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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2002-09-26

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) An Unexpected Shutdown Solution

Hi Fred, I read about Ron Finer's problem, in 'Shutdown Woes', ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-09-23.htm#2 ). I recently had the very same problem, in win98se, and the problem that I found was a heat related issue. Like Ron, I had tried everything I could think of, Finally I went looking (looking for what I didn't know) in the cmos [BIOS], and while in there I noticed that the cpu temp was 168F. Way too warm, which I did know from reading the LangaList. I took the case off and found that a fan had bitten the dust. Just letting it cool for a few minutes with the case off and the machine would shutdown as expected. Had to live like that for a couple of days until I got a new fan, but as long as the temp was a respectable 148F, I had no further problems. Thanks, Kent Davis

Interesting, Kent. In my experiences, overheating usually causes the opposite problem--- spontaneous shutdown or reboot. It also can cause random hangs and lockups. I'd never heard of it being specifically tied to the inability to shutdown, with no other symptoms. I'll file that factoid away for future use!

For lots more on heat-related problems and solutions, see "None Like It Hot" at http://content.techweb.com/winmag/columns/explorer/2001/06.htm, or click here for more: http://www.google.com/search?as_q=cpu+heat&as_sitesearch=langa.com

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2) A Grinlet And A Mousing Tip

Reader Mick Combs sends along this two-part note:

First, humor: I use a program called "UCMore", I don't know if you are familiar with the program, but when you go to a new web page it gives you a taskbar with similar sites. Anyway, I went to check my weekly Windows Update and happened to notice the alternative links that UCMore showed for Windows Update. They were "Denial of Service - Abuse - Cyberstalking - Spam - Plagerism_in_Education!"

Now for the help. You recently listed a file to use for DOS sound under Win XP (VDMSound: http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-09-05.htm#4 ). Do you know of any way to get the mouse to work in DOS games? Win 98 had a "Mouse_in_DOS" command you could insert in sys.ini (?). Is there anything for XP? Buttons on the keyboard are for typing, not games!

Well, as is so often the case, "it depends." 8-)  DOS was originally a text-only thing. In those early days, adding a mouse to your system also required the addition of a "mouse driver," a small piece of software that acted as an intermediary to enable the mouse to work with DOS.

Of course, mice have been in wide use for about 15 years now, and all current versions of Windows provide basic mouse support in their DOS/Command windows for functions such as highlighting, copying and pasting text. No extra drivers are needed for that.

But you still need a mouse driver if you're running in plain vanilla DOS (not a DOS window inside Windows, but booting straight to DOS itself); or to add a fully graphical mouse to an old DOS-based program or game that you're trying to run inside a DOS window.

You may already have such a driver--- it's commonly packaged as MOUSE.EXE or MOUSE.COM. (Search your system for mouse.*) Or, you can grab a mouse driver for free from most download sites online, including this http://dos.li5.org/downloads/drv.htm

The more-or-less universal Microsoft mouse driver is here:
http://downloads.zdnet.co.uk/downloads/detail/1002-2110-900552.html

Most other mouse vendors sites also have brand-specific drivers, if you need them. One caveat: A mouse connected to a mouse port--- or even an ancient serial mouse connected to a comm port--- will work fine in DOS with the right driver. But USB devices generally don't work in DOS; and that includes USB mice.

Lots of sites offer how-to info on installing and using a mouse driver. For example, although this is a Gateway support site, its information is actually quite generally applicable:
http://service.gateway.com/gateway/step/0,,5+26+35992+34554+25826+18566,00.html

There's lots more how-to info and driver downloads sites too:
http://www.google.com/search?q=DOS+Mouse+Driver

And, coming full-circle back to Mick's specific question on DOS mice in XP, see:
http://www.annoyances.org/exec/show/article07-114 or
http://www.minnemacs.com/manyhighways/sandbox/xp.html or
http://www.google.com/search?q=dos+mouse+xp

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Fred, I upgraded the bios in the wife's machine. Lo and behold, there is a new parameter APIC OR PIC. I'll save the horror I encountered by seeing the NIC occupying IRQ19 (yup, 19, not a typo) and the sound card on IRQ 18.

I didn't start building computers yesterday, nor even last month, but I never saw APIC, OR PIC and I have only known Interrupt Vectors to range from 0 to 15.

Since I don't smoke anything illegal, I am wondering if Bill Gates Crew has done something to windows2000 that wasn't clearly covered when I did my research on migrating from an MSDN version of WIN98SE.... any Ideas? Best wishes, Bruce Apple

It's not Microsoft; it's actually a hardware thing, started by IBM and Intel.

