What You Need to Know about All Things PC
Volume 5 Number 24Click here to return to the back issues page.Click here to return to the main newsletter page.
The Naked PC - http://www.TheNakedPC.com What You Need to Know about All Things PC Publisher: Lee Hudspeth and T.J. Lee Editor in Chief: Dan Butler Contributing Editor: Al Gordon This issue is for Tuesday, November 26, 2002 - Vol. 5 No. 24 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Table of Contents ** 01. Letter from the Publisher ** 02. TNPC Store Update (by T.J. Lee) ** 03. Disturbing Windows XP Security Bug (by T.J. Lee) ** 04. Al's Mailbag (by Al Gordon) ** 05. Online Shopping Tips (by Lee Hudspeth) ** 06. Featured Book - Spencer Johnson's "Who Moved My Cheese?" (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) ** 07. Featured Drawing ** 08. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff ** 01. Letter from the Publisher In the U.S., where all of TheNakedPC staff resides, it's coming up on Thanksgiving (which is why this issue is going out early), a day when we traditionally give thanks for all the good things in our lives. We here at TNPC are very thankful for you our readers who allow us to come into your inbox every other week and chat about computer technology. In this issue Jim has an alert of interest to anyone running Windows XP. Al catches up on reader email--covering topics from why he built a PC from scratch to whether to upgrade if you have version X of a particular program and the developer releases version X+1. Lee provides his online shopping tips--habits that can save you plenty of heartache if an online order should go awry. "Congratulations" to The Naked PC subscriber Mike B. who won our previous issue's drawing, a $25 TheNakedPCStore.com credit. It's fun and easy to enter, see this issue's Featured Drawing article. Reader support is what keeps The Naked PC free. You can help us by passing a copy on to co-workers and friends (no spam please). We make it easy for you to refer people to The Naked PC... check out our Refer page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/refer/ +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ >> "That's the Handiest Thing Anyone Has Given Me..." With one of our handy space pens you'll never be without a reliable writing instrument again. They write just about anywhere and any angle - even upside down or in the rain. And the quality. Built to last and still look great. Rich P. said, "They're everything you wrote about them." Click here to find out more: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?spacepen +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 02. TNPC Store (by T.J. Lee) Ah, Thanksgiving... a time of feasting and reflection on that for which we are indeed thankful for. We know many of our readers are thankful for TNPC because they often write and tell us so. We also know because so many of you help to keep TNPC free by frequenting our e-store. Not only that, but you come back again and again as regular shoppers! The Thanksgiving holiday marks the start of a very busy retail buying season here in the States. According to industry analysts some 20-40% of the typical U.S. retailer's annual sales occur in the two-month period of November and December. That said, we hope to provide a holiday solution to you our readers this season by supplying you with a quick and easy shopping solution at TheNakedPC Store. In our on-line store we offer numerous personal productivity tools, e-books, software tools, the superbly crafted and durable line of Fisher space pens, Swiss-Tech tools-on-a-keychain, Photon Micro-Lights the world's brightest pocket flashlight, and more. These goodies are guaranteed to be just the ticket for friends, loved ones, employees, bosses, you name it! Gadget lovers will go bonkers over this stuff. Really! However, keep in mind that I'm tagging and bagging all of our orders in my somewhat cramped home office digs all by my lonesome, in the wee hours when rational people are asleep. So please order early (and often) to ensure you get your cool and useful gifts in time for the holidays. Thanks for supporting TheNakedPC and keeping this newsletter free. Click here to browse to our e-store's main page: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?publet1 ** 03. Disturbing Windows XP Security Bug (by T.J. Lee) Okay, everything Microsoft has a security bug so why should Windows XP be any different? Regular TNPC readers know I don't go in for a lot of "the sky is falling" hype every time someone figures out some esoteric macro virus or other non-event. But this issue with Windows XP is serious enough for even me to take notice. I run XP on my office laptop (yes, complete with the Fischer- Price interface, hey, you get used to it) so when my boss told me about this problem I was interested and looked into it. Microsoft is keeping pretty quite on the mechanics of the security flaw but it centers on a file that installs with Windows