tests of the Registration Wizard showed up
server delays - which the company later flatly denied
despite the statements of their staff to the contrary.
Unacknowledged breakdowns in MSN have long been fodder for
WOW articles.

And as I type this, Hotmail is unavailable. I don't know
if that's a Hotmail problem or some other communication
problem (probably the former since I can contact other web
sites). The bottom line is that I can't rely on Hotmail
for my communication.

PROBLEM: You waste a lot of paper when you print Web
pages in Internet Explorer.
SOLUTION: First, highlight the portion of the Web page
that interests you. Then click on File, Print, and
select the Selection option button. Finally, click on
OK, and only the highlighted portion of the page will
print.

Window Off Screen
Drag a window too far and it is pretty much off screen
-- so far to the side or bottom that you won't
necessarily be able to find it or click on it for
mouse dragging. If you think that's the problem with a
missing window, get it back into place:
1. Hold down the Alt key and press Tab repeatedly
until the window you need becomes highlighted.
2. Press Alt+Spacebar and press the Down Arrow until
Move highlights.
3. Press Enter. Now you can use the arrow keys to move
the window to a more comfortable position.

The "P" in PC stands for "personal." But most new PCs ship in a
generic state designed to suit the lowest common denominator among
buyers. New PCs are almost never tuned optimally for performance, and
in fact, often arrive with very safe, conservative settings that are
designed more to minimize returns and tech support calls than to
deliver all the performance of which the new machine is capable.

And, in the marketing free-fire zone that is today's PC industry,
odds are your new PC comes bearing non-optional, preinstalled
software ranging from productivity suites to online service
subscriptions to chat software, and more. Instead of having a lean,
clean new machine, your just-bought PC probably arrives already
burdened with all manner of software complexities, and set up the way
the vendor and its partners wanted rather than the way you might
prefer.

So, with each new machine I've personally had over the years
(something like 35 to date), I've carried out an evolving set of
procedures on each. These procedures ensure that the system runs
right from the start, stays right for as long as possible, and then
can be *made right* with minimum fuss when things inevitably go awry.
(I test a lot of hardware and software, often deliberately seeking
"worst case" scenarios, and thus regularly drive my PCs to their
figurative knees.) This original process was spelled out in step-by-
step detail in the "System Setup Secrets" article at
http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/1999/0831.htm .

The new "Explorer" article on the WinMag site documents these
changes, and updates the original "System Setup Secrets" article.
Some or all of these new tips -- learned the hard way from painful
experience -- may help you get your new PC running right, or even to
restore a not-so-new PC to optimal condition!

The new article will be posted by midday (UT-5) Monday January 29th
under the "Explorer" heading on http://www.winmag.com/columns/ . (If
you arrive early, you'll see the previous column on DMA. In that
case, just try again a little later.) If you want to try a direct
link, once the column is posted, it should be at
http://www.winmag.com/columns/explorer/2001/03.htm . (If you arrive
early, the link won't work.)

     I got a computer with WinMe installed (yes, well...) on it
     last month and, noting the 'new and improved' TweakUI, I
     installed that. I had the old Tweak on my previous machine
     and was very happy with it. I set up the new Tweak for my
     preferences and thought that was that.

     Recently though, I went to do a Search/File or Folders and
     discovered that it would not work. Eventually, I contacted
     the computer manufacturer. Insofar as this had only been
     discovered (and I had already been forced to do a System
     Restore because of another WinMe issue), it was felt that
     perhaps the current file and the backup might be corrupt -
     so their solution was a complete reinstall.

     This seemed a bit excessive - rather like tearing down a
     house because you blew a fuse - so I went to the place of
     last resort - the Microsoft Knowledge Base < this after
     trying to contact MS online support by consistently getting
     the WinMe built-in Help and Support page and 'No Page
     Found'. But I digress>. Rephrasing the Search several
     different ways (hey, you're never quite sure how MS is going
     to label an issue) and doing some considerable digging, I
     came upon Q274847, which referred to No Search Results. (
     http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q274/8/47.ASP )

     It seems that TweakUI in the WinMe configuration turns off
     the Search/File or Folders capabilities by default (no - no
     idea why) and that it can be reactivated by simply going to
     it's Desktop Tab and checking Search Results. Well, all new
     to me but it works. I would never had considered this as an
     option as I hadn't seen this option before, and its title
     doesn't exactly explain its ramifications.

     I like TweakUI a lot, but sometimes you are left wondering
     what the boffins are thinking about when they set defaults
     that turn off useful (or necessary) products while leaving
     other less-useful items uncontrollable.

