Sarasota PC Monitor

Review Chairmans Industry Comments (09/02)

Reviewing Software

by Herb Goldstein, Review Editor

E-mail comments, suggestions, etc. to Herb Goldstein at: revieweditor@spcug.org

WARNING!!! DO NOT OPEN any email attachment unless you are absolutely sure about who sent it and what's in it. Email viruses and worms are rampant. Some of our users report getting several a day. Here's some basic info you need to keep in mind:

  1. Most viruses and worms will infect your computer ONLY when you open a tainted e-mail attachment.
  2. The message containing the attachment may appear to have come from a friend or contain an address with which you are familiar in the "from" line. When the address book of your friend becomes infected, the worm goes out to everyone in that address book without your friend even being aware of the distribution.
  3. Usually, the infected e-mail does not contain anything in its message portion.
  4. Commonly, the subject line contains a message designed to arouse your curiosity. Often the text in that message is in somewhat stilted English. Most of these sick evil-doers are located outside of the U.S.

If you do not have a good antivirus program running whenever your computer is in use, don't go on the Internet and don't receive e-mail. If you don't have that CURRENT antivirus program running, you are a hazard to both yourself and all your friends who own computers! Remember, your antivirus software is only as effective as your most recent virus pattern update. You need to be receiving updates at least once a week!

KLEZ FIX-IT SCAM. The most prevalent virus transmitted in e-mail attachments is one or another in the "KLEZ" family. To make matters worse, a phony message is being distributed offering a utility in its attachment that will "prevent" KLEZ infections on your computer. In reality it is a scam that actually contains the KLEZ virus. Again, don't be enticed out of curiosity or anything else to open any email attachment unless you know for sure who sent it and what's in it.

If you feel you have already been infected with KLEZ, TrendMicro has a valid KLEZ discovery and removal tool on its Website <trendmicro.com>.

FREE ATOMIC TIMEKEEPER. This freeware Atomic Clock Sync utility can help you keep your local computer up-to-date with the exact current time. It will reference an atomic clock server to get the current time with the greatest accuracy available and update your PC's information. It can even be set to automatically check the time once a day to keep your PC's time accurate forever. Atomic Clock Sync will connect to one of the time servers operated by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) in the United States, and will compare the time on your computer with the time on the servers operated by the NIST. The program will then display the difference between your system and the servers and, if greater than 15 seconds, it will offer you the option of adjusting your PC by the displayed amount. The overall uncertainty in this comparison should be no worse than +/- five seconds under all circumstances and will be substantially less than this value in most cases. Get it at <http://www.isbister.com/>

WATCH THAT PAGE. WatchThatPage is a service that enables you to collect new information from many pages on the Internet. You select the pages to monitor, and WatchThatPage finds which have changed, and what the new content is. This information is collected and presented to you in an email and/or a personal Web page. The free service is available at <http://www.watchThatPage.com>.

COMING THIS FALL: A NEW WINDOWS XP. According to ZDNet's newswriter, Joe Wilcox, there's a new version of Windows XP in town: Windows XP Media Center Edition. Originally code-named Freestyle, the OS is designed to make your PC the hub of your home entertainment center. Media Center lets you use a TV remote control to listen to digital music, work with digital photos, create movies, or watch DVD movies or TV shows. It'll also include TiVo-like features, which let you schedule TV shows for recording ahead of time, or replay live action (as long as your PC has a TV tuner card). But to use these new features, you'll have to buy a new PC-you won't be able to install Windows XP Media Center on your existing system. The first Media Center-equipped systems are expected to ship by November, in time for the holidays.

CHESSRALLY. Play chess over the Internet, against the computer, or through email with this full-featured game, which offers a customizable interface with free downloadable themes. If you get stuck, ChessRally even delivers move suggestions. Blue has nothing on you. .Version: 2.4 File size: 8.58MB License: Free to try; $20 to buy Minimum requirements: Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP. <www.ingenuware.com>.

WINDOWS XP TWEAKING GUIDE is free for everyone who wants to bend Windows XP to their will. It shows you how to easily tweak many parts of the operating system, including ways to speed up your Web browsing. This guide gives you instant access to hidden Windows XP settings. For example, you can enable several hidden performance options that are otherwise difficult to find and change. This guide also teaches you to increase Internet surfing speed and increase performance and security <www.onlineplanet.com>.

ELIMINATING THE WINDOWS LOG-ON PASSWORD. I know-you don't believe I'm explaining this again. I don't either, but for those of you that keep asking, here it is yet again. You might want to cut this out and paste it on your computer:

  1. Click Start, Settings Control Panel.
  2. Double-click the Network applet.
  3. On the Configuration tab, select Windows Logon as the Primary Network Logon, then close the dialog box.
  4. Delete any file in the \Windows folder with the extension .pwl.
  5. Reboot.

