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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2001-07-26

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) Safe--- Or Sorry--- On CD-R

Some CDs, especially those made with the light aqua phthalocyanine dye backed by a plastic-protected layer of gold metal foil, can last a long time. Others, using bluish cyanine dye backed by unprotected aluminum foil, can degrade fully ten times faster!

And that's in normal circumstances. In unusual settings, things can get *very* weird:

While flying on an airplane to Belize I read an article that shocked me. I researcher had been to Belize and discovered that some of his CDs were being eaten by a fungus. Here is an article describing his findings.
http://www.nature.com/nsu/010628/010628-11.html   ---Richard Bray

Thanks, Richard! Maybe Symantec should include a can of Lysol in their next suite of Norton Utilities....

Fortunately, most of us don't have to worry about bugs *literally* eating our data. But tapes, floppies, and CDRs all do have finite lifespans, and you should know what you're getting into when you entrust your data to each medium.

Specifically with CDRs, the "sweet spot" in selecting a CDR type for any given data storage task is the one that provides enough longevity to accomplish the storage task with a comfortable safety margin, but not so much as to needlessly raise the costs by paying for unnecessary longevity.

The article at http://www.informationweek.com/thisweek/story/IWK20010719S0003?section=opinion has all the info you need to become an informed CDR consumer. You'll be able to identify the most common CDR types on sight, and also pick the kind that's just right--- and least expensive--- for your storage needs. Come check it out!

And then join the discussion: What have you found that works well for short, medium, and long-term backup? If you're using tape, what steps are you taking to ensure long shelf life? If you're using CD-Rs, what types do you prefer, and why? What sources do you use for buying blank media? How long do you think your data will survive in storage? Do you periodically refresh old backups by re-recording onto new media? Please click to http://www.informationweek.com/forum/Fred Langa and share your knowledge!

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Subscriber Dee Dee King writes:

Thanks for your newsletter! I thought I would forward this about .zip files.

From "Network Computing and The SANS Institute
-- Security Alert Consensus --

Thursday, July 19, 2001 Hopefully, everyone is aware that you should not execute programs or applications sent to you by an unknown party. However, how many of you are aware that you shouldn't open unknown .zip or .tar files, either? A few recent posts have come across Bugtraq indicating various potential problems in the handling of popular archive formats (.zip, .tar, .rar, .cab and so on). Problems also have been reported when these formats are used in conjunction with Windows device names. Floating around the Internet at the extreme end of things is a particular trojan .zip file (nicknamed 42.zip). E-mail virus scanners that automatically check within .zip files will find that this amazingly small file will decompress to gigabytes in size, using up all available resources -- and typically taking down the virus scanning gateway. Some more information can be found at
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2001-07/0206.html and
http://archives.neohapsis.com/archives/bugtraq/2001-07/0232.html

Thanks, Dee Dee. The SANS Institute has a ton of good info (see http://www.sans.org/newlook/home.htm ).

This zip file problem is similar to an early web page trick some people used: They'd build an infinitely-recursive table on a web page: The web page would contain commands to create a table within a table, and then would re-execute the same code over and over until the PC's memory or system resources were used up. Sometimes, the only way out of the page was to reboot.

The Zip file problem is similar. But it's easily avoided if you DON'T use the "active mailbox scanning" feature of some forms of antivirus protection. (See http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-07-19.htm#1 )

In my case, probably 99%+ of the attachments I'm sent are worms and Trojans being pumped out of various people's infected PCs, trying to infect me. Rather than check each one, I just routinely dump all attachments, unopened, except for those I'm explicitly expecting in advance.

By making it a rule to throw out any and all attachments (without running, scanning, or doing anything else with them) except for attachments you specifically requested or otherwise know about in advance or are getting from a known-reliable source, you can save yourself a world of headaches from all kinds of email nasties.

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3) Speaking Of Zip Files

WinZip--- which has had something like 50 million copies downloaded since it first became available--- has a new version (8.1) in beta. WinZip is my preferred archiving tool, even though there are other (and even free) alternatives. WinZip has never let me down, and so I stick with it.

You can see the new features in graphical summary form at http://www.winzip.com/betawz.cgi , and read the text summary at http://www.winzip.com/wz4180x2_beta_announcement.htm

If you're already a registered user of WinZip, you'll be glad to hear that this upgrade--- like all others for the last 10 years (!) will also be free.