Ready for some alphabet soup? PIC is "Programmable Interrupt Controller;" APIC is "Advanced Programmable Interrupt Controller."

The core idea behind both is simply to provide a way around an ancient limitation of the classic "AT" style PC architecture, which IBM developed in 1983 or so. Then, PCs were small and had few built-in or add-on devices. The AT-class design allowed for 15 unique "interrupt request" (IRQ) lines, by which devices could call for the attention of ("interrupt") the central processor. Then, 15 IRQs seemed like plenty.

But it wasn't nearly enough, and after just a few years, the manual juggling of IRQs became a necessary black art among users who wanted to expand their PCs. It was ugly.

This problem was partially alleviated with the addition of PCI-based ("Peripheral Component Interconnect"), Plug-And-Play PCs, which could automatically juggle IRQ assignments and--- better still--- even share certain single IRQs among several different components. The PIC is part of the hardware that enables IRQ reassignment and sharing on these PCs.

The APIC supercedes the PIC. Some APICs provide support for reasonably exotic applications such as multiprocessing (more than one CPU in a system); but virtually all current PCs have some kind of APIC chipset built-in. Newer OSes, including Win2000 and XP, explicitly support various APIC capabilities.

For the most part, it's an FYI kind of thing--- good to know about, but not something you have to fiddle with. That is, unless there's a problem. For example, there's a known issue involving XP and some APIC chipsets, including the Intel 815x and the VIA 686B. If you have the problem, you'll probably know about it, because--- among other things--- your video will be choppy and horrible. See, for example, http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;Q310718 

But for the most part, PIC and APIC are terms you can just tuck away in the back of your mind--- you'll probably never have to deal with them directly.

More info:
IRQ: http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm?term=irq
PCI: http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm?term=pci
PIC: http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm?term=pic
APIC: http://www.techweb.com/encyclopedia/defineterm?term=apic
Win2K and APICs: http://www.microsoft.com/hwdev/platform/proc/IO-APIC.asp

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4) Xupiter = Scumware?

Hiya Fred, I love the newsletter! I recently found a new scumware called "xupiter" on my freshly reloaded system. I not only don't know where this came from but it was a pain in the tuckus to remove. Adaware didn't even detect it. Once again a quick google search saved the day.

Thought the other readers would like to know how to remove xupiter if they find it. details are at, http://and.doxdesk.com/parasite/Xupiter.html  Have a GREAT day! =) Dave (aka Frndlylion)

Xupiter is a toolbar that may install itself into IE without your permission, if your security settings are too low. It appears to come bundled with some software or may be force-downloaded with some ads.

There are actually two problems here: One is Xupiter itself, and the other is that people infected with Xupiter (or similar software) have had items installed on their systems without their knowledge or permission.

That should NEVER happen: Nothing should ever be able to self-install without your knowing about it. Unfortunately, it happens all the time--- with things like Xupiter, Comet Cursor, and a host of other programs that take advantage of the fact that many people go online with incorrect browser security settings that allow downloaded software to self-install.

Even if you don't have Xupiter, you need to make sure your security settings are such that you'll always, always, *always* be asked before any downloaded software installs itself. We'll show you how in a moment.

For the first problem--- getting rid of Xupiter--- the site Dave mentions above can help; so can http://www.spywareinfo.com/newsletter/ . It's a little hard to root out Xupiter, but it can be done.

For the second problem--- incorrect security settings--- we covered one way to set up your browser security to prevent software from self-installing in an old issue at http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2000/2000-09-07.htm#3

There's a better and easier way at PC Pitstop: take their free tests, and if they find that your browser security settings are not optimal, they'll offer simple point-and-click fixes that work very well. http://www.pcpitstop.com

When your browser is set up properly, you'll always get an "OK to install?" dialog whenever a program tries to force its way onto your system. If you want the program, that's fine--- just say yes. But if you don't, the right security settings will let you refuse the installation, and that's the way it should be.

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5) Microsoft Java "Virtual Machine" Problem

The note from Microsoft said "Flaw in Microsoft VM JDBC Classes Could Allow Code Execution," and it detailed "...three vulnerabilities, the most serious of which could enable an attacker to gain complete control over a user's system. Max Risk: Critical" This affects most Windows systems.

More info and a patch are available at:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin/MS02-052.asp.

