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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2002-01-10

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) "Scrap Windows?" (Plus: Security Patch info)

One of my proposed "10 Resolutions For Better Computing In 2002" ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020102S0012 ) is "Broaden Your Operating-System Horizons." It's caused some readers to react strongly. One even thought I was suggesting that we all "junk Windows."

But that's not quite the case. I'm still using Windows as my main OS. It's still a Windows-based world out there, and will continue to be so for some time to come. The trouble is that almost every day brings to light a new problem with either Microsoft or its software. Ignoring the growing list of problems is just sticking your head in the sand.

For example, this last year we saw an astonishing stream of "unchecked buffer" security problems emerge in numerous Microsoft products. (A malicious hacker can use an unchecked buffer to insert dangerous commands into your software.) This systemic problem with unchecked buffers across a wide range of Microsoft products reached its culmination late last year, with the first reports of security problems in the "universal plug and play" system built into XP and ME, and into the Internet Connection Sharing service in Win98. Microsoft didn't discover these problems: Independent researchers did.

Microsoft initially downplayed these problems (assigning them a threat rating of "low"), but had to change its tune after more non-Microsoft researchers dug deeper and uncovered a security hole (another unchecked buffer) so severe that malicious hackers could completely take over an affected system at its deepest levels. In fact, the problem was so dangerous that the FBI issued a dire warning ( http://www.nipc.gov/warnings/advisories/2001/01-030-1.htm ) in December. After that, Microsoft belatedly acknowledged that the problem was indeed of "critical" importance, and released a patch. ( http://www.microsoft.com/technet/treeview/default.asp?url=/technet/security/bulletin/MS01-059.asp )

I think it says something very bad about Microsoft when third-party researchers and government agencies have to uncover and publicize glaring, extreme security problems in Microsoft products. That's especially so when the exact same kind of problem crops up again and again in Microsoft products. Something's seriously amiss in Redmond.

For this and other reasons (which we'll cover in a future column), I think it's time for all Windows users to start thinking about a "Plan B." This isn't saying "dump windows," but rather is simply self-protection--- a suggestion to begin exploring alternatives to Microsoft products.

The free or low-cost Linux operating system is one obvious Windows alternative; and http://www.linux.com/ is a good starting place if you're new to Linux. More expert users can find a world of Linux information via search engines. (See also the next item, below.) You might also consider something like Sun's free or low-cost Star Office suite ( http://www.sun.com/software/star/staroffice/ ) as a potential alternative to Microsoft Office.

Please come check out the other nine items in my list of New Year's resolutions ( http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20020102S0012 ), and then join in the discussion at http://www.informationweek.com/forum/Fred Langa !

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2) Q&A With Founder Of "Lindows"

We've previously discussed "Lindows" in the Plus! edition: It's a new $99 operating system that can run both Linux *and* Windows applications, or run as a second operating system on a Windows machine. The point of Lindows is to offer an alternative to Windows, to eliminate the frustrations that can accompany installation and use of Linux, and to let Windows users run Linux programs without having to jettison Windows, and vice versa.

As such, it's a very interesting idea--- one that seeks to combine the best of both the Windows and Linux worlds.

Michael Robertson is the founder and CEO of Lindows.com; previously, as the mastermind of MP3.com, Robertson established the largest collection of digital music in the world: more than a million downloadable MP3 files.

By happy coincidence with my list of New Year's resolutions (see item above) InformationWeek.Com is currently offering great info on Lindows, the centerpiece of which is an ongoing online chat with Michael Robertson; there also are other links for additional Lindows info.

It's well worth checking out:
http://www.informationweek.com/869/lindows.htm

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3) Return Of The S u l f n b k Hoax

Maybe it's a case of digital attention-deficit disorder: Every so often, an old hoax resurfaces and snares a fresh crop of people who either missed, or simply don't remember, the last iteration.

The "S u l f n b k" hoax is one such. It's spread by well-meaning people, taken in by the hoax, who send out a form email that starts something like:

Hi everybody, sorry about this. I got a virus from someone and as you are all in my address book, I presume you now have it too. The virus is apparently undetectable by Norton and McAfee. It remains dormant for 14 days then activates and wipes out the hard drive data.

The file in question, "s u l f n b k .e x e," isn't detected by anti-virus tools because it's not a virus: It's a normal part of DOS-based versions of Windows--- a tool for backing up long file names. People who fall for the hoax actually end up deleting part of their operating system!

