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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2001-09-13

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!

Contents:

1) Shortened Issue
2) Another Hoax Getting Too-Wide Play
3) WinME Freebie
4) Final Word (?) On Fast Find
5) Recommend It
6) Can't Use Windows Update After Installing IE6?
7) They Loaded The Code
8) IE6 Link Bug?
9) Just For Grins
10) Popular Reader-Recommended CD Emulation Tool;
Wrap-Up Re: Uninterruptable Power Supplies

For even more content, downloads and special services,
check out the LangaList Plus! Edition: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm

 

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1) Shortened Issue

I normally prepare Thursday's issues on Tuesdays; and unless you've been living in a cave, you're aware that the US experienced a horrific terrorist attack on Tuesday. To you, that was a couple days in the past. To me, it's happening now: I watched the World Trade Towers fall on TV about an hour ago.

In that hour, I've gone from initial shock, to tears for the victims, to an icy outrage at the fools who perpetrate acts like this. There is no excuse, no justification, no motivation, no rationale that can make acceptable a brutal act of unprovoked violence against the innocent and uninvolved--- except, perhaps, in the minds of madmen, barbarians, and pawns who substitute slogans for rational thought.

Today's issue will be somewhat shorter than usual.

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2) A Hoax Getting Too-Wide Play

Reader Tom Whalen was one of many disturbed by allegations at a site (the URL can't be reproduced here because the site name includes a certain four-letter expletive beginning with the letter "F"):

[The site] talks about hidden files on computers with copies of every site you visit and every Email you send or receive despite emptying the cache. Supposedly hidden files you can't see. A friend sent me the link saying he followed the directions and it deleted allot of file and he did not have any problems after. (yet?)

I am very skeptical so I would not follow, especially since the author is a anti-Microsoft Linux user. Let us subscribers know what you think....

Listen to your BS detectors, Tom: they're giving you good info.

The fact that the site name contains an expletive is a sign that the people peddling this nonsense are kids, either chronologically or psychologically. I suspect the former, because no one with any serious Windows experience or almost any meaningful DOS experience at all is stymied by "hidden files."

What these kids are talking about are things like the DAT files that simply contain the stuff that--- for example--- lets IE offer a selection of recently-visited URLs as you type in an address.

Hidden DAT files are "system" files; and like *all* system files in Windows, they're inaccessible by default to keep the uninformed from diddling with them. But, same as any other system file, they're accessible if you reset the file Attributes either in Windows (it just takes a couple clicks) or from DOS (it just takes one command-line instruction).

In fact, cleaning the DAT (and similar) files was the working example we used in the "Save Your Butt With DOS" series ( http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/2000/21.htm ); and that led to the creation of the Clean9x batch files at http://www.langa.com/cleanup_bat.htm .

That free file will completely erase the DAT files in question, simply and easily.

When you think about it, Windows 9x has been around for a long time--- 6 years. The idea that Microsoft could have planted in every copy a "secret database" that somehow could have remained hidden until now--- that is, until a bunch of kids finally learned about the ATTRIB command--- is laughable.

In short, the idea that Windows contains a secret database for spying on you is an utter hoax. It's just plain BS.

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3) WinME Freebie

Dear Fred: Finally, I seem to have found a piece of software actually written (and not just tweaked up) for WinME - and free at that. Its called System Restore Remover Pro and its from Definition Software ( http://www.definition-software.com  ). While the main reason for the software's existence seems to be to remove System Restore - something one can do easily enough if one knows where to look in WinME and surely the only worthwhile reason for the OS in the first place - it has two additional features that make it all worthwhile.

1/ Do you, like me, really, really hate Windows Media Player 7/7.1 and find it cluttered bloatware that takes forever to load, seems to promise everything but does nothing well? WinME won't let us kill it off, but SRRP will swap it back to Media Player 6.4 and let you get on with life. And, if you're into self-flagellation, you can even swap back to WMP 7/7.1 later. But there are so many better products out there....

2/ SRRP kills off Movie Maker. Like, when was the last time you used it and how lame was it? Free up some hard drive instead. There is, however, no going back on this without your Windows CD.

System Restore Remover Pro is a small (516 KB) download and installs in Control Panel. Once installed and activated, its possible it may display a screen saying your ME is not registered (even if it is) - click 'don't show this again' and Yes, choose your preferred tweak, reboot and voila!

OK, its not all that big a deal, but it gives you the illusion you can have a small part of OS as you use it, not how Mr Bill wants it to be.

Keep up the great work with the Langalist! Regards, Barry W Cook

Thanks, Barry.

Manual de-activation of System Restore isn't hard. The method--- and the reasons why you might want to do it--- are covered in "Ten Ways to Make Windows ME Run Better" at http://content.techweb.com/winmag/windows/features/merunbetter/default.htm .

But SRRP does more than the plain manual removal method, and may thus be a useful tool for those readers dealing with WinME's particular quirks.

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4) Final Word (?) On Fast Find

Roger Jackson writes:

Fast Find is just as intrusive in Office XP but it is more difficult to find a way to switch it off (it doesn't appear in any of the usual places). I found the answer is to go into Word 2002, bring up the Task Pane, switch to the "Search" Task Pane, and switch off Indexing Services under Search Options.--- Roger

Thanks, Roger!

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5) Recommend It

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 again, and good luck!

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6) Can't Use Windows Update After Installing IE6?

Some readers report trouble using Windows Update after installing IE6. But, writing from Hamburg, Germany, reader Tom Garn found an answer:

Hi Fred, During the last days the (german) Microsoft servers were very busy because everybody wanted a personal copy of IE6.

This seems to have caused trouble for some people. When they finally downloaded and installed their copy of IE6 and tried to access http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com  they received an error message. IE then was closed and restarted. Even uninstalling and going back to the former IE 5.x version did not solve the problem.

I found a nice solution in MS KB article Q193385 that did the trick for me. I deleted the contents of ...\ProgramFiles\WindowsUpdate\ *except* WUHISTV3.LOG (this file stores the records of previous downloads in clear text) and everything was fine again.

Thanks, Tom.

You can access the above-mentioned KnowledgeBase article and two related files at http://www.google.com/search?q=Q193385+site%3Asupport%2Emicrosoft%2Ecom

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7) They Loaded The Code

Well over a 1,500 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

We'll resume listing new sites in the next issue.

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8) IE6 Link Bug?

Another IE6 glitch is affecting other readers:

Fred, There's an annoying bug that was fixed in IE 5.5 but that is now back in IE 6. It involves clicking shortcuts on the Links toolbar while you have multiple browser windows open. Sometimes the site will open in the first browser window you opened rather than in the active browser window. There's an MS Knowledge Base article (which includes an OK workaround) at http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/Q241/0/47.ASP

I sure hope they squash this one again soon. Regards, Dinos Lambropoulos

Thanks, Dinos.

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9) Just For Grins

JFG will return in the next issue.

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10) Popular Reader-Recommended CD Emulation Tool;
Wrap-Up Re: Uninterruptable Power Supplies

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all items above, plus more content including: reader recommendations on a popular--- and apparently very effective--- CD emulation tool; and additional information--- including a handy rule-of-thumb--- on making sure you neither spend too much--- or too little!--- when buying an uninterruptible power supply.

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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