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Please note: Older issues may contain information that is now out of date. How To Subscribe
and Unsubscribe is at the end of this note. Mailing List Trouble? See http://www.langa.com/help.txt Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000 !) An easier-to
read formatted HTML version of this newsletter is available on line at The LangaList 2000-08-24 A Free Email
Newsletter from Fred
Langa
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Cleanup.Bat--- the free hard drive
cleanup tool we've discussed in recent issues--- has been a huge success for
many, many readers. Several readers continue to report they're freeing up huge
amounts of space, but even more modest gains are beneficial. Take for example,
this email from reader "Jerry." Hiya Fred ! Man, I always thought of
myself as a hard drive neat freak. I even have the Tweak UI interface set to
clean out "all the stuff" when I shut down and have IE set to do this
and another program set to do that...blah blah. I really didn't think the batch
file would find much. Hell, it found 37.4 MB of stuff ! I'm impressed !
Excellent work !--- Jerry Glad it helped, Jerry. If you haven't tried it yet, or if
you didn't get the latest version of the file last Monday, click on over to http://www.langa.com/cleanup_bat.htm
and check it out! Click to
email this item to a friend A number of readers want to modify
Cleanup.Bat to completely eliminate *all* "Temporary Internet Files,"
including cookies. (As-is, the batch file selectively deletes potentially-large
files that may accumulate in the Temp area.) The issue is actually more
complex--- and dangerous--- than it seems. For one thing, cookies can be very
useful: They can store passwords and logon information for various web sites,
for example. If you delete your cookies, you may find yourself locked out of
password-protected web sites. For
another, cookies are tiny--- they're just little text files--- and even if you
have a ton of them, they won't occupy much space. Plus, there's more to the Temp
area than just cookies. And further, Internet Explorer is built into
Windows, so some of the files in the Temporary area are live; some you can
safely delete, others either can't be deleted, or can't safely or easily be
deleted. As-is, Cleanup.bat selectively and carefully deletes files in the Temp area
that are safe to remove, and that may occupy a large amount of space (making
them worthwhile to remove). I don't
recommend totally deleting the Temporary Internet File areas by a brute-force
method such as by using a "deltree /y c:\tempor~1" line in Cleanup.bat;
that's why I wrote Cleanup.Bat the way I did. But there *are* safe and reliable ways to reduce the, er, garbage in the Temp
area, and because so many people asked, I'm writing a a full-blown article on
clearing disk clutter: It will go live on the WinMag site next Monday. Stay
tuned! Click to
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"Jack C" was the first of
many readers to wonder about automating the cleanup process by inserting
Cleanup.Bat in the Autoexec.bat file (or CALLing it from there) so that the
cleanup will run automatically on every restart: Some folks might find it
useful to incorporate the clean.bat lines in their autoexec.bat file. Throwing
caution to the winds, I pasted the contents to my autoexec.bat file, removed the
pause, added a line to clean up the Juno ads and voila, my daily startup gets it
all. (Sorry, Juno). You have a fine "Langa List"--- Jack C. Most times, that approach will work
fine. But not always: Many setup and installation programs
require a reboot--- often, they work this way: They go as far as they can, place
new files in a Temp area, ask you to reboot, and then finish the rest of the
installation or setup after the reboot by using the files in the Temp area. If you run Cleanup.Bat as part of
your Autoexec.Bat, it will dutifully clean out all files in the Temp areas. So,
after reboot, the setup program will look for the files it needs in the Temp
area and won't find them: The setup/install will fail, perhaps leaving your
system with a half-installed application. That's why I created Cleanup.Bat as
separate, stand-alone file. You can place it in your Autoexec.bat if you wish,
but you may be asking for trouble the next time you install a new piece of
software. Click to
email this item to a friend Earlier this week, a new security
problem came to light in the Java subsystem that's part of most Windows and IE
setups. According to Microsoft, "If a malicious web site operator were able
to coax a user into visiting his site, the vulnerability could allow him to
masquerade as the user, visit other sites using his identity, and relay the
information back to his site." Not good. There's a patch available, but
deciding which version of the patch to use requires some minor detective work on