The password prompt will appear one last time. Press Enter (don't press Escape) and you'll never see it again.

THE WINDOWS REGISTRY GUIDE is a free Windows help file that reveals all the best tips, tricks, and tweaks for the Windows 95, 98, NT, and 2000 Registries. The Registry is a database used to store settings and options for the 32-bit versions of Microsoft Windows. It contains information and settings for all of the PC's hardware, software, users, and preferences. Whenever a user makes changes to Control Panel settings, file associations, system policies, or installed software, the changes are reflected and stored in the Registry. Version 3.4 includes hundreds of new tricks and tweaks for Windows, including additional support for the Windows Me operating system. This version also includes a complete registry tutorial for beginners and links to relevant resources on the Internet <www.winguides.com>.

CLONECD is a powerful CD-copying program that writes in raw mode, which gives it total control over the data being written. Therefore, CloneCD can produce real one-to-one copies of your CDs. CloneCD requires a CD writer that can write in raw mode; it also requires a CD reader that supports certain specific commands. With the correct equipment, CloneCD can make working copies of nearly any CD, regardless of whether it is copy-protected.

WIN2000 SERVICE PACK 3. In case you missed the boat and are a Window 2000 user, you need to get service pack 3. It's a huge collection of bug fixes, security patches and updates and is more than 20 MB in size.

Version 4.0 features a revamped copy kernel: CloneCD 4 now copies more; a new user interface; new technical features, such as "Automatic fast error skip; and bug fixes. The cost is $31. <http://elby.ch/english/products/clone_cd/index.html>.

LEARN TO TYPE. Here's a list of typing tutor software you can find at <zdnet.com/downloads>. All are free to try, and most free to own:

MAKE YOUR SCANNER A COPYING MACHINE. Got a scanner and a printer? Why not combine those two into a photocopy machine? Photocopier helps you: put a document on your scanner's glass, start Photocopier and press its Copy button. After a few moments your printer produces a copy of the document. Photocopier takes the hassle out of scanning. No difficult settings to make, very user friendly. Photocopier comes in two versions, the basic one and Photocopier Pro. The basic version of Photocopier is freeware. Photocopier Pro is shareware. For a rundown on each or to download, go to <ww.nicocuppen.com>.

DISABLING XP'S FIREWALL. You may choose not to use the firewall provided by Windows XP Home and instead install another firewall. It's inadvisable to run two software firewall programs at the same time but you don't have to remove the XP firewall, just disable it. Click on Start|Control Panel| Network Connections. Locate the connection with the firewall protection and under the Network Tasks tab, click to "change settings of this connection." Under the Advanced Tab and Internet Connection Firewall, remove the option to "protect my computer and network by limiting or preventing access to this computer."

MEMORY UPGRADE? If you think your computer, printer, or other device may improve its performance with a memory upgrade, check it out first at ZDNet's memory advisor. You'll find it at <http://memory. shopper.com/?tag=mc>.

WHAT'S WRONG WITH SYSTEM RESTORE? Famed computer columnist Fred Langa has the answers to this important question along with some very complete advice. He writes:

Tame System Restore's Big Appetite. If you use WinXP or WinME, the default settings of System Restore are probably eating a gig or more of your disk space. If System Restore were a full-fledged backup/recovery solution, that might be fine-- but it's not. Instead, you may burn that much disk space without doing much good at all. Even if you don't mind losing the disk space, that extra gig still gets in the way of backups, defrags, file searches, and all other similar activities. It's just so much needless baggage. You can do better- perhaps much better.

In a recent InformationWeek column (online now, for free, at <http://www. informationweek.com/897/langa.htm>, I'll show you how to overcome the four main limitations of System Restore. We'll also discuss the biggest misconceptions about what System Restore can and cannot do. I'll then give you click-by-click instructions on how to take full control of System Restore, and illustrate three different usage plans, all of which are much more efficient than Microsoft's sloppy default settings. One of these three plans will be right for you, letting you tap into only exactly as much of System Restore as you really need, without the waste and inefficiencies of the default settings. Come check out the article at <http://www.information week.com/897/langa.htm>.

ENJOY DISCUSSION/HELP GROUPS? We have an excellent one here at spcug/Yahoo, but if your want to go big time into a much larger forum, try <http://www.zdnet.com/community>. It brings together questions, answers and commentary on every conceivable computer-related subject into a discussion group run by zdnet/cnet. You can exchange questions and answers with users nation and world wide. This is not to downplay our own local spcug/Yahoo group which has been of tremendous help to our own users in solving computer related problems and is open to all of our members.

FREE MATH CALCULATORS. Windows has a little built-in calculator, of course (click Start/Run, type Calc, hit enter), and most versions also have a "scientific" calculator option available from the basic calculator's View menu.

