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Archive Updates
January 2000 — August 2000
Brought to you absolutely free by the award-winning authors Lee Hudspeth and T. J. Lee...
- August 2, 2000 --
Microsoft has released Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 but reports are that it's incompatible with a number of personal firewall products like BlackIce or ZoneAlarm. According to Paul Thurrott of WinInfo Microsoft knew about the problem but refused to fix it implying that it was up to everyone else to conform to Windows and if SP1 broke a third party program the third party would have to fix it. Sounds like Microsoft, with a lock on the OS and office application suite market thinks users should only use Microsoft products. Click here for more information.
Uncle Sam goes postal! The United States Post Office is seriously thinking of going into email big time by creating an email address for every regular mail address in the United States. This way Uncle Sam can send you tax bills, driver's license renewals, in short all the stuff that governmental bodies now send by regular mail. What really has the Post Office salivating over this idea is the money they could make by charging mass mail marketers for sending spam to your "official" government inbox. That's right, the Post Office is going to profit from email spam. Click here for details.
- July 24, 2000 --
Microsoft has published a number of Word templates covering all sorts of business and personal needs. These templates are free for the downloading. Click here for more information.
- July 22, 2000 --
The IE/Outlook/Outlook Express bug that was made public last week caused quite a stir. Malicious code could be run on your computer if Outlook or Outlook Express simply downloaded a booby-trapped email message. No action on the part of the user was required making this the biggest potential threat to anyone using Outlook or OE as their email clients. Fortunately, Microsoft responded quickly with a patch to close this glaring hole in Windows security. You don't need this patch if you're already installed:
Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1
Internet Explorer 5.5 (except under Windows 2000)
If you're running Windows 2000 and have installed Windows 2000 Service Pack 1 you're safe.
Everyone else is advised by MS to get the patch. The down side of this patch is that it'll only help if your version of Outlook Express is 4.72.3612.1700 (Outlook Express 4.01 SP2), 5.00.2919.6600 (Outlook Express 5.01), or 5.00.2919.6700 (Outlook Express 5.01 running under Windows 2000). Microsoft says if you don't match these version numbers then either install Internet Explorer 5.01 Service Pack 1, or Internet Explorer 5.5. If you do try to install the patch and you do not have the exact version that the patch needs, you'll get a message saying your system does not need the patch. This is incorrect! Click here for more information and to download the patch.
- July 17, 2000 --
Maybe when your email client software fires up it should take a hint from movie theaters and flash the message "Sshhhhhh, the FBI is Listening." The FBI guys are scrambling to explain their "Carnivore" system that they install at your local ISP office that filters all the email traffic (can you say wiretap?) looking for evil doers. Click here for more information.
- July 11, 2000 --
Paul Thurrott of WinInfo points out the latest service pack for Internet Explorer (IE) 5.01 Service Pack 1 (SP1) breaks the help system in Office 2000 (and Office 2000 SR1a).Click here for more information.
- June 28, 2000 -- Lockergnome points out that while DOS may be dead but there are still a lot of times when you need a DOS boot diskette. Upgrading a system BIOS requires one. Norton Ghost and PowerQuest's Drive Copy require also come to mind. However, Windows Millennium and Windows 2000 both have done away with the ability to create a useful DOS boot diskette. While WinME will still create an emergency boot diskette most of the disk is consumed with ME files leaving very little room available for anything else. Click here for more information.
- June 22, 2000 -- Sun Microsystems released StarOffice Verison 5.2 eariler this week in an effort to get more market share for its answer to Microsoft Office. StarOffice is free for personal use, you need only download it. It includes Writer, a word processing program; Calc, a spreadsheet; Impress, a presentation program; Base, a database application; Draw, a graphics program; and Schedule, a calendar. The suite also includes StarOffice Mail, a communications tool that lets you retain StarOffice Writer functions when sending e-mail; and StarOffice Discussion, a newsgroup application. Click here for more information.
- June 19, 2000 -- Just as Microsoft closed the barn door with its "Outlook 2000 SR-1 E-mail Security Update" it seems the barn is empty. A new virus that works exactly like the I "you-know-what" YOU email virus has started making the rounds and the new MS patch to Outlook does not prevent a user from infecting their machine. To MS's credit the patch does warn the user if the virus tries to replicate itself using their Outlook Address Book. The new virus called the "Stages" worm comes in the guise of a joke file and is triggered by the silly person that thinks nothing of double-clicking on a file when they're not at all sure what it is. This worm uses the little known Windows scrap file extension ".SHS" which tells Windows it's an executable file. Click here for more information.
