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The LangaList
Standard Edition

2002-10-31

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) New Software: PestPatrol V.4

I always get a bit nervous when I discuss a product that's sometimes advertised in the newsletter: I don't want to appear to be shilling for the advertisers. But I also don't want to have to avoid discussing good products just because they happen to advertise here. So, my clunky solution is (1) not to discuss an advertised product in any issue that actually carries an ad for that product; and (2) to be explicitly clear about it (as I'm trying to be now) when I do discuss an advertised product, so you can make your own judgment about my objectivity.

This all is prompted by the new version 4 of PestPatrol--- a malware detection and removal tool we've discussed many times in the past ( http://search.atomz.com/search/?sp-q=pestpatrol&sp-a=0008002a-sp00000000 ) .

PestPatrol is one of three anti-malware/anti-spyware tools I use on my own systems. (A software firewall and an always-on antivirus tool round out my software defenses.) Although the three anti-malware tools overlap somewhat in function, they actually complement and backstop each other quite nicely. When all three pronounce my system as clean, I can be all but certain it really *is* clean of these types of pests.

Here are the three:

Ad-Aware ( http://www.lavasoftusa.com/ ) is outstanding freeware that scans your system for "... known Spyware/Adware parasites, Malware, Browser hijackers, Scumware, [and] Foistware." As the name implies, it's main focus is in detecting and removing components of advertising-based software that may covertly "phone home" or otherwise compromise your security. The current FAQ lists about 60 types of hostile software (see http://www.lavasoftusa.com/software.html ) that Ad-Aware can handle; if you factor in the different variants and versions of these, the total number of pests Ad-Aware can handle is probably well into the hundreds. The problems with Ad-Aware are that it's slow to scan; and the website of its maker--- LavaSoft--- has had major reliability problems, making it sometimes impossible to get the latest versions. This has become somewhat better in recent months, especially now that the "Reference File" for Ad-aware is mirrored on many independent sites. And for better speed, there's a Plus version of Ad-Aware that works in real-time to monitor your system. That version costs $15.

The excellent Spybot S&D ( http://security.kolla.de/ ; $5 donation requested) goes after many of the same nasties as does Ad-Aware, but its focus is slightly different and its scope is a little broader, targeting several hundred specific spybot/adbot programs. ( http://security.kolla.de/index.php?lang=en&page=bots ) Unlike Ad-Aware, "...another feature of Spybot S&D is the removal of usage tracks, which makes it more complicated for unknown spybots to transmit useful data. The list of last visited websites, opened files, started programs, cookies, all that and more can be cleaned. Supported are the three major browsers Internet Explorer, Netscape Communicator and Opera. Last but not least Spybot-S&D contains some routines to find and correct invalid entries into the registry." Spybot also comes with fake spyware files that it can use to trick some spyware into thinking the phone-home components are still installed: By replacing a real spyware payload with a dummy file, Spybot S&D may enable you to still use whatever software the spyware came with, but without the risk of being spied upon.

PestPatrol ($23.95; sponsored link: http://www.digitalriver.com/pestpatrol/63171 or generic link: http://www.pestpatrol.com ) goes much, much further than do Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D, targeting some 60,000 pests in many categories (not just spyware/adware). "PestPatrol detects and removes hacker, remote administration and distributed denial-of-service attack creation tools, spyware and trojans.... KeyPatrol, the new generic keylogger detection, enables PestPatrol to detect all keyloggers regardless of whether the individual keylogger has been analyzed by the research team." The new PestPatrol version 4 has a nicer interface, has improved its automatic-update feature, and has added ":... intelligent reporting that delivers information on individual actual pest threat levels, generic keylogger detection and removal, automated spyware cookie detection and removal, plus diagnostic tools and a significantly expanded detection database." It can be run as an on-demand tool, or as a continuous background service. It's very nice software.

If I had to use just one anti-pest tool, it'd be PestPatrol. But I actually use all three in a multi-step, deep-cleaning routine to ensure my system stays free of all malware. The three tools actually work pretty well together, although they can each over-report a bit--- seeing pests where there may actually be none. (Example: PestPatrol may report that Spybot's fake spyware files are actual spyware when they are not.) But by the time I'm done with a three-part sweep--- first Spybot, then Ad-Aware, then Pest-Patrol--- I can be all but 100% certain my system is safe from a huge number of malware items. I like that level of certainty. 8-)

I recommend all three. To me, a total investment of less than $30 is pretty inexpensive for peace of mind.

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2) Windows Look-Alike On Linux

Hi Fred, I think you should take a look at this site: http://www.xpde.com/index.php . It's a windows interface running on Linux. Regards. Simon Koh

Thanks, Simon. It's one (of several) available "shells" or graphical interfaces that Linux users can employ to give Linux the familiar look and feel of Windows. XPde described itself this way:

Welcome to XPde! Here you will find a very special desktop environment, it's a project that tries to recreate the Windows XP desktop environment on Linux. The main purpose is to be a bridge for all the normal Windows users, allowing them to "feel at home" in front of a Linux computer....

