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LangaList 2003-09-18 Please visit our sponsors and help keep the LangaList S.E. free!
--- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Brand Name PCs with and without Operating Systems starting at $99.99 <a href= " http://www.langa.com/sponsors/dartek.htm ">Click!</a> --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 1) Auto-Reply Horror StoriesThey're starting to come in--- emails from readers recounting some of the messes caused by out-of-control auto-replies. Here's just one example:
Wow! 200 MB of bogus reply messages from just one user is a lot, but at least that was local, within your own mail system. Imagine if it had been standard internet email. Imagine if it had been on someone's slow dial up account! 8-) While there's a lot of email like the above, I'm also getting some email from people who feel that auto-replies are absolutely essential. For example, they ask: How else will you know if an email you sent never made it to its destination? But consider this: Email isn't unique. Some percentage of paper mail gets lost or misdelivered all the time, and has done so since the advent of postal services, yet we all somehow manage to cope: You simply resend the mail with a "return receipt" requested, or pick up the phone, or send a fax, or try something else. Same with important email. You can resend with a "return receipt," or you can pick up the phone, send a fax, or try another means of contact. It seems silly to me to allow all the very real problems that unbridled auto-responses can cause--- like 200 MB of garbage "I'm away" notes from just one user--- to prevent a *possible* problem with the relatively small percentage of really important emails we send and get. But what's your take? If you use an auto-responder, what do you do to prevent spammers from harvesting your email; to prevent looping; and to prevent worms and viruses from using your address? What other methods are there to help avoid the problems? Click over to Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- "Fred, I , like so many
computer geeks get in the habit of trying out different software (freeware and
shareware) never planning to use it, but just trying it out so we will have a
glimmer of an idea of what [someone] may be talking about. Computer, internet,
service newsletters are the same, I have so many sent to me at my junk mail
e-mail site, that I never more than browse them (if I don't automatically trash
them). Then comes the dawning: 'I really am reading and *using* this particular
newsletter or software.' I guess what I am really trying to say is Thanks... At
this time I must sign up for the plus subscription (at my real e-mail acct). If
we use it, we should pay for it....I and my clients thank you. Bob Javoroski" --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 2) "NDR Spam"This gets a little geeky, but is important to at least know about (so you can recognize it if it happens to you or your mail); and is especially important for mail admins to know about, so they can take appropriate action. It's a way that spammers can take advantage of one particular auto-reply generated by MS Exchange servers: : http://www.mapilab.com/articles/ndr_spam_attack.html To solve this problem, it appears that you have 2 choices Upgrade to Exchange 2003 Server, which does enable you to set up rules-based filtering of incoming messages, or use a 3rd party solution in "front" of your Exchange Server to do rules-based filtering, like MailWasher or Praetor. I'm not an expert on this; my knowledge of this issue is based on what we have experienced here at AEM, and what our network consultant has told us about NDR spam. It's an insidious problem, and one that is undoubtedly affecting other LangaList readers! Keep up the great work, Fred! Best Regards,
Chuck Frey, Thanks, Chuck! Click to email this item to a
friend 3) Solid, Basic InfoWhile the previous item was from the deep end of the pool, here's a lively resource that has useful info for readers of all skill levels:
Thanks, Robert! No, I hadn't seen that. It's an eclectic collection of tech reviews and commentaries covering hundreds of topics. The main entrance is at http://aroundcny.com/technofile/index.cfm ; the link Robert supplied is the archives, which go back about 6 years or so. Lots of good reading there! Nice find! Click to email this item to a
friend 4) More Scumware?
Xtrocash is an "adult" website sponsor that pays three cents per delivered click; a very high amount as these things go, which (it seems) has caused someone to try to stuff the link into your PC so they'll get three cents every time you get delivered to whatever adult site they're affiliated with. Thus, they're not using your PC to send others to the site, but are trying to collect a few pennies each time *YOU* visit the site. Presumably, they've infected many other PCs, too, hoping that the many separate clicks will add up to something for them. Rooting out a problem like this depends on where the little nasty is located on your system. We've covered solutions to several forms of "browser hijacking" before, as shown here http://langa.com/u/1h.htm , or in this more general Google search http://www.google.com/search?q=browser+hijack If that doesn't work: 1) Try the add/remove applet in control panel, in the off chance there's something listed there that's easily removable. 2) Run spybot, ad-aware, or pest patrol and see if they find anything. (You said you had anti-spyware tools, but no tool catches everything.) 3) Search the registry for any instance of "xtro" and delete any keys referencing the offending site. 4) Search your hard drive likewise; delete any "xtro" files and folders you find. Make sure you have Windows Explorer set to show you all files, including Hidden and System files; and to search in all locations. 5) Try something like startup control from http://www.mlin.net/ and see if you can locate (and later delete) anything related to the offending software. 6) Try the registry tools from jv16.org to repair/delete any broken registry items caused by the above removals. 7) If no dice, then roll your system back to a known-good state, using your backups or images. Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Microsoft Is Stopping
Win98 Support? Bone Up Now! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 5) Letter From Faisal's MotherRemember Faisal, from Indonesia? Last February, he became one of the children sponsored on an ongoing basis by LangaList Plus! subscribers (see http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2002/2002-09-19.htm#3 or click to see Faisal: http://www.freetune.com/images/faisal.jpg ) Among other things, our sponsorship helps fund Faisal's school. Here's a note I just got from his mother. You can see the original version at http://www.freetune.com/images/faisal0309.jpg, or read the English translation below, provided by an aid worker in their village:
Here's what this is all about: Those of us with
computers and Internet access are vastly better off than most of the world's
population. Because of this, I decided that a portion of the LangaList Plus!