The patch also is being released via WindowsUpdate; if you've visited the Update site in the last few days, you may already have the patch. But if not, visit the link above, and get it manually.

But: Some third-party security analysts say the MS patch doesn't go far enough, and that some problems remain. (See http://www.solutions.fi/index.cgi/news_2002_09_23?lang=eng ). They suggest you download the patch (because it does fix some problems) but that you disable Java support in the Internet Zone until the remaining problems get sorted out....

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6) Last Days To Enter September's FREE Drawing

On Sept 30th, 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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7) More On Spam, And SpamCop

There's a class-action lawsuit brewing against SpamCop and other purveyors of "blacklists." It's too bad, because I believe most of these folks are trying to do the right thing--- to help stop spam.  But they're doing it the wrong way, both in concept and execution. For example:

As a LangaList Plus subscriber I learned about your recent ordeal with SpamCop "Blacklisting" the delivery of your newsletters.

Since then I have had first-hand experience with SpamCop's heavy-handed, across-the-board, "Self-Appointed Gestapo" tactics about blocking ALL email from a server used by several ISP's, even though the offending email did NOT originate from a subscriber of my ISP!

I was then blocked from sending email to my brother, whose ISP had just contracted with a company to set up their "filtering-MX server", who (unknown to the ISP) used SpamCop.

As I firmly believe that my First Amendment Right to Free Speech was violated by this action (contrary to so-called "established opinions" that state otherwise), I "went looking" for any others that share my belief, and, BOY!, did I ever find them!!!

Apparently I am not (nearly) alone in the belief that SpamCop and MAPS (Mail Abuse Prevention System) both use tactics that DO violate the rights of "the rest of us", as there is currently a Class Action Lawsuit being formed to fight these overzealous vigilantes. Since your newsletter was blocked, you should check [it] out.... Ken Walters

The problem with Spamcop's external blacklist (offered to ISPs and others) is that there's no corresponding whitelist of "known good mailers." SpamCop does offer a whitelist function to its own internal customers, but outsiders have access to only half the solution--- a blacklist.

A blacklist without a whitelist means that good emails will be blocked along with the bad: ALL mail from any given mail source will be treated as spam, even if there's only one spammer among thousands of totally legitimate, non-spamming mailers. That includes *private* mailers, too, like Ken, whose personal one-to-one emails have also gotten caught up in SpamCop's crude blacklists.

That's the basic conceptual problem with this blacklist-only approach: Totally legitimate emailers get taken out along with spammers. That's bad--- and it may even prove to be legally actionable.

Unfortunately, the folks at SpamCop aren't listening. They believe they are on the side of Righteousness And Good, and thus are above reproach; they also seem to have total faith in their technology. But consider:

I have recently been getting spam addressed to a disposable address that I have ONLY ever used when submitting spam to SpamCop. The address consists of a string of 12 random letters at the given domain, so it is not likely from a dictionary list. Kinda makes you want to go "Hmmmmmmm". --- Glenn Wolf

Hmmm indeed, Glenn. I don't believe that SpamCop is guilty of spamming; but no secret name or address can ever be 100% safe--- addresses can be guessed or cracked or harvested or stolen or Klez-ed (etc.) or otherwise gotten to. That's probably what happened to Glenn's, and it's probably happened to SpamCop's own spamtrap addresses, too.

Thus, Glenn getting spam at his SpamCop-only address doesn't necessarily mean that SpamCop is engaged in spamming him; SpamCop getting email at their spamtrap addresses isn't definitive proof that someone is spamming them. But SpamCop takes it as such--- after all, their spamtrap technology is perfect and infallible, right? Sure it is.

Interestingly, even some SpamCop users are getting fed up:

Thanks for your newsletter. I subscribed to see what it was after seeing you getting trashed out for days on SpamCop.

I finally quit my SpamCop newsgroup subscription over what is described in the newsgroup as a programming "bug" in their system. Submitting a "spam" to the SpamCop system elicited a screen requesting that the user either subscribe for the paid service or stay connected for *three hours* to complete the reporting process for EACH spam submission.

There is no doubt in my mind that this was a "let's scare you into paying for the service" tactic. But the loyalists claimed that it was just a "programming error." EITHER of these explanations is a disgrace to an organization that claims to be so righteous and perfect.

Thanks to them, however, I now am receiving your newsletter and have something more interesting to read!--- Robert S. Owen, Ph.D.