You can see what it looks like here:
http://www.xpde.com/modules.php?name=Screenshots

BTW, the XP interface is becoming a de facto standard for software, not because of any scheming or monopolistic machinations by Microsoft, but because it's pretty good. For example, in a head-to-head comparison between XP and the Mac OS X, Cnet actually found the XP interface slightly superior to the Mac's. (I know--- Mac users will never accept this. But you can read it for yourself at
http://www.cnet.com/software/0-429669-8-7618644-1.html?tag=ld . The final rating for both OSes as wholes was equal, but in the interfaces--- which is what I'm discussing here--- XP won unanimously.)

And the XP interface is highly modifiable. See the "visual tweak: section of "Ten Ways To Make Windows XP Run Better" at http://www.informationweek.com/story/IWK20011204S0009

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3) Email Deja Vu

Fred I'm having a problem with e-mail. First let me say that this is a home built pc running Windows 98 SE and loaded with Bill Gates. The problem is that when I log onto Outlook Express to check e-mail it runs continuously and loads the same six e-mails over and over because it seems to be "stuck" on number seven. I delete them and log off and log back on and "they just keep coming and coming" to use one of your lines. The screen says "receiving 7 of 13" but like I said it never loads past 7. I have Norton Systemworks installed and thought that the e-mail scan might be the problem so I uninstalled the entire Norton and then re-installed and updated only to have the same problem. Please give me some idea what's going on by responding to my sons e-mail at [address withheld] as it seems that I can't receive anymore right now [at my own address]. Thank you, Roger McWilliam

Actually, that last bit of info--- that you also can't receive email now--- may be important. My guess is that something's gone wrong with the mailbox on your ISP's server.

You see, your local mailbox is really just a working copy of your *real* mailbox, which is a folder on your ISP's mail server. Your inbound emails are really just files in that folder. Normally, when you retrieve your email, the mail server simply sends you the files from your folder. When you discard email, the server either immediately erases the appropriate files from your folder, or makes a note to do so at some point in the future. (Some email clients and systems let you decide how long read or discarded mail is held on the sever before it's actually erased.) In any case, what we think of as retrieving and deleting email is really just a series of file operations on an email server at your ISP.

An email server's operating system usually will "lock" a file or folder it's about to work on, so that no further changes will take place until the pending operation is finished. But if something goes wrong, a folder or file may get locked and stay that way. Or, because emails are really just files, they can get scrambled just like any other file: If the "end of file" marker is munged or missing, for example, the email server won't know when it's gotten to the end of a message: It may hang.

My guess is something along these lines is going on with your email. Fortunately, the solution is usually simple: Just call your ISP and ask them to (1) verify that all your mail files are unlocked, and (2) manually to delete the message(s) that originally caused the problem (e.g. message 7). It usually only takes a minute to resolve mailbox problems, and then you're back in business.

The key is to remember that there's nothing particularly special about email or mailboxes: They're just files and folders, much like what you see on your system every day.

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4) CPUCOOL

Our recent item on "CPU Cooling And Performance Meters" ( http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-10-17.htm#5 ) prompted reader David Stewart to recommend a tool I hadn't heard of:

Fred: For five or six years, I have used CPUCOOL, which is uncrippled shareware and costs only $13 to register. Although its ability to change the Front Side Bus may make it appear to be only for speed freaks, it's really much more sophisticated. It has a forced cooling function that has seen my CPU temp drop from 59 C to 33 C on a consistent basis. The program, now in version 7.1.3, offers a graphic display of CPU activity although virtually every read out can be configured to the user's needs. However, the general interface is not slick--- functional. http://www.podien.onlinehome.de/CPUCOOL.HTM

Wow, it's a veritable Swiss Army Knife of cooling software: It also monitors your hard drive's health; lets you change the speed of your system bus; optimize memory; optimize the CPU instruction set; shutdown the PC with a single key combination, monitor temperature, fan speed, voltages for many motherboards; and (of course) cools the CPU itself.

Interesting find, thanks, David.

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5) Spews

Fred, I saw your article regarding SpamCop and wanted to let you and your readers know about a "service" that is even worse called Spews. Spews doesn't blacklist sites, it blacklists entire ip ranges as a way to force domain owners, most of whom are completely innocent but happen to be within the range of the IP block, to pressure their ISP or service provider to shutdown the supposed offending spammer. It is my opinion that Spews (which is completely unreachable if you wish to object to your being included in an IP range), is actually run by spammers - as their actions are so heavy handed that they cause most users to end up dropping the use of RBLs, and as a consequence more spam ends up getting through to people's inboxes. More information about my experience is available at http://www.allpm.com/article.php?sid=261&mode=&order=0&thold=0  Regards, Michael Lines

Thanks, Michael.