XP called UPLDRVINFO.HTM. This file is part of the Windows XP Help system. There's a script in this file that can be called from a snippet of code that allows the calling application to specify a file, or a folder, to be deleted. This code can be a link on a Web page, it can be a link in an HTML email message, or it can triggered by a rigged Web page whereby all you have to do to get stung is to display the page in your browser. The name of the file or folder to be deleted is passed to the script so that filename or folder name has to be known by the bad guys in advance. This limits the destructive capability to known folders such as the Windows or System folder which can quickly cripple your computer. When the script is activated a browser window pops up and displays the Microsoft Help and Support Center page. What is not apparent is that it has already deleted the target files. If the Windows folder was hosed and you shut down the system it won't come back up. Microsoft has known about this problem for some time but has been very closed-mouthed about since once hackers know that UPLDRVINFO.HTM is involved it is easy to go study that file and figure out how to started deleting unsuspecting Windows XP users' files. The rest of the security professionals have gone along with Microsoft until a patch or workaround was found. There are now several solutions to this bug and if you are running Windows XP you should implement one. First, and easiest, is to just rename the UPLDRVINFO.HTM file. While this is a bit of a band-aid approach it is preferable to doing nothing about this problem. Another, and more comprehensive solution, is to install the Windows XP Service Pack 1 upgrade. The only downside to the SP1 fix is that it's a "version 1" of a service pack and Microsoft has been known to break more things than fixed in initial service packs. But I've installed SP1 on my laptop and have not had any major issues but be aware there is a LOT of negative buzz about SP1. Microsoft, perhaps realizing that SP1 is not all it could/should be has also issued a patch last month to address this security flaw. It's a 1 megabyte plus patch and you can find it here: http://www.microsoft.com/Downloads/Release.asp?ReleaseID=43681 However, if you're going to go the patch route consider the fix put out by Steve Gibson called XPdite. It's a 30k file so it's immensely faster to download and apply than the Microsoft patch and even more so when compared to the 135 megabyte Windows XP Service Pack 1 upgrade. You'll find Steve's XPdite here: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?jim1 If you want to see this XP bug in action check out this TechTV video clip: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?jim2 You can reach T.J. Lee at: mailto:tj_lee@TheNakedPC.com [T.J. Lee works as a project manager for McMillan Consulting, a division of McMillan Systems Inc., a company that designs, services, installs, and overhauls LANs and WANs, and provides data communications services such as T1 lines, firewalls, routers and switch implementations.] +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ "You Can Laugh At Money Worries - If You Follow This Simple Plan" Do you sometimes have more month than money? Ever wonder how to dig out of the hole of debt? Maybe someone you know is struggling. In today's uncertain times with tens of thousands being laid off, this is one step you can take now to make your future more certain. This proven multimedia course will show you everything you need. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?financial +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 04. Al's Mailbag (by Al Gordon) I have gotten behind in responding to reader mail, in part because of the press of other business and in part because in the course of testing anti-spam software, a number of reader e-mails were rejected by the junk-mail detectors. (More on the software in an upcoming article.) So let me cover some of the major points readers raised: My "Thinking Inside the Box" series generated a number of comments and inquiries. One reader strongly challenged my assertion that building a PC was not practical unless you had access to parts and components and wholesale prices. He noted that the astute shopper can look for bargain-priced items in computer stores, taking advantage of specials and promotions to assemble your project without breaking your budget. Good point. However, I should note that there is no East Coast equivalent of Fry's Electronics. Technology-oriented stores here tend to focus on systems and software and have slim pickings for components. But where such outlets exist--and if you are prepared to go with what's available as opposed to specific brands--that is a good way to get the job done. Even so, building your own PC still is something to be attempted only by people for whom doing so is fun. Any economic case has to be based on pricing your labor costs at zero. As I noted at the