Please note: Older issues may contain information that is now out of date.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.htm
Questions about the advertisers? See the end of this note. Please also see legal notices at the end of this note. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

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
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-05-21.htm

The LangaList
Standard Edition

2001-05-21

A Free Email Newsletter from Fred Langa
That Helps You Get More From Your Hardware, 
Software, and Time Online

Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!

1) How Much Reg Cleaning Is Enough?

In light of today's proliferation of tools and utilities, reader Al Jack asks a good question:

I have a question about programs that claim to "clean the registry". There are a lot of these programs out there. One such program is called RegCleaner found at http://www.jv16.org/ . It looks like a nice piece of software.

But if I run Norton WinDoctor on a regular basis, is this kind of registry cleaning software necessary? I know that WinDoctor scans the registry and reports and fixes problems with the registry. Is it doing the same job as the reg cleaning software?

I haven't found any Registry Cleaner that does it all, but I have found a combination of three tools (two of them free) that seems to catch just about every kind of Registry problem. (Note that  I really beat on my system all day, every day: I'm an extreme case, and you may not need to be quite so rigorous. )

First, as part of my daily maintenance routine, I run RegClean 4.1a. This is Microsoft's free and simple Registry cleaner; it scans neither wide nor deep, but it will pick up some types of common errors. And as a nice touch, it give you a one-click Undo option so you can put things back the way they were, if you need to. (I've never needed to do this, but it's nice to know it's there.) You can download RegClean from most popular download sites (such as http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,000E3I,.html ), and you may be able to get it from the Microsoft site. (I say "may" because Microsoft has a love/hate relationship with RegClean, and periodically pulls it from their site. Eventually, when enough people complain, they put it back. As of this writing, Regclean 4.1a is mentioned on the MS site, but the file is unavailable again. Sigh.)

Next, I'll run Jouni Vuorio's Regcleaner (Al Jack mentions this in his note, above). As one of its many functions, it has a fast and simple "Registry Cleanup" under its Tools menu. It often finds incipient problems that Microsoft's RegClean misses.

Finally, I'll run Norton's WinDoctor. Most days, it finds nothing--- all incipient problems have already been found and corrected by the first two steps. But sometimes, it will sniff out something that's fallen through the cracks.

After running all three registry cleaners (total time--- maybe 2 minutes), I run Clean9x.Bat ( http://www.langa.com/clean9x.htm ) which not only cleans up non-registry Temp files but also runs Scandisk and optimizes the Registry, compacting any wasted space caused by entries that were deleted by the cleanup programs. A fast Defrag (with Speed Disk) and a fresh Drive Image of my primary partition, and my system is lean, clean, optimized, backed up and ready for another day's no-holds-barred abuse--- and all in the space of a quick coffee break. 8-)

Again, this may be excessive for anyone who isn't as hard on his or her system as I am. But on the other hand, my Registry has no "bloat" (its size hardly changes at all over time), and I believe that keeping the Registry and indeed the entire system well maintained is one of the reasons why my system almost never crashes.

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---

2) More File-Hiding Software

In "Free: Hide Folder Contents From Prying Eyes" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-05-07.htm#3 ) we discussed software that can encrypt all or some of your hard drive; you enter a password at reboot, and the software then gives you on-the-fly access to the encrypted material. Unauthorized users may start your PC, but they'll have zero access to the protected files.

Ben Stapleton was one of many readers who suggested other products that do the same basic task. For example:

A similar program to "Folders Freeware," also free but more features, is ScramDisk. http://www.scramdisk.clara.net/

ScramDisk creates an encrypted Virtual Disk of a size you specify on your hard drive. After entering a passphrase, the drive is mounted and then can be used as a normal drive. Files and Folders can be saved to and retrieved from this virtual drive. You can even install applications onto the encrypted drive.

Further, Ortwin Kairies writes:

There are a lot of On The Fly Encryption (OTFE) packages out there. The generally accepted review of all of them are found here: http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/true/882/Comparison_OTFCrypto.htm  While not fully up to date, it provides a pretty good comparison of the systems. I use Scramdisk V3 with Eudora Pro V 4.3 and all of my e-mail on my laptop is totally encrypted. If my laptop were stolen or lost, I'd still sleep like a baby.

Thanks, Ben and Ortwin--- and all who wrote in!