SPEWS stands for "SPAM Prevention Early Warning System." Like SpamCop, it's a well-intentioned, first-generation tool for combating spam. As such, it's a pretty blunt instrument, and (as Michael's case shows) it can do a lot of damage to perfectly innocent sites.

I wish the folks who set up these early, simple blacklists would wake up to the harm they do; and apply their obvious talents to producing better tools. As it is now, they're using first-generation anti-spam tools to try to block third- and fourth-generation spamming techniques.

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6) Netscape Problem, And Fix

The exact location of the Mail item may vary, depending on how you have things set up, and which versions of Windows, Netscape, and OE you have. But Yasser's trick can get you pointed in the right direction. Thanks, Yasser.

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7) Last Day To Enter October's FREE Drawing

Later today (Oct 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) Lost Your Ding?

Sounds kinky, but it's actually not: It's a minor but irritating Windows problem that reader Eran Rosenmann tracked down and solved:

Hi Fred, This is one of these small annoyances in windows that are not mission critical, but can drive you a little nuts, trying to solve.

One day you find that when you move the slider in the Volume Control, instead of the familiar Ding that tells you the sound level, you hear a beep from the PC speaker. Depending on the Windows version you might find that other sound events have also disappeared. Searching the newsgroups you'll find others searching the solution, some have even reformatted and reinstalled Windows! Until recently the problem has been caused by the deletion (probably by some installation) of the registry key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\.Default\.Default\.Default

Rebulding it (or using Kelly's dingfix.reg file at
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/dingfix.reg ) would return your Ding.

Lately (after installing Neromix by Ahead - an mp3 player/burner) the Ding again disappeared, along with the Windows start, exit, logon, logoff and exclamation sounds- but not other sounds. I checked my registry but the default key was in place and unharmed. After I noticed that the sound events are fine in other user accounts, and a referral to a Windows 2000 MSKB article: http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=KB;EN-US;q262256& ,

I found out that the Neromix installation nulled the data at the root of HKEY_CURRENT_USER instead of "value not set" there was nothing. The solution is to delete the string - windows will rebuild the correct one.

The question this raises, again, is why does MS (who went to great length to protect the system files in WinXP) still allow every software to change whatever keys the programmer sees fit (or by error) and not protect this valuable database file ? It seems we would all benefit from a little registry protection.--- Eran Rosenmann

Indeed. But until Windows is truly self-healing from problems like this, the best alternative is backup and rollback software. See http://www.langa.com/backups/backups.htm

BTW, there are similar issues and fixes in Win98, too. See http://www.google.com/search?q=No+Sound+98

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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

krhamm.com
http://www.krhamm.com/index.htm

Custom computer haven
http://www.customcomputerhaven.com/

Artificial Life and Other Experiments
http://www.aridolan.com/

SpareRib Design
http://www.sparerib.net/

Hawaii Condo
http://www.geocities.com/sd4sys/home.html

Ricksta
http://www.ricksta.net/

Old Time Music and Dance
http://oldtimemusicanddance.homestead.com/index.html

SEVENTH SOJOURN
http://svnthsojourn.tripod.com/favorites/index.html

Pearl Beach resort (Jubail Saudi Arabia)
http://pearlbeach.server101.com/

Free Resources For Teachers
http://www.emunix.emich.edu/~vhughes/Free/

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10) Just For Grins

In the Hallowe'en spirit, reader Bruce Fraser sent in this item:

I recently received this in another tech newsletter (sorry, can't remember which one).

The context the gag began with a Hallowe'en question why do programmers think that OCT 31 = DEC 25?

The answer, in the following issue, explained how programmers use different number systems binary, octal, decimal, hexadecimal. "31" in the OCTal system equals 3x8 plus 1x1, for a total of 25 in the DECimal system. But what really got me was the addendum sent in by a reader:

"There are 10 kinds of people in the world those who understand binary and those who don't."

Love your newsletter, Bruce Fraser

LOL! Thanks, Bruce. (For those unfamiliar with binary, "10" in binary is "2" in decimal. <g>)

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11) Plus! Edition Highlights:

• Legit Way To Counterattack Spammers
• Free Tool Simplifies Moving Floppies To CD
• Free Rollback Tool

Today's LangaList Plus! Edition contains all ten items above, plus about 30% more content including: A clever, free, and entirely ethical way to gum up a spammer's database; a free tool that automates moving multi-floppy software to CD storage; and a free tool that works like a giant system-wide "undo" that lets you roll back your spreadsheets, documents etc., to any point in the past.

Each Plus! Edition issues costs just pennies--- honest! Check out all the sign-up info: 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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This newsletter is a service of Langa Consulting LLC and is Copyright © 1997-2005 Fred Langa/ Langa Consulting LLC. All worldwide rights reserved. LangaList: ISSN 1533-1156

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