outset of the series, the object was not so much a "how to" as it was a guide to the kind of features you might want to shop for in your next PC, or upgrade your current PC to include. There was much less dissent on the suitability of off-the-shelf components. Several readers wrote to say that their experiences matched mine--no special benefits from supposedly "engineered" systems. I hardly would suggest that this is a representative, scientific sample, but the feedback I got all pointed towards consumer dissatisfaction with both Compaq and HP, which are now merged. Compaq users saw little value in Compaq-branded components, combined with the substantial disadvantage of higher prices. HP purchasers complained that the design of HP "boxes" were among the least user-friendly in the industry, making upgrades a tedious chore. And neither company got good marks for technical support. Readers also asked whether they really needed the level of technology I used. This goes to one of the ongoing important issues about buying a PC: avoid the temptation to buying "cool" technology and then figure out what to do what it. Instead, determine what you want to do, then choose to correct technology for that. This system I assembled is roughly akin to the power user systems sold by Dell, Gateway, et al. Its features will support multimedia tasks that are increasingly part of "home" computing. You can see measurable speed improvements if, for example, you are "ripping" a CD and encoding it as a MP3 or using a graphics program to make thumbnails of the photos on your digital camera. However, you will not see any discernible performance enhancement in, say, Microsoft Word. Ditto for simple Excel spreadsheets (there would be an advantage to the power for a complex spreadsheet with multiple formulas and lots of data). There are numerous, attractively-priced mid-range PCs, typically featuring DDR memory and the Intel 845 chipset that are more cost-effective choices for standard business use. And, indeed, this is what I usually recommend to friends who aren't power users. And, speaking of the series, technology being what it is, my "state-of-the-art" system already is obsolete. ATI Technologies has introduced a new version of the All-in-Wonder, the 9700 Pro: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?al1 In addition, the one performance area that disappointed me in testing was that while speeds on any particular heavy-duty application were improved, I did not see any great gain in multitasking performance. Intel has just released a new generation of Pentium 4 chips that, in addition to clock speeds of 3.06 GHz, incorporate "Hyper-Threading Technology" (HT) to enhance multitasking, essentially by modifying the chip's command functions so that it behaves as if it were two chips. Regarding the ongoing series about upgrades, a couple of Microsoft Access experts took me to task for criticizing the complexity of the program in the course of my review of FileMaker Pro. Their complaint was that Access gets bad-mouthed by users who will not take the time needed to learn how to use the software. My point is exactly that: most business users simply do not have the time to deal with Access's learning curve and would benefit from a more simple programs such as FileMaker. I will concede this: Access's wizards allow users to create extremely sophisticated queries, reports, and forms--indeed, when the wizards work the way you want them to, Access actually can be easier than FileMaker Pro. BUT my experience has been that when the wizards don't quite do the job you wanted, manual fine-tuning can be extremely tedious. A generic inquiry I received had to do with users who had version X of a particular program and wanted to know whether they should go to version X+1. In general, the answer is "probably not"--with rare exceptions, the most cost-efficient approach is to upgrade to every other release. The exceptions would be when the new release is required for a new version of Windows or when the upgrade deal is too attractive to resist. (c) 2002, Al Gordon You can reach Al Gordon at: mailto:al@TheNakedPC.com +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ >> "How Many Ways Will You Use These Amazing Devices?" They're incredibly handy. When we first saw these amazing little devices we thought, "these will look cool hanging on my key ring." Then we started using them. WOW - every day we find more uses. How many will you find? And they make INCREDIBLE gifts! