PCIN, The PC Improvement News logo

Issue 313 - October 13, 2004

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2004
==== 1986 Subscribers in 58 Countries ====

Welcome to the 313th issue of the PC Improvement News. PCIN consists mainly of news and tips. There is something for everyone, and if this is your first issue, I'm sure there will be something for you. If you give me two or three issues, I know that you will come back for more!

You can reach me at editor@pcin.net with any suggestions or comments.

Recommend PCIN at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php

Support PCIN at http://PCIN.net/donate.php

CONTENTS

Opening Thoughts

I have the PCIN list setup so that all mail (including my own) gets held for approval before it goes to the list. It still seems, however, that there was a problem with Chris' account setup in the mailing list software as it was letting anything from Chris' address through without approval. This happened this week. Chris' reply to several subscribers was something like this:

"The problem seems to be my account within the list server software. The list server normally requires an approval to all messages that are sent to the PCIN subscribers, but for some reason does not require that approval for my account. To rectify the problem, we have eliminated my account from the server software.
Please rest assured that the message was not sent from myself, or from Graham. If you look at the header of the message, you will see that it originated from an IP address of 66.186.250.124. This address is from Advanced Tel, Inc. in California (www.arin.net), across the continent from where I am located!"

No email addresses were revealed. It was strictly a situation of someone forging a header and the list sending it through. We think we've fixed the problem now and expect everything to continue on as normal.

I have completed a review for Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition from Microsoft Press. This is an advanced book that explains some of the ins and outs of Active Directory, and other new features to Windows 2000 Server (and still applicable to Windows Server 2003). You can read a blurb from the review in the Tips and Other Stuff and the full review on the web site.

Graham editor@pcin.net and Chris chris@pcin.net

The NEWS

IE faces one-two punch

"The Web browser wars may have been reignited, according to browser pioneer Marc Andreessen.
This time, it's not Andreessen's former company, Netscape Communications, that's taking on Microsoft's Internet Explorer. It's the increasingly popular smaller products such as Apple Computer's Safari and the open-source Firefox, Andreessen said.
'It may turn out that there's a one-two punch with Firefox and Safari,' Andreessen said Wednesday at the Web 2.0 conference here. 'Microsoft is certainly going to respond competitively.'"

For more info:
http://techrepublic.com.com/5100-22_11-5400536.html

New reason to avoid 'unsubscribe' links

"We've always been told that trying to 'opt-out' from spam messages is probably a bad idea. Spam filtering firm MessageLabs now says there's a new reason not to click -- spammers are starting to sneak special code into that opt-out link which turns the spam recipient into an unwitting accomplice. The link is really a clever trick designed to turn the victim's computer into a zombie that can be used to send out more spam.
'By using an unsubscribe link in an e-mail, not only are you saying this is a live e-mail address, you are also have the risk of downloading a Trojan that turns your computer into an open proxy for sending spam,' said Brian Czarny, MessageLabs spokesman. The company has trapped several thousand messages laced with the special code in recent weeks, Czarny said."

For more info:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6208701/

Supreme Court decision sought over file sharing

"In the latest volley of the file-sharing wars, the movie and music industries have filed a petition asking the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn a federal appeals court decision that favored Grokster and StreamCast Networks, the makers of software that allow users to trade copyrighted files.
That decision, issued in August by the United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit in San Francisco, upheld the notion that makers of a technology with legal uses cannot be held liable simply because some, or most, of its users deploy it to violate a copyright."

For more info:
http://www.iht.com/articles/543208.html

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Who does your computer hardware upgrades?

I do it myself 81 % (92)
I have a friend do it 4 % (5)
I take it to a shop 4 % (4)
I don't upgrade, I just buy a new computer 6 % (7)
I don't upgrade, I can't afford it 5 % (6)
Total votes: 114

This Week's Poll

How frequently have you had problems when doing computer hardware upgrades?

Never
10% of the time
25% of the time
Half the time
Almost always
Every time

You can also vote online at http://PCIN.net/polls/

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PCIN.net UPDATE

Check out these new or updated pages on the PCIN.net site:

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition
http://PCIN.net/help/books/w2kapcse.php

Remote Task Manager by SmartLine Inc. Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/remotetaskmanager.php

Flash File Recover by PanteraSoft Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/flashfilerecovery.php

Email Saver Xe 2.0 by WinGuides Software Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/emailsaverxe2.php

Newsgator 2.0 by Newsgator Technologies Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/newsgator2.php

Return to the top Recommend PCIN.net Update

THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Microsoft Calculator Plus

"Microsoft Calculator Plus is an updated calculator application for Windows XP that you can download at Microsoft Web site. Microsoft Calculator Plus has an improved interface over the standard Calculator that comes with Windows XP. The new calculator also boasts some neat features, including the ability to perform exchange-rate calculations and various types of conversions, such as currency and weight."
Read more about it at http://www.windowsitpro.com/Articles/Index.cfm?ArticleID=44196 or download it at http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=32b0d059-b53a-4dc9-8265-da47f157c091

MSN Search Technology Preview

Microsoft is working on a new version of MSN Search. You can check it out at http://techpreview.search.msn.com/ I compared this to Google and to the current MSN Search with the search term PCIN, and they all show pretty much the same results, though shuffled a bit.

Microsoft® Windows® 2000 Administrator's Pocket Consultant, Second Edition Book Review

"For years, Novell was the leader in Directory Services (NDS). Microsoft's domain model was difficult to manage. The arrival of Windows 2000 also brought Microsoft's competitor with Active Directory. This was an entire new way for network objects to be created and maintained. As the years have gone by, other Microsoft server products have taken advanced of AD and allow for much larger and more complex networks."
Read the full review at http://PCIN.net/help/books/w2kapcse.php

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PCIN.net AFFILIATED SITES

Both of us have other sites other than PCIN.net. These are all sites that we are actively involved in (they aren't client sites). Don't forget to check them out from time to time for updates:

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DISCLAIMER and OTHER STUFF

PCIN is brought to you by Graham Wing. The opinions expressed are those of the Editor, Graham Wing and the Assistant Editor, Chris Empey. Graham Wing and Chris Empey accept no responsibility for the results obtained from trying the tips in this newsletter.

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  3. Recommend PCIN to others at http://PCIN.net/recommend.php and be entered in a monthly draw.
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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2004, Graham Wing. All rights reserved.

This publication may be reproduced in whole, or in part, as long as the author is notified and the newsletter is presented as is.

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