Again, I believe the SpamCop folks are truly well intentioned; I'm willing to give them the benefit of any doubt. Alas, that's a courtesy they don't extend to others. Just ask any of the thousands of totally innocent users who have had their mail blocked by SpamCop's poorly-implemented, halfway-solution blacklist.

BTW: I'm gathering reader feedback on many better *user-controlled* spam filtering solutions, and will present that in a future issue. Stay tuned!

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8) Another Code-Load Success Story

Code-loader Marat Bandemer writes:

Hi, Fred, I just wanted to say thanks for listing my NeatStuff site ( http://www.maraband.com/neatstuff/ ) in the "They Loaded The Code" section. Boy, what a jump in visitors! I had been getting around 50 unique visitors per day average, and yesterday, after the Langa List hit the inboxes, I had over 2,000 unique visitors--just for one day! Not to be repetitive, but thank you, thank you, thank you! Being featured in your newsletter has done more for my site than submitting the URL to two dozen search engines. --- Marat Bandemer

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 thousands 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

The Igloo
http://members.rogers.com/annecorrinna/main.html

Bored Boss's Daily Views
http://users3.ev1.net/~cynthiashuelee/

One Of Seven
http://home.earthlink.net/~one_of_seven/index.html

Aces of WWII
http://www.frenkenstein.com/ww2/ww2start.htm

SOS Computer Solutions
http://hometown.aol.com/soscomputersol/myhomepage/business.html

We are the Pittsburgh Metro Postal Workers Union
http://www.pgh-metro.net/links.html

"BBBOOKMARKS FOR WWWEBSEARCH"
http://www4.tpgi.com.au/users/gurmatt/

Harmony Within The Family
http://home.woh.rr.com/fsg/

Canadian Forage Product Exports
http://www.transfeeder.com/

Randy Finch's Software, Writings, Media, and More
http://home.hiwaay.net/~rcfinch/

Janitor
http://www.residues.info/

Tom Traylor's Unusual Hobbies
http://traylorfwd.home.mindspring.com/

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9) Free And Low-Cost Disk Encryption

Hello Fred, Regarding the recent item in the LangaList "Are Your Backups And Other Data Snoop-Proof?" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-09-12.htm#3 ) [where you said] "For non-NTFS drives, including Win9x and ME systems, there are third-party encryption add-ons, both free and commercial, that can similarly make the contents of any or all your folders essentially snoop-proof to anyone lacking the correct key."

People interested in disk encryption should check out Sarah Dean's comparison of about 20 "on-the-fly" disk encryption utilities:
http://www.fortunecity.com/skyscraper/true/882/Comparison_OTFCrypto.htm

The page is a little old, but there's still a lot of useful information here.

FWIW, I backup my important files to a 650mb PGPDisk ( http://www.pgpi.org/products/pgpdisk/ ) volume "mounted" as drive P and when I'm done I "dismount" it and burn the PGPDisk volume file onto a CD. Thanks again for the LangaList! Cheers, John Wells

Thanks, John--- Good info!

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10) Just For Grins

These items were promoted by our recent discussion of voice-recognition errors (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-09-09.htm#10 ):

"TerrySull" writes:

When my Mom {a novice typist} started to use email to keep current with her children, she opted to try voice recognition software as an aid in keeping up with her skilled typist daughters. It ended after the following exchange

Mom: Well, I have to sign off and go to the store.
Daughter: Why go grocery shopping at this time of night?
Mom: As the rhyme goes, and when I got there, my cupboard was bare.
Daughter: Who in the H is Mike Hubbard, why is he naked, and where are his clothes?

Jeff Breiwick offers:

Fred, Here is a more lengthy sentence that can trip up speech recognition:
This new display can recognize speech <--> This nudist play can wreck a nice beach

And Charles Perry offers a site that specializes in homophone humor:

Fred, This was written a long time ago, but as soon as I got my voice recognition program I thought of it. Ladle Rat Rotten Hut <--> Little Red Riding Hood  [Full story and more at  http://www.justanyone.com/allanguish.html ]

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Free, Popular Logfile Analyzer

• Auto-Start Your PC With "Real-Time Alarms"

• Archive Downloads Were *Smokin'*

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: a reader recommendation on what's billed as "the most popular logfile analyser in the world;" two ways to get your PC to wake up and self-start at any given time of the day, even if it's completely shut down; and more information on the immensely-popular LangaList Archive downloads..

The LangaList Plus! Edition costs just $1 per month--- pennies per issue! Check it out: http://www.langa.com/plus.htm 

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See you next issue!

Best,

Fred
( Editor@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.

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