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

3) New Threat #1

Reader Mort  Goldberg sent me a "heads up" note about two new threats, one of primary interest to people with their own web sites, and one that potentially affects us all. First, here's the one that affects site owners:

1) Formmail Vulnerability

During the past few weeks, there has been a flood of spam being relayed through innocent third-party webservers all over the world. The problem turns out to be a security hole in the widely used Matt Wright formmail.pl PERL Script. Briefly, spammers have discovered that the unmodified script is vulnerable to spoofing of the HTTP_REFERER value. The effect of this hack is to turn the script into an anonymizing open relay. Apparently, some script kiddie has even come up with a program to rapidly scan websites and pinpoint those with vulnerable formmail scripts.

... It is possible to patch the formmail script, and I have heard from a couple of webmasters fluent in PERL who have done so. However, according to well-known anti-spammer and UNIX expert [and LangaList reader] Suresh Ramasubramanian the best course of action is to abandon formmail entirely and change to an alternative. (His exact words "Ditch formmail.pl - even if you patch it it won't work too well and there are other holes.")

There are at least three alternatives of which Suresh is aware. One of these, available at http://www.bignosebird.com/ , is, according to Suresh, also very easy to hack. He likes a second one, available at http://www.extropia.com/freedownloads.html  (also called "Selena Sol") a little better. But his best recommendation is the "mailer" script available at http://www.geekgiveaways.com/code/ . I have looked over the documentation http://www.geekgiveaways.com/code/mailer.html , and from what little I know, it *does* seem to be designed from the git-go to be far more resistant to hacking than formmail. However, it also appears to be considerably more trouble than formmail to set up. Definitely not for newbies.

Thanks, Mort.

The FormMail problem is only a concern if you (1) have a web site and (2) use FormMail. If you do, then the above is definitely worth checking out so that you won't be tagged as a spammer (and have your domain blocked), and maybe have your bandwidth allocation eaten by others.

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

4) New Threat #2

Here's Mort's heads-up on the second threat, with a potentially wider impact:

2) "The Download Forcer" ...Check out the website at http://www.downloadforcer.com  and see if this thing sounds as nasty to you as it does to me.

Indeed, Mort, the "Download Forcer" does sound bad. Downright evil, in fact. Note that in the following description, the "you" is a site owner trying to force a download on a user who doesn't want it:

The Forcer ensures all your attempted downloads are completed. In other words, if a person initiates a download from your site the Download Forcer will ensure that the download is completed.... With the Forcer, even if the visitor switches off their computer while downloading the download will complete when they reconnect to the Internet....The forcer will appear to be closed down but as soon as the download is complete the installation software will be initiated.

In other words, it's like a GoZilla you can't control--- one that's controlled by a web site owner. Whatever they want to put on your PC will get there and will be installed, even if you don't want it.

The "Download Forcer" site is a little half-baked, and it's possible the whole thing is more talk than action. (I declined to try their offered "demo," and I suggest you decline, as well.) But if their software is real and works as advertised, it's a truly offensive breach of privacy and private property, and--- in some jurisdictions--- may be outright illegal.

And if it IS real, I truly hope the authors of Download Forcer spend some time looking out at the world from behind bars.

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---

5) Brain-Picking

Reader Adam Kautz has a good suggestion. Although he mentions it in a specific context, his advice is also more generally applicable:

People who are thinking about downloading ANY software might first want to check see what other user's opinions are (if any) at http://download.cnet.com . My favorite part about user's opinions is that when there are many opinions submitted for a particular piece of software, I believe I can a rough idea of the stability of the software and whether the software might have serious bugs. I say "might have," because,

1. A user's hardware, corrupted or buggy OS, or other piece of software running on the system might be the cause of a malfunction.
2. People can lie for various reasons.

Never the less, your readers might find it helpful to see what other users are saying about the two free productivity suites, which were mentioned in your 5-10-2001 issue, before they try them out for themselves.

For CNET user's opinions on 602Pro PC Suite go to http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10016-601-2833642.html

For CNET user's opinions on StarOffice go to http://download.cnet.com/downloads/0-10016-601-2236152.html

Thanks, Adam. You also can use the Google Group Search to troll Usenet "Newsgroups" for similar real-life comments from other users. See http://groups.google.com/

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

6) Another Way To Speed Downloads

Reader "Jimmie" writes:

"If you looking for a real good download manager that's FREE... try download accelerator plus. It can be downloaded at www.hotfiles.com. It's easy, very user friendly, and a meager 1.3 megs! I find this particular program great with high speed connections( cable, dsl, etc.), but it also is very good with dial up and a resume option. Believe me if I've used one download program I have used a hundred, and this one seemed to work the best without spyware. http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/stories/info/0,,000ZGG,.html

Thanks, Jimmie. It is adware, though; and while it speeds downloads, it also will steal a little of your bandwidth to serve up ads.