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?swisstech +++------------------------- sponsor -------------------------+++ ** 05. Online Shopping Tips (by Lee Hudspeth) If you decide to do a smidgen, some, or all of your holiday shopping online this year, here are some habits and tricks I use that will help you along the way. -- Online shopping carts can sometimes be a bit convoluted, so if you're hesitant, check out the cart's Help material and/or FAQs *before* you start a transaction. If you're in the middle of a transaction and need help you can create a new browser window (in Microsoft Internet Explorer it's File, New, Window or the shortcut Ctrl+N) then move into the cart's Help system, get the information you need, and return to the original browser window to finish the purchase (press and hold Alt, then press Tab repeatedly to cycle through the list of currently open windows). -- Keep discount coupon or gift certificate information/numbers at your fingertips so you will remember to enter them. If you don't enter them you won't get the discount! -- Enter a legitimate email address when prompted by the shopping cart (this may already be in a customer profile if you do business frequently with a given company). This way you're sure to get the very important email notification of your order. -- Print the shopping cart's page that displays your invoice, order, tracking, and/or confirmation number. Do *not* leave this page until you have successfully printed the page and are holding it in your hands. IE's "print the current page" shortcut is Ctrl+P. I like to file that piece of paper in my "receipts" folder and have it handy just in case there is a problem with my order. Most such confirmation Web pages include a phone number and an email address for contacting customer service, great, but if those contacts are missing, jot them down by hand. -- Print the order confirmation email that the seller invariably sends you. (I keep the email in my email archives too, more on this in a minute). I put the printed email into my "receipts" folder along with the printed confirmation Web page, so all the transaction's paperwork is together in one place. -- I keep the email in my Inbox at least until the order has arrived. That's because these emails typically include handy links to the retailer's order tracking system, and often include the package's tracking number for whatever carrier was used to ship your package. -- As subscribers who've read my various Microsoft Office articles know, I like Outlook. I'm especially fond of this Personal Information Manager's ability to transform one type of data item into another with one simple drag-and-drop operation. For example, I can copy the incoming order email into a Task item, complete with the email data in it. Next I set a reminder for the Task to whatever day the order is expected to arrive, then forget about it until Outlook reminds me that the package is due. Later, when the Task is complete, I delete it, while the email itself remains safely in my archive. (c) 2002, Lee Hudspeth You can reach Lee Hudspeth at: mailto:LeeHudspeth@TheNakedPC.com ** 06. Featured Book - Spencer Johnson's "Who Moved My Cheese?" (reviewed by Lee Hudspeth) A friend and I were recently talking about personal insights, life choices, the ways of the world, and were trying to dig down to the real core of what goes on with making decisions about one's life. You know the conversation, I'll bet you've had it too--solve your own and the world's problems over a pleasant meal. A few days later my friend gave me a copy of Spencer Johnson, M.D.'s small but highly inspirational book. The book's subtitle is "An Amazing Way to Deal with Change in Your Work and in Your Life" and I recommend you read it. It is less than 100 pages, and yet has tremendous power to get you thinking in a fresh and focused way on the issues of change, flexibility, inspiration, motivation, fulfillment, friendship, and recognizing and overcoming fear and self-doubt. The story's power comes from its simplicity and use of humorous, likable characters living in a maze in search of... Cheese. I don't want to say any more about the story itself, because I think you'll savor reading it even more without knowing any additional information or details. I hope you find this book as uplifting and thought-provoking as I did. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?fbook By the way, you may have heard of another book Johnson co- authored, this one with Kenneth Blanchard, "The One Minute Manger." http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?fbook2 ** 07. Featured Drawing If you haven't entered one of our The Naked PC survey drawings before, here's how it works. You go to a Web page on our site, answer one survey question, and type in your email address. To encourage folks to participate, we conduct a drawing from the email addresses of each survey's participants and we give away something really useful. Now, obviously we already have your email address or you wouldn't be reading this, but this drawing for prizes will only include those folks who answer this issue's question (entering a prior drawing doesn't count for this one). We'll only use the email addresses we collect for the purpose of notifying who won the prize, nothing else. Before our next issue is published, we'll pick one entered name at random. The winner gets a $25 store credit at TheNakedPCStore.com. But you have to enter to win. