The LangaList

10-May-99

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa About BrowserTune,
HotSpots, Columns, Tips & Tricks, and Other Activities

In This Issue:
Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes...
Dropping Breadcrumbs
BrowserTune Update
Real Virus, Or Hoax?
FREE AntiVirus Software For You
How To Test (Safely!) Your AntiVirus Software!
Yes, Still MORE On the Continuous Operation Bug
Great Ways To Eliminate Bugs
Recommendations Pouring in!
IE5 Security Bug?
Just for Grins
More!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes….

There are several changes to the LangaList starting this week. One is frequency. Each week, my wish list of things I’d like to cover in the newsletter far exceeds what I can actually include. No one wants a humongously-long email, so a lot of good info gets left out.

Other times, I simply have to avoid complex subjects that I know will take too much space.

So, starting this week, and in all weeks when there’s more to cover than will fit comfortably in a single issue, I’ll send you two digestible, readable issues a few days apart. This way, you’ll get all the good info without having to deal with too-long emails or mailbox overload.

The other change is one of sponsorship. As you’ll see in the next issue, I’ve begun accepting small text ads to help defray the costs of running this newsletter (up to now, I’ve paid for it all out of my own pocket).

The ads are totally unconnected to the content in any way. I won’t choose who runs the ads, and the advertisers will have no say in what I write. In short, there is no tie-in between the ads and the content of the newsletter whatsoever. They’re two independent things. (If you or your company would like to sponsor an issue, drop me a note at fred@langa.com .)

Let me know what you think of the changes at fred@langa.com !

Dropping Breadcrumbs

You know that hoary old story about the blind men and the elephant: One feels the trunk and say’s "An elephant is like a snake!" Another feels a leg and says, "It’s like a tree!" One touches a side and says, "It’s like a wall!" and so on.

Well, Microsoft's web site makes an elephant look like a model of simplicity. To its credit, Microsoft has put an incredible amount of information online. But navigating it all---finding what you need---can be a nightmare.

I’m a regular visitor to microsoft.com, and I’ve dropped a few breadcrumbs around to help me find my way to the good stuff. Let me share some of my favorite breadcrumbs---ok, they’re bookmarks--- with you, and then I’d love to hear what nooks and crannies you’ve found on the site.

Microsoft Personal Support Center: Over at http://support.microsoft.com/support/default.asp you can gain access to a broad range of technical support information for just about all Microsoft products and technologies. It includes pointers to newsgroups, ways to order tech-support documents by email, support addresses and phone numbers, and information on additional resources (such as books). It’s a great place to start when you’re trying to solve a particular problem or answer a specific question.

MSDN (Microsoft Developer Network) Online: The pages at the Developer Network http://msdn.microsoft.com/default.asp are rich with (free) practical, hands-on information, tutorials, downloads and more. It’s where I go to learn new tools and techniques, or to refresh my skills in any areas I’ve gotten rusty in. By the way, don’t let the name put you off: Just about everyone builds web pages and sites, and many of us write scripts or other programmatic applets. There’s good info here for just about anyone beyond the "newbie" level.

TechNet: Located at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/ , TechNet has a number of subsections, and generally the deeper you go the better it gets.

In fact, some of the topmost-level stuff actually is really lame. One page (at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/top10/popular/popular.htm ) is titled the "Top Ten TechNet Articles." Sounds great, eh? However, only six articles are listed. Similarly, the "Top Ten Referral Articles," which are articles users have most-often emailed to others (see http://www.microsoft.com/technet/top10/send/send.htm ) lists only eight articles. Doh!

But further down, on the CD-Online subsite
( http://technet.microsoft.com/cdonline/default.asp ) you’ll get access to much of the content on the $300 TechNet CD series, and all you have to do is fill out a short questionnaire. Once you’re done with the questions, you have access to a gold mine of very high-quality information--- for free!

I’ll have more information in this week’s Dialog Box BBS area on the WINDOWS Magazine site starting late in the day (UT-4) on Monday May 10 1999 at
http://content.techweb.com/winmag/ . I’ll tell you my favorite haunts on the Microsoft site--- but there’s much, much more. What do you like most or find most useful with the labyrinth of pages there? What tricks and tools do you use to dig out the information you’re looking for? Share your ideas--- and your breadcrumbs--- with us all, and join in the week-long discussion!

BrowserTune Update

I’m hip-deep building the full version of BrowserTune 2000; this is the version that will supplement the automated version now available in demo form at http://www.browsertune.com/bt2kdemo/ .

The plan is that you’ll be able to use the super-fast automated tool for a quick checkup of your browser, and then switch to the full version to correct any problems uncovered by the automated tests, or to explore in greater details any element of browser operation that’s giving you trouble—or that you’re simply curious about!

The full version involves many, many pages, and really can’t be released piecemeal, so it’ll be a short while before I can show you how it’s coming. But stay tuned: I think you’ll like what you’ll see!