I do a lot of downloads, but the actual percentage of time I'm downloading is trivial compared to my overall time spent in general browsing. Thus, to me, it seems that focusing on speeding browsing offers a better payoff.

One well-known technique--- similar to the "multiple streams" concept of many download accelerators--- is to increase the maximum allowable connections your browser can make to a site. You can do it yourself for free either by following the instructions at http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-03-20.htm#5 or by downloading and applying this Reg patch: http://www.speedguide.net/files/PH_Webtweak9x.zip

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

7) Don’t Make Me Beg! 8-)

If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, 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 $10,000 for your trouble (full details also available via this link):
http://www.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182

Or, win a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys... and more. 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 $30 Gift Certificate! (Full details also available via this link):
http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

8) A "Wow" Site

Hi Fred - A friend recently turned me on to http://www.balthaser.com . It is clear what they are about (they are web developers) but it is a tour de force in Flash programming. This site blew me away; (and I have no ulterior motive to promote this site).... Check it out.--- Dave Pugh

Thanks, Dave. It's very slick indeed. Nice tool, too, albeit commercial.

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

9) They Just Keep Coming And Coming and Coming...

Well over a thousand of your fellow readers have "Loaded the code." Please click over to http://www.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://www.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://www.langa.com/randomlink.htm

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

"Software And Other Things"
http://bc.d2g.com/

WildBlueYonder Visual Communications (Australia)
http://members.optushome.com.au/wildblue/somework.htm

New England Specialty FOODS
http://www.nesfoods.com/

Henry Hand Free Services
http://www.henryhand.com/

Esthetics and Hair Designs (Canada)
http://www.bus.nait.ab.ca/student/bus08886/

SHADOW'S TURF (Canada)
http://www3.telus.net/frague/indexo.htm

Tri-County Barnstormers
http://www.tri-countybarnstormers.com/members.htm

Flying Dream
http://www.geocities.com/df_md11/

Tropicana Beach Club
http://www.tropicanabeachclub.com/links.htm

Cowboy poems and more
http://www.members.tripod.com/~ramblincowboy/index.html

Syp Squadron
http://www.syp-squadron.com/main.htm

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---

10) Just For Grins

I don't know where this list of "New Viruses" started--- a quick search reveals it appears on about 40 different web sites--- but I hadn't seen it before:

The "I Love You, But I'm Shy" virus never actually invades your computer, but collects data about it worshipfully from afar.

The "Love The One You're With" virus hangs around your computer, but the whole thing is just temporary until it can find the computer that it really wants to invade.

The "Happily Married" virus invades only one computer and stays with it for life.

The "Unhappily Married" virus spends a long time negotiating with a computer, finally invades it, and then strays to other computers from time to time.

The "I Want A Divorce" virus sends repeated, hard-to-read messages that your computer isn't working and takes half of your computer's best data in an ugly network session.

The "Stalker" virus spends unnatural amounts of time monitoring your computer, collecting data your computer has thrown away and tries to record all of its functions. And it writes rude messages to any other computer with which yours connects on any regular basis.

The "Forever Single" virus causes your computer to focus solely on other computers with which it is totally incompatible or prove generally unavailable.

The "Deadbeat" virus invades your computer, spawns an entirely new database, then refuses to help update it as it grows.

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList Free! ) ---

11) Free Tool To Clear "Typed URLs;" More Burn-In Tools; More AutoRun Info

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: a free script to clear your "typed URL" history in Internet Explorer; more "burn in" tools to test your PC thoroughly; and additional resources for creating "autorun" CDs.

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

Click to email this item to a friend
  http://www.langa.com/sendit.htm

return to top of page

See you next issue!

Best,

Fred
(fred@langa.com)

Please recommend the LangaList to a friend! (And maybe win $10,000!I)

An easier-to read formatted HTML version is available in the "Current Issue" section of http://www.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.

return to top of page

Administrivia:

UNSUBSCRIBE: From the same email account you used to sign up with), send an email to
unsubscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net

SUBSCRIBE (it's free!): Create and send a new email to
subscribe-langalist@lyris.dundee.net

CHANGE ADDRESS? LIST TROUBLE? HAVE QUESTIONS? OTHER PROBLEM? NEED HELP? See http://www.langa.com/help.htm

This is a 100% OPT-IN newsletter: See http://www.langa.com/info.htm

About the advertisers: http://www.langa.com/privacy.htm#ads

Disclaimer: http://www.langa.com/legal.htm  In brief: 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 any loss, injury, or damage, direct or consequential, resulting from your choosing to use of any information presented here.

This newsletter is a free service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 1997-2005 Fred Langa/ Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

return to top of page