I'm using the beta, and it seems very stable. But it *is* a beta: As the site says, "Please keep in mind that WinZip 8.1 is still a pre-release beta test version, and has not experienced the same level of testing as the current WinZip 8.0 release. If you are not familiar with WinZip, or are not comfortable with beta software, then we recommend that you do not download the pre-release version, and instead use the release version."

That's good advice, and you can get the shipping version (8.0) via the main page at http://www.winzip.com .

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4) Dodging The PhoenixNet "Phone-Home" Bullet

PhoenixNet, you may recall, is a low-level "phone home" app built right into the PC system hardware in some PCs that ship with the popular Phoenix brand BIOS. (See http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=phoenixnet&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) That's bad enough, but readers also report that the PhoenixNet-equipped BIOS slows their systems down, even if the "phone home" actions are turned off!

But--- perhaps due to the outcry of intensely unhappy users--- Phoenix seems to have had a change of heart, as was reported recently in http://www.theregister.co.uk/content/55/20486.html

Phoenix has concluded that this business model no longer represents a viable approach to delivering services to its users, and the product is being phased out....

 ...motherboard companies discontinued adding PhoenixNet Solutions Delivery clients to their products in the first quarter of this year. The shipments of the product that remain in the channel are from earlier production that will not be resumed.

Whew--- I'm very glad to see this one go away, and I hope it never returns.

(And: My thanks to the many readers--- Ryan Satcher was the first--- who sent in notes about the Register's article!)

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5) S I R C A M Follow-Up

The S i r c a m email worm/virus that spread at an incredible rate during the last week (see http://www.langa.com/flash.htm ) is only now starting to slow down. I have no idea how many systems were affected--- and still are being affected--- but it's a ton.

Norton and MacAfee both posted how-to information for manual deletion and repair of the worm's damage, but Windows Registry guru John Woram found the MacAfee instructions in particular to be almost as bad as the worm itself. So, he posted a much simpler, semi-automated way to repair the S i r c a m damage:

Yikes!! I know enough about virus detection to be dangerous, but those McAfee instructions for cleaning up after s i r c a m are a mess!! First, it says to rename REGEDIT.EXE, and then gives instructions to COPY (*not* rename) it. Renaming it would be pointless, in any case. Next, there's a zillion-step procedure for cleaning up the Registry. Guaranteed to confuse the hell out of anyone who reads it. I'm putting some much-simplified instructions in my next newsletter, but FWIW, you'll find the whole works in a little zip file at http://www.woram.com/zips/surkam.zip [The misspelling of s i r c a m is deliberate, so this item won't run afoul of hyperactive email filters. And please note that John's site has recently come under attack by malicious Chinese hackers; the site may be occasionally slow or unavailable.]

The whole shebang (including a README.TXT file) is a tad under 3 Kbytes. Also, McAfee forgot about erasing a few critical files. Regards, John

Thanks, John!

(While you're at John's site, check out his newsletter, too!)

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6) Microsoft Admits WinME Memory Problems

Reader Jim Barrett sent this along:

Hi Fred, I spotted this today and thought it may be of use to you. By the way, if you're not already a visitor to the Extremetech website, it looks like something that would be right up your alley.

"ExtremeTech Readers Uncover a Major Flaw in Microsoft's Windows ME Operating System Memory Leak Could Potentially Put Millions of Computers at Risk of Frequent Crashes; Microsoft Support Confirms They Are Investigating the Problem ( http://www.extremetech.com ), Ziff Davis Internet's site for hardcore technologists, reported today that its readers have uncovered a significant flaw in Windows Millennium Edition (Windows ME), the consumer version of Microsoft's flagship operating system. The flaw -- a memory leak -- could put millions of users at risk of frequent crashes. The full story can be found online in the site's news section at http://www.extremetech.com/article/0,3396,s%253D201%2526a%253D8748,00.asp ..."

"According to the report, Microsoft support has confirmed that the problem exists and that they are currently researching a solution. The memory leak occurs when users open large programs or files in Windows ME and then later close them. By design Windows is supposed to "recover" the amount of free memory available to the system for other tasks. However, due to this leak, Windows ME never actually manages its free memory properly, thereby leaving a system unstable and highly vulnerable to freezes, crashes and "blue screens of death." The problem does not affect any other version of the operating system."

Thanks, Jim.

There are several errors in the Ziff story. First, WinME isn't Microsoft's "flagship" OS by a long shot; it's a stopgap OS designed to generate some extra revenue for Microsoft until the Win9X and NT/2K- based OS cores merge in the forthcoming XP operating system.