But if you want more, Calc98 is a free Scientific engineering statistical and financial pocket calculator simulator program for the Microsoft Windows operating systems, including Pocket PC for PDAs. It includes a very comprehensive set of conversions, constants and physical property data, a built-in periodic table of the elements, number base conversions, vectors, matrices and complex numbers. It is especially suitable for the scientific, engineering, medical and teaching professions and in finance, but we have also found it has been picked up by users in all walks of life <http://www.calculator.org>.

FREE FILE RECOVERY. You may already have this feature in one of your utility programs. In case you haven't, here's one that will recover files you may have accidently deleted. Get it at <http://hccweb1.bai.ne.jp/~hcj58401>.

FREE WINDOWS TWEAKING UTILITY. Here's a free collection of utility tools that will allow you to tweak, modify, and supplement many of your features in any and all versions of Windows. A visit to this Website is an adventure in how you can customize Windows to make it run conveniently for you. Take a very worthwhile trip to <http://www.majorgeeks.com/article.php?sid=127>.

BURNING CD'S IN WINDOWS XP. If you are a Win XP user and have a CD burner, you should definitely visit <http://aumha.org/a/xpcd.htm> for a great free collection of tips, tricks, and advice in CD burning. It's worth a trip from anywhere. Don't miss it! MICROSOFT MONEY 2003. Microsoft recently released their 2003 version of their personal finance management software. Cnet's reviewer Gregg Keizer says that Intuit's Quicken outsells Microsoft Money, and there's nothing in Money 2003 Deluxe to change those popularity rankings. With only a few new features-most in the investing arena-there's little reason for current Money users to upgrade. We hate the way Money makes you get a Passport account to access some services, and we fear that the program is getting too big for its britches. But overall, at least until we test the next version of Quicken, Money's attractive interface, first-rate Web integration, and excellent investing tools make it the best personal finance manager that money can buy.

This guide gives you instant access to hidden Windows XP settings.

MULTIPLE TASK BAR BUTTONS. Windows XP has a nice approach to eliminate multiple task bar buttons when a program has more than one window open at the same time. To eliminate recurring buttons, click on an unused space in the task bar and select Properties.

Click on the task bar tab and under Taskbar Appearance, make sure the "Group Similar Taskbar Buttons" box is checked

WINDOWS CODE REVEALED. In accordance with a recent court anti-trust settlement, Microsoft is revealing a chunk of its heretofore secret Windows code. The result will be that software developers will be able to independently produce software that will be more compatible with Windows. Hopefully, that will translate into less buggy software and fewer crashes. In addition, Microsoft also said upcoming updates of the new Windows XP operating system will allow computer makers and consumers to add and remove access to some Windows features such as Microsoft's Internet Explorer, Windows media player, and Outlook Express.

It puzzles me why a user would want to remove these features. They are provided free and for the most part do a very creditable job. What we really need from Microsoft is an end to its Windows product activation harassment and its product restriction to a single computer. Don't hold your breath!

CORELDRAW 11.0. The latest version of CorelDraw is here. It features fantastic drawing tools, such as pressure-sensitive brushes; excellent filters let you seamlessly import and export more than 100 file formats; interface is especially user-friendly and configurable. Although the Visual Basic Script recording seldom works properly and the performance is slow, CorelDraw is the easiest illustration program to master, and it ships with a superior interface and feature set. It's the best choice for novice-, intermediate-, and pro-level artists who don't need speed.

OPERA 6.04. It's very useful to have more than one browser to choose from. There are times when Internet Explorer is fast as a snail in a tar pit, or stubbornly refuses to connect to one valid URL or another. A great alternate or primary browser is Opera, now in version 6.04. In addition to its many other attributes it's both free and is the fastest browser going, Get it at <opera.com>. If you already have an older version, move up to 6.04.

ZoneAlarm - Too good to be free?

The most popular anti-hacker software in existence is ZoneAlarm. Booting your computer without both an antivirus and an anti-hacker program in place is akin to playing Russian roulette. Call it cyber-roulette if you will. Since its inception, ZoneAlarm has been universally accepted as the best anti-hacker firewall available. The fact that it has been free to home users is no deterrent either.

In recent times, ZoneLabs (creator and publisher of ZoneAlarm) added a number of useful and interesting features to ZoneAlarm to derive ZoneAlarm Pro which sports both a price tag for the initial product and a yearly subscription which also costs, all proving that the best things in life are most often not free. The basic anti-hacker protection between the free and Pro versions is similar, but the added stuff creates a price tag. Is it worth it? Only a trip to <zonelabs.com> to peruse the added features will help you make up your mind. Nothing says that the folks at ZoneLabs are not entitled to be paid for their products like any other business.