If you get the hoax mail, don't delete the file. (More info: http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-05-31.htm#1 )

If you already did delete the file, here's how to restore it:
http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-06-04.htm#1

A good rule of thumb is NEVER to believe or forward any email just because it says "Urgent: Pass this on to everyone!" or comes from a buddy (even a well-intentioned one). Chain letters are almost always (99.99999% of the time) a hoax or scam designed solely to trick the gullible into perpetrating the hoax.

You can make yourself chain-letter-proof by taking literally about a minute to check up on any claims made in chain letters you receive:

• Symantec Anti Virus Research Center at http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/index.html
• McAfee Associates Virus Hoax List at http://vil.mcafee.com/hoax.asp
• Department of Energy Computer Incident Advisory Capability at http://ciac.llnl.gov/ciac/CIACHoaxes.htmlDebunking
• Online and email hoaxes http://www.kumite.com/myths/
• The Urban Legends Web Site at http://www.urbanlegends.com
• Urban Legends Reference Pages at http://www.snopes.com
• Datafellows Hoax Warnings at http://www.Europe.Datafellows.com/news/hoax.htm

ALWAYS take a few seconds to verify the truth of any email like the one above, and then tell your friends only if it proves true. Otherwise, you're just helping the hoaxers to waste people's time and bandwidth--- or, in this case, actually to delete part of their operating systems!

Additional resources to hone your BS detectors:

• How To Evaluate Internet Research Sources at http://www.virtualsalt.com/evalu8it.htm
• How To Evaluate Information Sources at http://www.vuw.ac.nz/~agsmith/evaln/evaln.htm

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4) For Experts: Free Do-It-Yourself NTFS Drive Imaging

Reader "James" suggests a clever method to create a free do-it-yourself drive-imaging process for NTFS partitions--- but it's not for novices or the faint of heart:

Fred, ...this is an idea for making backups on the latest DOS-less Microsoft operating system (specifically for NTFS). First obtain a copy of cdrecord from http://ftp.linja.net/pub/mirrors/cdtools/cdrecord.tar.gz  . Go to http://www.picobsd.net  and download the floppy image and rawrite it to a disk. Boot up with the floppy disk and using the command 'mount_ntfs /dev/wdsNsX /mnt' with N = disk number (0 = first IDE chain master 1= first IDE slave, etc.) and X = partition letter (a is first, b is second, etc.) mount the NTFS hard drive. From the cdrecord can be used to burn images of the hard drive onto CD-Rs. This is merely an idea which I can guarantee won't work out of the box, but maybe worth pursuing for someone who wants a quick free backup system.

Thanks, James! I can see where that probably would work, but it also actually makes me glad for a much easier-to-use, click-and-run commercial alternative, like Drive Image. 8-)

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5) Tons Of Freeware & Shareware

Fred, I'm a Plus-edition reader that has benefited a great deal from your e-letter. Take a look at Add/Remove Pro v. 2.04, a freeware program offered by Super Win, developers of the Win Rescue backup program and other software.

A/R Pro is an uninstall program, which also enables you to determine if there are any broken links in the software you have installed. Go to http://superwin.com/ and click on "freeware" to find this little program.

I've been using their "Win Rescue 98" and have confidence in it At least it has saved the day several times when things started going haywire. Based on that successful experience, I felt safe downloading A/R Pro. Regards, Ken De Pree

There's an amazing amount of freeware and shareware on the site; very impressive! Thanks, Ken!

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6) PR Budget = $0.00

Long-time readers know this newsletter is a private project of mine: It's not part of some publishing empire's stable of publications. The newsletter depends on word of mouth to grow: There's no staff or facility (or budget!) to handle outreach and promotions.

And that's where you come in: Each issue, I try to offer you useful, interesting and amusing factoids to help you with your hardware, software, and time online. Can you take just a minute to help me out in return?

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: http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#1 The "Recommend-It" service is an ad-based site (you’ll see banners and such). The advantages to you of using the Recommend-It service are that you can win $10,000 and that you can add a personal message to your LangaList recommendation.

But if you’d rather use the tried-and-true, ad-free recommendation form, you’ll find it at: http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm#2 . That option gives you a shot at winning a no-strings $30 Gift Certificate for any item at Amazon.Com--- books, software, hardware, kitchenware, toys, and more.