your part. It's not hard, but because there are many different versions of the
Java subsystem in circulation, trying to run through all the options here would
make this newsletter way too long. Instead, I recommend you click over
to http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/fq00-059.asp to read the FAQ. There, you'll find
all the info you need, as well as links to the patch that's correct for whatever
Java version you're running. If you already know what version
you're running, or know how to use "Jview," you can jump straight to
the patch page at http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/ms00-059.asp
. Click to
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Reader Rodney Shaw wrote: Hi Fred! Only been a member
of your mailing list [Langa] for a couple of weeks and I must say that I find it
very informative and well presented. On the subject of
Cleanup.Bat and DELTREE, I found a very useful utility on the web some time ago
and would like to suggest it as an alternative to DELTREE. As far as I know it is
Freeware and can be found at http://www.easytools.com
The advantage in using it would be for those people who are a bit cautious or
apprehensive about using DELTREE is that this utility deletes files/folders to
the recycle bin and not into cyberspace if a mistake was made ;-) It a least
gives them a chance to recover from an erroneous file(s)/folder DELTREE. Once they are satisfied
that the batch file is doing the trick for them, all they need do is
replace DELETE.EXE with DEL and DELTREE where applicable in your batch file. Thanks, Rodney. The file is called
"Delete'97" and it is indeed free. It works from the DOS box in
Win95/8 and NT 4.0. It's actually a tiny console-mode application, just 47K in
size, that moves files to the recycle bin instead of simply deleting them. Thus,
if you delete the wrong files, you can easily recover them. It's worth a look. You'll find
Delete'97 and many other tools available at http://www.easytools.com
. Check 'em out! Click to
email this item to a friend This press release caught my eye: Enigma Browser 2.5 for
Win95/98! Ithaca, NY - August 22,
2000 - Sutton Designs, Inc. has just released the latest version of the Internet
Browser, the Enigma Browser 2.5 for Win95/98. Weighing in with a kernel size of
only 25k, the Enigma Browser® 2.5 remains FAST, FREE, SMALL, and SECURE! Enigma Browser 2.5 is also
not affected by Brown Orifice (like Netscape's Communicator), and is not
affected by ActiveX Rendering Control issues (like the Internet Explorer).
Enigma is a full, smooth, and lean Internet Browser and File Viewer! FAST, not
bloated like the leading browsers on the market, and FREE, unlike Opera, the
Enigma Browser 2.5 also uses NO Ad Banners, Adware, SPYBOTS or Spyware. Enigma Browser 2.5 utilizes
the underlying Windows operating system, but does not require that any other
browser be concurrently installed. Enigma does Javascript and frames, switches
from site to site seamlessly fast. Designed for Windows 95/98, Enigma doubles as
a full screen file viewer. I'll be taking a look at Enigma in
the next few weeks. If you want to explore it on your own, check it out at http://www.suttondesigns.com/EnigmaBrowser/index.html Click to
email this item to a friend In one week, I'll choose another
monthly winner of a copy of "Poor Richard's E-Mail Publishing: Creating
Newsletters, Bulletins, Discussion Groups and Other Powerful Communications
Tools." This $30 book has been described as "An excellent,
straightforward manual on email publishing, banner ads, driving traffic and
especially ethics." To have a shot at winning, just use
the following link to recommend the LangaList to a friend. Your friend just may
find a new source of useful information; I just may gain a new subscriber; and
you just may win a book! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 The more times you make a
recommendation, the greater your chances are of winning! Or, if you'd like to try to win
$10,000(!), try this link (full details also available here): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 Either way, thank you, and good
luck! Click to
email this item to a friend Ever wonder what the heck those
MSCREATE.DIR files are? Chances are, you have a bunch of 'em scattered around
your system, and some people use tools (like Cleanup.Bat) to delete 'em. As I wrote it, Cleanup.Bat doesn't
touch MSCREATE.DIR files: They're zero-byte files that appear once and just sit
there: They don't grow or proliferate. They're created by the MS Office Setup
program to identify directories created by or altered by Office setup. The
Office Uninstall and Maintenance (Add./Remove components) apps looks for the
"MSCREATE" markers in empty directories: If a directory contains
nothing but the MSCREATE marker, Office will delete the directory. So, removing the MSCREATE files