ZoneLabs has recently created some major upgrades and changes. Extra features have been added to the Pro version. An entirely new version entitled ZoneAlarm Plus is now available. It is sort of intermediate between the free version and ZoneAlarm Pro, offering a number of features found in the latter. Like the Pro version, the Plus version is not free. It costs!

The number of the still available free version has been bumped up to 3.1 with some extra shmaltz added to invoke your interest. It's still free and is still an industrial strength anti-hacker tool.

Without a doubt, you absolutely need either one of these three ZoneAlarm products, or something that will do the job equally as well. The only other product that fits this bill is Sygate. It too is free <sygate.com>, but also sports a pay Pro version. It is fully comparable to ZoneAlarm and preferred by many users as less intensive on system resources than ZoneAlarm. If you find ZoneAlarm is slowing down your computer or creating other problems, it's an excellent alternative.

Can That Spam

There are few things more annoying in a computer user's everyday life than email junk, affectionately known as spam. When spam includes viruses and worms like the commonly distributed KLEZ-H, it adds dangerous injury to insult. Advertisers and scammers have long since discovered the benefits of free advertising provided by distributing to email lists of millions of addresses on which yours and mine are unwillingly but commonly included.

How they got there in the first place is not hard to understand. Give your email address out to anyone, anywhere at anytime and you've been tagged. Even your best friend's mail directory may have been unknowingly invaded. The less you distribute your email address around to different vendors and Websites, the less junk mail you will receive, but unfortunately, once your address gets listed, that list is commonly available to and distributed among spammers.

Although your email program (Outlook Express is the most commonly used) contains filtering tools you can apply, they only go so far, which is far from far enough! In addition, spammers are very clever in how they keep changing the address lines in email to you to get around your filtering. Furthermore, attempting to track the messages to their source is a waste of time because of the bogus, constantly changing addresses spammers use to get around discovery and filtering.

You can control virus attachments to your email by using good antivirus software and not opening any suspicious attachments. There is no fail-safe method you can use to exclude spam to-date, but we are getting close. Anti-spam software is available, some more effective than others, that does a reasonable job of keeping your inbox relatively free of spam. Most of these programs unfortunately have similar shortcomings. The most common of their problems is effectively blocking spam while making sure to let the good stuff come through.

The Herald Tribune recently recommended an anti-spam program called ChoiceMail, published by <digiportal.com>. ChoiceMail interposes itself between you and your ISP. It receives all mail addressed to you. Like other common anti-spam apps, it compiles list of sources from which you will accept mail that includes your address book and some extremely comprehensive filtering to OK those not listed in your book. Everyone else is provided a short dialogue box where they can list their name, email address, and the purpose of their message. If they fail to do so, their message is rejected. If they provide the information, it is passed along to you for acceptance or rejection. Super-great idea! It keeps everyone out except those you agree to accept mail from. You can revise your acceptance list at any time, adding or removing addresses and revising filtering parameters.

So what's the rub? ChoiceMail may be just what the doctor ordered for you, but it presented two drawbacks for me. Firstly, I receive email from new sources all the time consistent with my work in software review. Some of these sources may balk at providing acceptance information. Some of these messages are automatically distributed and are hence unable to provide a personal application. Secondly, ChoiceMail did not fully configure itself to my ISP account information on setup the way it was supposed to do. Before it would work it required changing both my incoming Comcast POP3 and outgoing SMTP settings to "localhost." The last time my antivirus software did that same thing, the result was that I was intermittently unable to receive mail, and although the recipient would now be ChoiceMail (indirectly to me), I was unwilling to take that risk. My email is much too sensitive and essential part of my computer use.

Further complications with ChoiceMail which might pertain to you include its incompatibility with AOL. In fact, it will only configure itself automatically to either Outlook Express or Eudora. Other email programs require manual configuring that may be beyond the experience level capability of some users. In fact, both Outlook Express and Eudora users may have to do some tweaking as well to get up and running.

Digiportal does not provide phone support. It is offered by email only to a secondary support source. I don't know about you, but I find email support often (not always) restrictive and requires too much back and forth explanation and experimentation to solve different problems.

In spite of the above drawbacks, ChoiceMail may be just the thing for you.. It certainly adds a new dimension to currently available anti-spam software. You can find out more at <digiportal.com>. In the meantime. we will be looking at other such programs from time to time that offer an innovative approach to their common shortcomings. Stay tuned! :

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Copyright 2002. This article is from the September 2002 issue of the Sarasota PC Monitor, the official monthly publication of the Sarasota Personal Computer Users Group, Inc., P.O. Box 15889, Sarasota, FL 34277-1889. Permission to reprint is granted only to other non-profit computer user groups, provided proper credit is given to the author and our publication. We would appreciate receiving a copy of the publication the reprint appears in, please send to above address, Attn: Editor. For further information about our group, email: admin@spcug.org/ Web: http://www.spcug.org/

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