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?fdrawing ** 08. Newsworthy - a potpourri of current events and interesting stuff *-* Worldwide sales of PDAs continues on a declining trend. Three straight quarters of slipping sales are pinching PDA manufacturers. Third quarter 2002 sales (2.44 million units) are down 7% from the second quarter. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?news1 *-* In its never-ending quest to round up every dollar on the planet, Microsoft has confirmed that Office 11, the next version of Microsoft Office, will only work on Windows XP and Windows 2000 operating systems that are running the just-released Service Pack 3. Microsoft has been trying to drive a stake through the heart of Windows 98 for some time and this looks like the clincher. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/524/tr.cgi?news2 Have you come across something newsworthy? Drop us a line: mailto:hottips@TheNakedPC.com **PLEASE SUPPORT THE NAKED PC BY VISITING OUR ADVERTISERS** +++----------------------- classifieds -----------------------+++ >> NEED COMPUTER HELP? 24/7, 365 days/year. Try Juvio for superior tech support. Affordable, friendly service for all aspects. MAC and PC. Multiple languages. 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Includes access to our Web site's customers-only online tips section. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?comptips +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ >> "Get Control of the Choices in Your Life..." It's amazing. Simple things bring the biggest results. Find out how this book can change your life. I use three of the ideas everyday -- you can too. Click here for more info: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?being +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ PUT MICROSOFT OFFICE TO WORK FOR YOU If you use Microsoft Office 97, 2000 or XP, you need a PRIME for Office Utilities CD. From the Publishers of The Naked PC newsletter, on one CD you get PRIME for Word, PRIME for Excel, and the amazingly useful PRIME DocLauncher for Office utilities. 100s of features, plus a free ebook! http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?pcgcd3 +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ Have Your PC Read Documents to You! TextAloud MP3 handles any text source and speaks it to you. Take your eyes off the screen and let your PC read to you from documents, reports, email, Web pages, you name it. Converts to MP3 files so you can hear any text on your portable player. Walk around, stretch, exercise... all while staying productive. http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/a/tr.cgi?textaloud +++-----------------------------------------------------------+++ DISCLAIMER Personal computers are individual machines with performance that can vary with components, software, and operator ability. The Naked PC is not responsible for the manner in which the information presented is used or interpreted. Also, although we work hard to provide you with accurate Internet links in The Naked PC, we are not responsible for Internet links herein that represent sites owned and operated by third parties. We are not responsible for the content, accuracy, performance, or availability of any such third-party sites. REDISTRIBUTION POLICY We encourage you to forward this newsletter to your friends, associates, and colleagues for their review and enjoyment. However, please do so only by sending it in full, thereby keeping the copyright and subscription information intact. We do request that, once they've reviewed an issue or two, they subscribe independently rather than continue to receive issues from you. This helps The Naked PC grow and prosper, thereby funding its continued publication. Also, if you wish to post this newsletter to a newsgroup or electronic discussion group, you may do so if you preserve the copyright and subscription information. Thanks. SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES To subscribe or unsubscribe, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/subscribe.html To make comments or suggestions, surf on over to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpfeedback.html or send email directly to: mailto:tnpc@TheNakedPC.com WEB BULLETIN BOARD Check out our 24x7 Web bulletin board. If you've got a technical question about PC issues, or suggestions of your own, this is the place to hang out: http://www.PRIMEConsulting.com/annoyanceboard/ ADVERTISING To advertise in The Naked PC go to: http://www.TheNakedPC.com/tnpcadvertising.html Mail services provided by Blue Horizon Enterprises, one of the very few "Mom and Pop" operations left on the Web: http://www.bhorizon.com Copyright (c) 2002, PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. and Dan Butler. All Rights Reserved. The Naked PC is a trademark of PRIME Consulting Group, Inc. ISSN: 1522-4422 TNPC Hot Tips:
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