won't really save any space, and may interfere with Office's attempts to clean
up after itself. My recommendation: Leave the MSCREATE files alone. If you'd like a fuller explanation,
several readers sent in links to the details at http://msdn.microsoft.com/library/officedev/office97/ORKht/009.htm Once on that page, scroll down to
"Problems Encountered In Running Setup." (Thanks to all who sent in mail on
this topic!) Click to
email this item to a friend 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 hundreds and hundreds 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
) Speaking of which: Here's another
eclectic sample of reader sites--- some professional, some very personal: Welcome to
T&R Service Home Page! Click to
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Some sites try to stuff "Comet
Cursor" down your browser's figurative throat. That's bad enough, but if
Comet Cursor is getting onto your system, it's a sign of a worse problem: If
that app can get onto your system, *so can other apps*--- even really hostile
ones! As discussed a month ago (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-07-31.htm#8
), on IE, the simple fix is to increase the security settings: Click to Internet options, Security,
and select "Custom." Then step through the many adjustable
areas, changing any likely trouble spots to "prompt." That way, you'll
be asked before *any* software--- including Comet Cursor--- tries to
download or install itself in the future. And that's the way it should be.
Nothing should ever get installed on your system without your knowledge. And
with the proper security settings, you can help ensure that nothing will be! Click to
email this item to a friend Writing from New Zealand, Kevin
Wakefield offers this: MICROSOFT TV DINNER
INSTRUCTIONS You must first remove the
plastic cover. By doing so you agree to accept and honour Microsoft rights to
all TV dinners. You may not give anyone else a bite of your dinner (which would
constitute an infringement of Microsoft's rights). You may, however, let others
smell and look at your dinner and are encouraged to tell them how good it is. If you have a PC microwave
oven, insert the dinner into the oven. Set the oven using these keystrokes:
\mstv.dinn.//08.5min@50%heat//
. Then enter ms//start.cook_dindin/yummy\l/yum~yum-)
gohot#cookme If you have a Mac oven,
insert the dinner and press start. The oven will set itself and cook the dinner. If you have a Unix oven,
insert the dinner, enter the ingredients of the dinner (found on the package
label), the weight of the dinner, and the desired level of cooking and press
start. The oven will calculate the time and heat and cook the dinner exactly to
your specification. Be forewarned that
Microsoft dinners may crash, in which case your oven must be restarted. This is
a simple procedure. Remove the dinner from the oven and enter ms.nodamn.good/tryagain\again.again.crap This process may have to be
repeated. Try unplugging the microwave and then doing a cold reboot. If this
doesn't work, contact your hardware vendor. Many users have reported
that the dinner tray is far too big, larger than the dinner itself, having many
useless compartments, most of which are empty. These are for future menu items.
If the tray is too large to fit in your oven you will need to upgrade your
equipment. Dinners are only available
from registered outlets, and only the chicken variety is currently produced. If
you want another variety, call Microsoft Help and they will explain that you
really don't want another variety. Microsoft Chicken is all you really need. Microsoft has disclosed
plans to discontinue all smaller versions of their chicken dinners. Future
releases will only be in the larger family size. Excess chicken may be stored
for future use, but must be saved only in Microsoft approved packaging. Microsoft promises a
dessert with every dinner after '98. However, that version has yet to be
released. Users have permission to get thrilled in advance. Microsoft dinners
may be incompatible with other dinners in the freezer, causing your freezer to
self-defrost. This is a feature, not a bug. Your freezer probably should have
been defrosted anyway. Click to
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(Please see full disclaimer here: http://www.langa.com/legal.htm.)
Abbreviated version: The tips and other information given in the newsletter are
researched and are believed to be accurate, but we cannot and do not guarantee
that all the information here will work on all systems, for all users, all the
time. All information herein is offered as-is and without warranty of any kind.
Neither Langa Consulting LLC, nor its employees nor contributors are responsible for
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of any information presented here. This newsletter is a free
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