Second, all Win9X operating systems suffer from memory leak problems of one kind or another; memory leaks in general are not unique to WinME. However, with this particular OS-level leak, it appears that WinME actually has regressed to a point where it's worse than earlier versions of Windows. ("Flagship." Hmmph!) In this area, as in so many others, Win98SE is a much better home/end-user choice; and Win2K a much better business-oriented choice.

Core-level memory leaks are hard to fix--- it takes a very low-level fix, usually from the OS maker, to do the trick. But other memory leaks can be plugged: See, for example http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/2000/14.htm .

And there are a number of other things you can do to work around WinME's many other limitations (see http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm ).

But my best advice still remains: Avoid WinME if you can. It's a dog.

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7) Last Few Days To Enter July's FREE Book Drawing

On July 31, I'll choose another monthly winner of a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys... 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 shopping spree! (Full details also available via this link): http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm

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.recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=143182

Either way, thank you, and good luck!

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8) Even Better (Free!) Unattended Backups

Writing from Rome, Italy, reader G.C. Levy had some helpful information about unattended  backups (see  http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-07-19.htm#9 ):

With regard to unattended backups [LangaList 2001-07-19], I am using a small utility, StartBackup ( http://www.mvps.org/serenitymacros/images/startbackup.zip ) . Not only is it free, the authors were kind enough to answer (in ONE day!) the request for porting the utility to my localized version of MS Backup. Their site, http://www.mvps.org/serenitymacros , is a no-frills, rich bag of resources, mainly on Windows and MSWord. Ciao - and many thanks for your great newsletter!

Thanks, CG! The site hasn't been updated in a while, but the stuff there looks good!

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9) They Loaded The Code

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:

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

NETSCAPE SOLUTIONS for VERSIONS 4.x & 6.0/6.01/6.1b1
http://home.att.net/~cherokee67/index6.html

Impressive Personal Portal
http://charliewz.tripod.com/index.html

MIDI Guitar Sequences by Harry Todd
http://gitpicker.com/

Softball
http://www.mypage.onemain.com/mikel/index.html

Airbrush Magic
http://shop.store.yahoo.com/peterjoyes/index.html

BizGate Consulting
http://www.bizgate.com.au/partners/index.html

Antiques and Collectables
http://www.teresascollectables.com/

EyeJam Digital Art
http://www.eyejam.com/

(American) Indian Prayer
http://www.geocities.com/anindianprayer/

Differenzia
http://www.differenzia.com/

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10) Just For Grins

I've done some consulting work, so this struck a little close to home, but I still enjoyed it. (It was sent in by Thomas Slavin, who credited it to Marisa Davis.)

Once upon a time there was a sheepherder tending his sheep at the edge of a country road in rural Wyoming. A brand new Jeep Grand Cherokee screeched to a halt next to him. The driver, a young man dressed in a Brioni suit, Cerrutti shoes, Ray-Ban glasses, Jovial Swiss wristwatch and a BHS tie, jumped out and asked the herder "If I guess how many sheep you have, will you give me one of them?"

The herder looked at the young man, then looked at the sprawling herd of grazing sheep and said "Okay."

The young man parked the SUV, connected his notebook and wireless modem, entered a NASA site, scanned the ground using satellite imagry and a GPS, opened a database and 60 Excel tables filled with algorithms, then printed a 150-page report on his high-tech mini-printer. He turned to the herder and said "You have exactly 1,586 sheep here."

The herder answered "Say, you are right. Pick out a sheep."

The young man took one of the animals and put it in the back of his vehicle.

As he was preparing to drive away, the herder looked at him and asked "Now, if I guess your profession, will you pay me back in kind?"

The young man answered "Sure."

The herder said immediately "You are a consultant."

"Exactly! How did you know?" asked the young man.

"Very simple," replied the herder. "First you came here without being invited. Secondly, you charged me a fee to tell me something I already knew. Thirdly, you do not understand anything about my business, and I'd really like to have my dog back."

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
Free Help For MS Office Users;
Wow! Seven (Mostly Free!) Great Programs Plus Three Books;
Reader Feedback on "PestPatrol"

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all 10 items above, minus the ads, and plus about 30% more content including: the return of a long-absent free tool that automatically keeps your copy of Microsoft Office up to date with all patches, updates, etc.; an extensive list of personally-recommended tools, applications and utilities (many free), plus some excellent books; and one reader's amazing experience with "Pest Patrol."

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

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred
(fred@langa.com)

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

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