Meanwhile, of course, the full version of BrowserTune98
( http://www.browsertune.com/bt98 ) remains active and at your service. It tests almost 300 browser features and functions, and can help you solve almost any browser problem you might have---just not in quite as automated a fashion as BT2K will.

Real Virus Threats… or Hoaxes?

I got a ton of mail in response to last week’s virus-checker discussion.

Some people asked about various specific viruses--- such as the "Guts to say Jesus" email virus making the rounds. It usually has a message something like:

VIRUS WARNING !!!!!!!

If you receive an email titled "It Takes Guts to Say 'Jesus'" DO NOT open it. It will erase everything on your hard drive. Forward this letter out to as many people as you can. This is a new, very malicious virus and not many people know about it. This information was announced yesterday morning from IBM; please share it with everyone that might access the internet. Once again, pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book so that this may be stopped.

This isn’t a virus--- it’s a hoax--- and there are several clues. First, opening email per se can’t format your hard drive. There has to be an attachment or some other kind of program, and then you’d have to run the program, before any damage could happen.

The second tip-off this is a hoax is the citing of a vague authority: IBM. Other favorite vague authorities often cited in hoaxes like these are Microsoft and various government agencies (NASA, the DOJ, etc.). If NASA or the DOJ had a major virus infestation, you think you'd hear about it via an email from a friend? Look at the Melissa and Chernobyl viruses--- every major newspaper, TV and radio station covered them.

Third, any email that says anything like "pass this along to EVERYONE in your address book" reveals the true intent of the email: It’s a form of chain letter. The only damage this does is that it clogs up mail servers and wastes bandwidth as well-intentioned but misinformed people spread the message. In a sense, the "virus" is the message which people dutifully duplicate and mail off by the thousands of copies.

When in doubt about any virus, simply visit the web site of a reputable antivirus vendor. For example, if you go to the Norton AntiVirus site at Symantec.com, you’ll find this:

Guts to Say Jesus Hoax
VirusName:Guts to Say Jesus Hoax
Aliases:RETURNED OR UNABLE TO DELIVER hoax
Infection Length:Hoax
Area of Infection:Hoax
Likelihood:Hoax
Region Reported:EMail
Characteristics:Hoax
Target Platform:Hoax
Target Date:Hoax

The anti-virus vendors make their livings tracking viruses, and if anything they tend to over-report and overdramatize virus threats. If a reputable vendor says it’s a hoax, you can be sure it is.

Plus, if you keep your antivirus software up to date, and run it regularly, it should protect you from any real viruses that do try to sneak in via email.

No antivirus software? See next item.

FREE AntiVirus Software For You

Reader Bruce Starling responded to last week’s virus item with this:

Fred,

Computer Associates (if you know the name) have come up with the following...you might like to check it out as I have and perhaps recommend it to your readers (no, I don't own stock in the company) :)

The following URL will take you to a site that actually has a FREE Virus scanner. Not only that, it has free lifetime updates of the virus signatures and free online Support as well. What more could you ask for??? Gee whiz and people say there is no free lunch anymore. Well perhaps not, but there IS a free Virus Scanner. Get it while it's hot!!

http://www.cai.com/antivirus/personal/

Enjoy

Bruce

Thanks, Bruce.

You do have to fill out a form and give some personal information to download "Inoculate IT," but as Bruce says, it’s hard to beat the price: It’s free.

And once you have this or any other antivirus software running, did you know you can use BrowserTune to check it out? See next item.

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How To Test Your AntiVirus Software Safely!

BT98 has a special test that uses an industry-standard pseudo-virus (not a real virus) to let you see if your antivirus software is working correctly. If it is working properly, it will detect the fake "virus" and alert you. If it isn’t working, you’ll be able to download the fake virus. (But because it’s not a real virus, it can’t harm you!) This way, you can ensure your antivirus app is working, with 0% risk!

Get your antivirus app running, then click over to http://browsertune.com/bt98/virus.htm for the fast, safe test.

Or see the whole BrowserTune security test suite at: http://browsertune.com/bt98/secure.htm

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Yes, There’s Still More On The "Continuous Operation Bug"

Oh, boy, the mail just won’t stop! 8-) It’s still pouring in about the "Continuous Operation Bug" I mentioned three weeks ago. To refresh your memory, this is a weird one in which a Windows computer will hang after precisely 49.7 days of continuous operation. The culprit is a bad timing algorithm in the Vtdapi.vxd file.

Please note that the ONLY affect of this bug is that a PC may hang IF it's left on without a shutdown or reboot for seven straight weeks. Many readers wrote that their PCs hang, too--- but as far as I could tell, only one of the readers who wrote to me was leaving his PC on long enough to trigger this bug.