Either way, thank you for helping to spread the word about the LangaList!

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7) Free Email Previewer/Screener For Outlook

I recently went a few rounds with Microsoft Tech Support on the Outlook 2000 security patch which disallows receiving certain types of files.... Their response, of course, was that there was no way to fix it, but I COULD upgrade to Office XP to get a version that allows me to change those settings. No surprise, to override a Microsoft caused issue, I just have to give them more money.

HOWEVER, there is another solution. A handy utility called "Chilton Preview" for Outlook gives you a nifty preview screen that allows you to retrieve any enclosures that Microsoft says you cannot get. I recommend it to anyone who has applied this patch, and wants to get to their enclosures. You can find it at http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Peaks/8392/

Too bad the Microsoft engineers aren't smart enough to fix something that this clever third party individual has no problem fixing.--- Steve Martin

Thanks. Steve! That Outlook security patch probably has caused as many problems as it's prevented. 8-(

But the Chilton Preview is indeed a nifty little tool that can help a lot. Thanks!

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8) More Reader Sites!

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 From Among All Listed
http://www.langa.com/randomlink.htm

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

Now Productions (web design)
http://www.nowproductionsinc.com/

Free E-Books
http://shybun.tripod.com/freebooks/

IT Hosts
http://ithosts.com/

AJ Rod Co (drills, cutting tools, etc.)
http://www.ajrodco.com/

WireGrass Net (Alabama)
http://wiregrassnet.com/

F.J. Bradley and Associates (computer consultants; portal page)
http://www.fjbradley.com/index.html

"Birdman"
http://www.geocities.com/birdm1m/

Myike's Web Design
http://www.myikesdesign.com/

Don Wheaton's Website
http://www.knoxpages.com/members/commercial/don_wheaton/index.shtml

TGIF
http://www.mnsi.net/~brucpatt/

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9) Tools That Migrate/Morph In XP

In XP professional, where would one find the systems monitor? I use it to check modem speeds in & out. I would really enjoy finding that bad boy or the new tool that replaced it. so as to check this new STARBAND disk connections MTU in & out speeds. I know there are web sites to do it for me. knowing where that tool went to or what its replacement is, really has got me going. thanks gary gillespie

XP is a hybrid of Win9x and Win2000; users who are mostly versed in one or the other of those may stumble when first using XP.

But most of the familiar tools are there--- they're just renamed or slightly different. Fortunately--- in a nice change from past versions of Windows--- the XP help system actually contains abundant, useful information on them.  For example, if you search for "system monitor," you'll see a full tutorial among the offered answers: the tutorial will show you how to access and set up the "Performance" tool, which is XP's version of System Monitor.

By the way, a general search in XP's help system for the phrase "New ways to do familiar tasks" will bring you most of the important changes and get you up to speed in a hurry.

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10) Just For Grins

Reader Steve Henthorn sends along this guide for "how to know if someone is a Geek:"

A Geek is someone who ...

1. has more e-mail addresses than coins in their pocket
2. has a faint 'monitor tan', but only on their face
3. uses three or more acronyms (URL, CD-RW, MSIE, etc.) in 90+% of their sentences
4. knows the complete version number of each program they use, but can't remember their spouse's birthday
5. remembers to run SCANDISK and DEFRAG each day, but forgets to put on their shoes
6. becomes spellbound at a connectivity problems lecture but can't stay awake at supper
7. knows the names of all robots in movies produced since they were 5 but doesn't have a clue about Aunt Jane's kids' names
8. can code an HTML page quicker than they can compose a short letter a friend
9. can recite the specs on any hardware they use but can't tell you their car's engine size
10. refers to buying groceries as 'upgrading the pantry'

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights

• Free and Easy Way To Monitor Your Active Ports
• Free "NoHTML" Converter For Outlook
• Easy Fix For Sloooooow-Launching XP/Win2K Apps

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: A free tool that's a nice *local* complement to remote/online security sites--- this utility sniffs your Internet "ports" from the *inside*, seeing what's going on, and which processes/apps are controlling what ports; a free tool for Outlook that converts potentially-dangerous HTML email into formatted-but-much-safer rich text; and a simple way to enormously speed up launching of some apps in XP and Win2K.

A full month of the Plus edition--- eight complete issues!--- costs just a dollar! 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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