subscription fees would be donated to registered/legitimate charities helping
the underprivileged around the world. The contribution does not increase the
cost of a Plus! subscription in any way; the donation is taken "off the top" of
any profits. (This is described in the pages at
http://www.langa.com/plus.htm ) Click to email this item to a
friend 6) Recommend This Newsletter And Win!If you think the LangaList is a worthwhile read, maybe a friend would find it useful too! Just use the following link to recommend the LangaList---your friend may find a new source of useful information and you just may win one of three FREE ONE YEAR SUBSCRIPTIONS to the LangaList Plus! edition given each month. (If your name is drawn and you're already a Plus! subscriber, your current subscription will be extended by a full year.) Check out the details at http://www.langa.com/recommend.htm . Thanks for recommending the LangaList--- and good luck! Click to email this item to a
friend 7) Can't Patch Due To Slow ModemOur recent discussion of Windows Update generated mail from readers who can connect to the site just fine, but whose access is so slow that the updates take an unreasonably long--- and sometimes expensive--- time to complete. For example, this reader from South Africa writes:
You're not alone, Charlie. Many people living outside of metropolitan areas have no option but slow, and often expensive, long-distance dial-up connections. There's no magic answer, but this might help: Don't live-install the patches; do a simple download first, and install the patches later, offline; and pool your downloads with others. Taking those in reverse order: It's unlikely that you're the only person in your area facing download problems. If you can find any other users--- even one--- and pool your downloads, you can cut your connection time and costs substantially. It might be a friend, neighbor, or a formal users' group; but your download costs will be cut by however many users are in the download pool: Two people will each pay half of what they otherwise would; four people will each pay one-fourth of what they otherwise would; etc. The trick is to download the update files ONCE, saving them to a PC for later sharing and re-use; rather than doing a live, online update for each machine in turn. You can do this with the information in "Saving Updates To Disk" http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2001/2001-12-17.htm#5 or "Save Your Updates Offline" http://www.langa.com/newsletters/2003/2003-03-20.htm#2 For example, even if you have ONE friend in a similar situation, you can use the technique above to download the patches and save them on one of your PCs for later use by both of you. By splitting the cost of the phone call, you'll each end up spending only half what you otherwise would have had to. With four friends, the cost is one-fourth; with a user group with many members, the per-person cost can be truly trivial. Saving the patches locally not only means you have them to share with others, but also means you'll have them in the future, should you need to re-patch! Click to email this item to a
friend 8) Three Thousand And Counting!Yup, last week, we topped the 3,000 mark--- over three thousand 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 ) View A Randomly-Chosen Reader Site Manually Browse All Posted-to-Date Sites Starting At Automatic Wallpaper Changer Family Tree Net Pop's Attic Pragmatix Communication Gregory Kowalsky, NDTP Crabtree Family Jerry Built (Woodworking) Barb13203 CawsandJaws Florida Shots Chef Burns North to Alaska Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- CyberGuys! --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 9) Stolen PC/Laptop ProblemsHere's a real nightmare come true:
My condolences, Bill. What a hassle. 1. Can the thief access your email account passwords? If you had anything set to auto-remember the login/password info, then yes. Likewise, if you stored the account/password information somewhere on the system, then yes. 2. Can the thief defeat the password and get into the computer? Yes, easily, if that's what he wants to do (as opposed to wiping the drive and selling the laptop to make a few quick bucks). See http://www.informationweek.com/story/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=13100343 for information on password bypass and cracking. 3. Does he then have access to the actual password? It's moot: With a password crack tool, he doesn't have to know the current password at all to get in. Laptops are especially vulnerable to theft, but any computer can be stolen. BIOS-locking (where you set your BIOS to ask for a password at power-on) is a good protection, as it makes a PC very hard to boot without replacing the BIOS or performing otherwise nontrivial hacking. This is also one of the reasons why I've always personally favored IBM laptops. Not only to they offer BIOS locking, but they also lock the hard drive: It takes two separate hardware-level passwords before the system will fully start; that is, before the OS-level security even begins to work. I like that a lot. There's more you can do to protect your laptop or PC: See the last few tips in As a final note: This also shows one important reason why I recommend storing your backup data WELL AWAY from the PC or laptop, say on CDs that you keep offsite or in another location. All in-the-box data storage solutions (putting your backups on a second partition or hard drive, RAID arrays, etc) are useless to you when the entire PC or laptop goes out the door or is destroyed. In those cases, you lose not only your hardware, but also all your data and backups. But, if you store your data FAR AWAY from the PC or laptop, you'll still have your files (the most important part of your setup) even if the hardware is stolen or destroyed in a fire or other calamity! Click to email this item to a
friend 10) Just For GrinsLast issue's item on "Col. Frank Langa" and the Nigerian email scam brought this curious item:
Wow! The site's a little harsh and may offend some, but I have to agree with the site's basic premise: These people are malicious scammers, not innocent victims. Toying with them, and thus wasting their time and energy, may actually do some good. And it can be amusing, in a mildly sinister kind of way. <g> Click to email this item to a
friend --- ( Your Clicks On Ad Links Help Keep The LangaList S.E. Free! ) --- Free tech support! Free
shipping! "Dear Fred: As a subscriber of yours I have to say that your comments about Crucial are not enough. I have Crucial memory in all my computers and they are just the greatest company and the very best place to purchase memory. Their tech dept. even clued me in to a go around to install 768 MB RAM in Win 98 SE which normally does not like over 512, but the go-around works. They are the greatest!--- Marsh Pomroy" <a href=" http://www.langa.com/sponsors/crucial.htm ">Click!</a> --------------( the above is an advertisement )-------------- 11) Plus! Edition Highlights:
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