- June 9, 2000 -- Microsoft has released the much bally-hooed patch, titled "Outlook 2000 SR-1 E-mail Security Update," that it claims is the fix for Outlook email viruses. Before you run over there and install this puppy, take a careful read through all the notes that MS has on this fix and be very aware that once installed you can't uninstall it. It's all or nothing and requires you to first install the Office 2000 SR-1 update. Click here for more information and to get the patch.
- June 5, 2000 -- Microsoft has released a fix for a bug in Internet Explorer that lets code from a "malicious web site" be run on your machine when you browse said site. The bad guys create a compiled Help file and IE runs it letting the program do anything you could do yourself on your system including "adding, changing or deleting data, or communicating with a remote web site". This is a potentially nasty vulnerability so get this fix if you use IE. Click here for more information and to get the patch.
- June 2, 2000 -- If you are a System Administrator you need to read about the System Administration, Networking and Security (SANS) Institute published list of the most often used security holes used by hackers to gain access to servers. Click here for more information.
Ed Foster has some reader perspective on the amazingly bad (for consumers) decision by Microsoft to stop supplying an installable Windows CD-ROM with computers under OEM deals. Click here for more.
American Express has decided to stop honoring credit card transactions from Web porn sites. In the face of a multi-billion dollar market this is quite a position to take but before you think that Amex is taking the high moral ground think again. The huge amount of disputed charges and charge-backs is what has Amex nixing the porn biz. Click here for more details.
- May 24, 2000 -- Rob Rosenberger has recorded an 11 minute AVI video (20Mb) about what's really going on with the computer viruses that regularly make the news. Get the straight scoop and find out what you as a user can do to about the sorry state of anti-virus software. Click here to download and play this video.
- May 16, 2000 -- Microsoft released "Office 2000 Security Update: UA Control Vulnerability" last week. This fix has nothing to do with the current virus hysteria but rather fixes a problem with an incorrectly flagged ActiveX control. Click here for more information.
- May 15, 2000 -- Microsoft has released "Office 2000 Service Release 1a (SR-1a) Update" the update to fix all the bugs in the update to fix all the bugs in Office 2000. Click here to get the details. You might want to hold off for a week or so to see if any new problems are introduced.
- May 11, 2000 -- If you haven't patched IE5 for the
scriptlet.typelib/Eyedog "vulnerability," which means BUG, (that we recommended ages ago) you should do so right away. There's a new HTML email worm running around that exploits this BUG and could cause you some grief. Click here to get this patch.
- May 8, 2000 -- Microsoft is set to release the fixed version of the fix for Office 2000 that will be known as SR-1a. This version supposedly addresses the numerous complaints about SR1 which was reported as being buggy or even uninstallable, especially on NT 4 systems that had upgraded to Windows 2000. Click here for details from Mr. Windows himself, Paul Thurrott.
Meanwhile, there are several variants now running around the ether on the I Love You worm/virus. Watch out for messages with "Mother's Day Order Confirmation" or "Susitikim shi vakara kavos puodukui..." in the subject line. And never, ever, double-click on and attachment if you don't know what it is, or where it came from. Even if it's from someone you know, confirm with that person what the file is; even then save it to disk and scan it for viruses before you open it. Click here for more information.
- May 3, 2000 -- If you've installed the Office SR-1 update adn are having problems with applications refusing to run check out this article in the MS Knowledgebase: "OFF2000: Program Quits Immediately After Starting When SR-1 Update Is Applied". Click here to read this article.
Microsoft is quietly implementing a medialess OEM policy wherein computer makers will no longer ship a copy of the Windows CD with their systems. Instead, users receive one of two options for disaster recovery: a "recovery CD" that is locked into the type of system it's going to run on or a hard-drive-based approach where a "recovery image" of the OS can be loaded on a separate partition. Bad news for users. Click here for more.
- April 25, 2000 -- Trophy copies of Windows 2000 Advanced Server (those copies given free to MS employees that worked on the development cycle) are appearing on eBay and are going for less than half the street price. MS seems to frown on this thinking they're the only ones that should make a killing on Windows 2000. Click here for more information.
- April 21, 2000 -- To combat all the bad press, Microsoft will "innovate" a television commercial ad campaign that will portray the company as a warm and fuzzy teddy bear (as opposed to a monopolistic velociraptor that would eat its own young to increase market share). Click here for more information.