There are lost more debatable choices in ME, too, ranging from the
minor things like leaving the Favorites folder off the Start menu by
default to internal system settings that gobble excessive amounts of
CPU power and hard disk space. In fact, the more I used WinME, the
more I found myself modifying it, trying to get it to (1) do things
that Microsoft didn't want it to, and (2) to stop doing some things
that Microsoft programmed it to do automatically.

When I was done, I had a WinME that not only ran more like what I
wanted, but was about 10% faster than the factory configuration, too.
If you're using WinME, I suggest you do some serious poking around to
see just what options are available to you: Many of them may
significantly improve your WinME experience. And if you'd like help
with that, it's on the way:

My own WinME spelunking was for a yet-to-be-published article that
will soon show up on the WinMag site: "10 Ways To Make Windows ME Run
Better." If you're using WinME or thinking of it, or will be buying a
new PC whose only OS choice is WinME (grrr!) stay tuned: I'll let you
know as soon as the article is posted.

But note: WinME is basically a modified version of Win98, so if you're
using WinMe or Win98, the tips in the article "Ten Ways To Make
Windows 98 Run Better"
( http://www.winmag.com/library/1999/0701/fea0047.htm ) still apply.
Check 'em out--- no matter which Win98 variant you're using!

But I was poking around in the Knowledgebase a few days ago, I came
across a decent little primer on the Registry--- defining terms, file
names, locations, and such. It's at
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/win98/reg.asp , and is a good way to
begin to understand the Registry, or to refresh your memory quickly if
you're a little rusty. I don't know when Microsoft posted this primer,
but it still seems mostly current.

"If you pack a Microsoft PowerPoint presentation that contains linked pictures, and then view the unpacked presentation, the links are broken and you only see image placeholders where the linked pictures should be. The linked picture is attempting to reference the picture data from a temporary folder that the Pack and Go process uses. Because the picture is no longer there, you experience the problem. Microsoft has created an add-in that allows you to convert all linked images in a presentation to embedded images." I'd suggest grabbing this utility before it becomes a problem; don't come crying to me if you skip it.

"The Kerberos protocol is an industry standard (hence, it is well- tested and trusted) that allows mutual authentication, provides a basis for encrypting sessions, and allows interoperability with other standard-compliant implementations. This means users only have to remember one password, so are less likely to write passwords down where they can be found by people who shouldn't have them. Single sign-on also helps simplify user security management. Use Kerberos authentication to verify the identity of servers to prevent malicious individuals from impersonating your server in order to intercept private information."

{Low-resource audio player} RealPlayer... eh. Winamp... bah. I'm not even gonna mention WiMP. Oops. C'mon, I bet you're hungry for something new. I mean, everyone and their dog knows about the big boys' binaries. While there are plenty of fine players out there, there's only one ultra. Some users suggest that it may replace Winamp (with a smaller memory footprint and stronger skin structure, it's well on its way). Well, nobody can predict the future. At least UltraPlayer will play pretty much any audio (and video) file you throw into it. The interface is self-explanatory and easy to use. Click here to start rocking out...

{Arrival and departure info} I used to like flying. Then there was that time I saw a monster on the wing of the plane and nobody believed me. Before I take to the air again, I can use this site to uncover the schedule for my flight (national or international). Instead of waiting on hold for a half hour, you could log on and see which flights are delayed -- before you take that trip to the airport to pick up (or drop off) Grandma. Heck, they've even listed the latest weather conditions (for the various airport locations). REMEMBER: if a plane is delayed because of mechanical problems, don't complain. Just let them fix it at their own pace. No rush, man.

{Break through the clutter} There's lots of talk about talking out there. "I can't believe he used EIDE instead of SCSI for his slave drive." Chatter with colleagues all you want, but when it comes to communicating with those outside your circle, you better drop the jargon. And what about those new dot-coms (who have turned into dot-bombs)? They all sounded the same -- especially their PR campaigns. This service enables you to cut and paste your own press releases into a Jargonator to see where it rates on the scale. Just so you know... I ran a couple of my Download reviews through this sucker and got a perfect score. I feel like a state- of-the-art... whatever.

PuterGeek.Com News
Issue # 55
ISSN: 1533-1938

Do you want to subscribe to the newsletter?

Do you want to subscribe to the newsletter?

Last Revised: 02/03/2001

PuterGeek.Com News Issue # 55 ISSN: 1533-1938

Do you want to subscribe to the newsletter?

Do you want to subscribe to the newsletter?

Last Revised: 02/03/2001

PuterGeek.Com News
Issue # 55
ISSN: 1533-1938