One reader even wrote to say "I have this bug--- my PC crashes after several hours use." That’s a bug all right, but it’s not THIS bug, which ONLY affects PCs left on and running for seven straight weeks. Very, very few desktop PCs are ever left on that long; frankly, there are few Windows installs that will run anywhere near that long without requiring a shutdown or reboot. 8-)

Other readers were worried because they searched their systems and couldn’t find the Vtdapi.vxd file. But that’s no problem; the file won’t be installed unless Windows determines that you need it. If the file’s not there, you don't need it, and without this file you can’t have this bug.

I said in the newsletter that this is primarily a Win95 bug. But some installs of Win95 may not have the file; and some installs of Win98---especially upgrades from Win95---may retain the file. So it’s not absolute, but either way is nothing to worry about: If you have Win95 but don’t have the file, don’t worry. Likewise, if you have Win98 but do have the file, don’t worry.

Bottom line: This is a low-occurrence bug that affects almost no one. IF your system has the Vtdapi.vxd file, and IF you leave your system on without a reboot or shutdown for over seven weeks, THEN you should visit the Microsoft site at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q216/6/41.asp and see about getting an updated file.

Otherwise, this particular bug isn’t worth worrying about at all, and I’m truly sorry my mentioning it alarmed so many people! 8-)

OK, So What About the Bugs We Do Have?

Although you probably don’t suffer from the "Continuous Operation Bug," everyone who runs Windows knows all too well that there are many, many other bugs that strike with far greater frequency.

Long-time readers may recognize some of these URLs, but they remain among the best sources for tracking down and fixing just about anything that’s wrong with a Windows system:

Complete, Step-By-Step Hardware AND Software Fixes (fix almost any problem!): http://content.techweb.com/winmag//library/1998/1001/fea0045.htm

Win98-Specific Bugs and Fixes:
http://content.techweb.com/winmag//library/1998/1201/cov0066.htm

Coping With Version Conflicts: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//library/1998/1201/ana0010.htm

Finding and Fixing Y2K Issues: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//library/1999/0101/fea0061.htm

Fast Ways To Reinstall Windows: http://content.techweb.com/winmag//library/1998/1001/fea0045i.htm#won't_work

Recommendations Pouring In!

My thanks to all of you who have used the fast, free "Recommend This Newsletter" link at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 ! It’s wonderful to see that so many of you like the LangaList enough that you want to share it with others.

Do you know one other person who might find this newsletter interesting or useful? Click on over to http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 to see just how easy it is to send them a free copy, in your name.

Thanks!

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IE 5 Security Bug?

I found a great site the other day: Scott Schnoll's "Internet Explorer Security FAQ" at http://www.nwnetworks.com/iesf.html .

Late last week, it carried news of a new bug that was discovered by a Ziff-Davis employee. The bug:

"affects users who share the same machine for browsing. If one user goes to a web site - in particular, a Unix web site that used the .ht access method for accepting usernames and passwords - any other user with access to the system can also access that page, without having to enter a username or password…. Microsoft is currently investigating this issue. They agree that this is a bug, and they are determining the extent of the breach and whether or not a patch can be issued. Until such time as one is issued, you can employ one of a couple workarounds:

Manually clear your web cache each time you're finished browsing

Configure IE to purge the cache when the browser is exited

Configure IE to check for a new version of the page every visit

Configure IE to not save encrypted pages to disk"

I’ve added Scott’s page to my permanent bookmarks--- maybe you’ll want to, too!

Just For Grins: Local Media

Except for those who live here, most people think of New Hampshire as a mountainous state and aren’t aware there’s a tiny little 16 mile stretch of New Hampshire that’s on the ocean, wedged in between northern Massachusetts and southern Maine. The NH seacoast population center is Portsmouth; a pleasant little city, with the emphasis on “little.”

Portsmouth is an hour east of Manchester, New Hampshire’s largest city, and an hour north of Boston, which is the de facto center of all the New England states. That means that local media has a lot of competition from more distant sources; and that the talent drain of the larger markets has a strange effect on purely local media outlets.

There’s a local radio station, for example, that touts itself as “Number ONE… among its constant listeners.” I am not making this up.

One current local TV ad for a supermarket has a young woman whose primary attribute seems to be her ability to enhance the topological complexity of a tight red sweater. She describes the supermarket’s departments with bubbly, if inarticulate, enthusiasm. The deli counter, she says, produces wonderful lunchtime “sammiches.”

A local car dealer starts its ads with a voice in an echo chamber with the reverb turned way up: “The more things stay the same,” it intones, “the more they change.” Huh?

And a local FM station boasts it has "the widest geographic coverage" of any FM station in the USA: Through translator and repeater stations, it’s heard across a huge chunk of northern New England. Of course, what they don’t say is that the reason the FCC allows that kind of coverage is that no one lives there; in that vast tract of mountainous woodland, the moose outnumber the humans.

But on the other hand, my local cable company has just wired my street with fiber-optic cable, so cable modem service soon will arrive. The service will, I’m sure, be number one among its constant users. 8-)

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred

( fred@langa.com )

(P.S. Please email the LangaList to a friend! Use this super-fast form !)

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