- April 14, 2000 -- If your Web site uses FrontPage 98 extensions you'll be unhappy to hear that those poor beleaguered folks at Microsoft, who are just trying to innovate and help the consumer, included a secret password using the phrase "Netscape engineers are weenies!" in the Web site authoring software. Exploiting the security hole gives access to Web-site management files and possibly credit card information and user passwords. But in their defense of the fact that this has been going on for 3 years MS said, "Very few people are still using FrontPage 98. Most people are using FrontPage 2000." Feel better? Click here for more information.
- April 3, 2000 -- Microsoft has issued a minor fix to Excel that prevents XLM code from running from an external file without triggering the standard warning dialog box. Click here for details.
The Office 2000 SR-1 service release, which purported to fix dozens of bugs, seems to have introduced a number of bugs of its own. Microsoft will release a bug fix to fix the bugs in the first bug fix. Click here for details.
Netscape WebMail users are not a happy lot. Nearly half a million users are being forced to change their email usernames as part of a planned upgrade. Click here for more information.
- March 10, 2000 -- Microsoft admitted to a hole in Windows 95 and 98 that lets the guys in the black hats create a Web page or a Web-based e-mail message that contains a hidden string of characters that instructs the computer to use DOS commands for accessing the keyboard, printer and other devices. When this happens Windows crashes. D'oh, as if it crashing on its own wasn't bad enough. Seems like a minor bug (which is why MS did not fix it months ago when they found out about it) but they promise to issue a patch for it shortly. Click here for more.
- March 3, 2000 -- Corel's office suite entry for Linux debuts next month. The WordPerfect Office 2000 for Linux will come in two flavors. The Standard Edition for $109 and the Deluxe Edition for $159. The Deluxe version includes Paradox 9, enhanced technical support and an entertainment pack. Click here for details.
This gives Linux, the free OS that is gaining in popularity, two software suites the second being Star Office which is a free download (for personal use) or $40 if you order a CD with documentation.
It's thought unlikely that Microsoft will field a Linux version of Microsoft Office since the comparable Premium version of Microsoft Office costs $449 it clearly cannot compete on price. Click here for more information.
- February 21, 2000 -- Windows 2000 is not for the average home user according to Microsoft. With a high upgrade price ($219 for users of Win95 and Win98) and it's failure to work with things like 3-D cards and joysticks; and it's problems with online software from AOL and Earthlink it's not likely to be popular with a lot of users. Click here for more information.
With that said... Microsoft has just release the first (possibly of many) update to Windows 2000. Windows 2000 Compatibility Updates has a download that makes W2k compatible with 48 game titles. Click here for more information and do download this patch (note, once installed it cannot be uninstalled).
The Russian security firm Kaspersky Lab has unveiled AntiViral Toolkit Pro for MS-Office 2000. They claim this is the first anti-virus software for Office 2000 that is 100 percent guaranteed against macro viruses. They have a demo version available for download and are selling this new product for the introductory price of $9.95 until April 15th. Click here for more (although it's not much more, just the announcement. When we find someone that has actually reviewed the product itself we'll let you know.
- February 18, 2000 -- Bloomberg News has published a report that Bill Gates said he would open the Windows source code to competitors if that would settle the lawsuit with the DOJ. Microsoft then denied Bill ever said that. Click here to go figure.
Oh, and Windows 2000 was launched yesterday. Click here for details.
And from Paul Thurrott's excellent WinInfo newletter comes this:
We have to agree with Paul... his is the better site for Windows 2000 information.
When it comes to getting hysterical over DoS attacks and virus rumor mongering we fall squarely into the Rob Rosenberger camp. But here's an example of cyber hacking that we think can become a real problem for companies. Yesterday someone hacked into the company Web site of Aastrom Biosciences Inc. and posted a phony press release about a major merger that drove up the price of the company's stock. Click here for more information.
- February 14, 2000 -- An internal memo at Microsoft talks about "63,000 defects" in Windows 2000 that still need to be addressed. Click here for more information.
The upcoming Office 2000 Service Release will force you to register Office or it won't run. A new Registration Wizard will require you to register via e-mail, phone, snail mail, or fax by sending a 16-digit code and the country in which you live to Microsoft. MS then sends you an 8-digit code that lets you install Office on up to two machines. Click here for more.
Check out the Top 10 reasons desktop applications fail to get Windows 2000 certification.
- February 10, 2000 -- If the DOS (denial of service) attacks in the last two days have you all in a lather, take a deep breath and read Scott Rosenberg's outstanding call for reason on the Salon site. Click here for more information.
- February 7, 2000 -- Corel and Inprise/Borland have merged and will focus on the opportunities in the Linux market. Corel is acquiring Inprise/Borland for approximately $2.44 billion. Click here for more information.
- January 24, 2000 -- Cringely has the best quote on Gates stepping down as Microsoft's CEO... "Bill Gates giving up his CEO job at Microsoft means exactly nothing." For the best analysis of the title shuffling in Redmond click here.
From CNet comes this interesting story, "Computers loaded with Windows 2000 will hit store shelves and Web sites today as Microsoft allows computer makers to start quietly selling its new business operating system three weeks in advance of the official launch." Click here for details.
CompUSA sounds as all-American as Mom and apple pie, but Mexico-based retailer Grupo Sanborns said today it plans to buy the computer retailer. Click here for more information.
If you think your privacy is being compromised by technology, it is... according to an article in the New York Law Journal. Click here for more.
- January 21, 2000 -- From the excellent WinInfo newsletter by Paul Thurrott comes the first straight-scoop on Office 2000 SR-1. This service release is due in mid-February, will be a free download for Office 2000 users, and includes a number of bug fixes and minor upgrades to various Office and system level components (including letting Office 2000 work better with the upcoming Windows 2000). Check out Paul's newsletter here.
- January 17, 2000 -- Planning on upgrading to Win2000 the moment it's available? To quote Jesse Berst, "Well its too frigging expensive, for one thing. $319 is ridiculous!" Unless you're a laptop user you might want to put off Win2000 according to Jesse. Click here for details.
- January 13, 2000 -- The Washington Post reports that the DOJ "has concluded that anything less than a divided Microsoft will not restore competition in the multibillion-dollar software market." It appears that the DOJ wants Microsoft broken up into at least 3 Baby Bills. The article hints that the DOJ favors splitting the applications side of Microsoft from the operating-system side and then dividing the operating-system unit into two competing companies. Click here for more information.
Thinking of grabbing a copy of Windows 2000 as soon as it's out? Better trot over to Microsoft's Upgrading to Windows 2000 page and check the hardware requirements and upgrade issues you'll want to consider. Click here for details.
Getting technical support online from Microsoft has a new wrinkle named Maxwell. It's a search engine based on the popular Ask Jeeves software that lets you type in a question in plain English, which it matches against the support database. Click here for details.
- January 12, 2000 -- There are conflicting reports on what the DOJ wants to do to Microsoft. According to a report in USA Today the government has reached a concensus that MS should be split up into separate companies. But a report on CNET disputes this, saying Justice Department spokeswoman Gina Talamona called the report in USA Today "inaccurate." Go figure.
We get a lot of queries from clients along the lines of, "Should I be using pivot tables in Excel?" You bet! And Microsoft has posted a downloadable tutorial that shows you "how to create Microsoft Excel PivotTable reports, interactive tables that automatically extract, organize, and summarize your data." Click here for more information.
- January 10, 2000 -- Microsoft can't seem to catch a legal break. The US Supreme Court refused to hear their appeal on a lower court decision that broadens the number of temporary and contract workers than can join a class-action suit that lets them participate in Microsoft's lucrative employee stock purchase plan. Click here for details.
- January 7, 2000 -- PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. has just posted an upgrade to their popular Word 2000 add-on, PRIME for Word 2000. This new version, 1.01, is a free upgrade to registered users. A 30-day full featured evaluation version of the 1.01 release is also available for downloading here. This update includes improvements to the FileNew, FindMyDot, WindowManager, WorkBar, FileDelete, and BookmarkManager utilities. Registered users can get this upgrade via the Help / About PRIME 2000 / Update option in Word, or they can click here.
- January 3, 2000 -- The domain name "Year2000.com" was put on the eBay auction block and the gavel fell on the winning bid of $10 million bucks. Keep in mind that as of right now no money has changed hands and the owners of Year2000.com are hoping that a check is in the mail. We suppose anything is possible but suggest they wait till the check clears before signing over the rights. Click here for more details. This has got to be a hoax.
- January 2, 2000 -- Bryan C. Andregg takes a look at installing Linux as a replacement for Windows on the desktop and shows you how to do it from a systems administrator's point of view. Great insight on Linux. Click here for details.
- There's a bug in Excel 2000 running under per-Windows 2000 versions of Windows. When a spreadsheet is programmatically exported as a text file using VBA, four-digit years are truncated to the two-digit year format regardless of the date format applied to the cell and the system date settings. Microsoft has posted a fix, Click here for details.
- Dozens of minor Y2K glitches are being reported around the world but nothing earth shaking. Problems like minor glitches at hospitals such as an X-ray machine that stopped working in Norway and heart-monitoring machines that failed in three Swedish hospitals. Meanwhile, Japan reported a number of problems with non-critical systems at four nuclear power plants.
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