Issue 266 - November 19, 2003

ISSN 1488-3163; PC Improvements © 2003
==== 2155 Subscribers in 62 Countries ====

Welcome to the 266th 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've finished the review of Password Agent by Moon Software. If you are looking for software that will help you store your passwords, this is definitely worth a look. I love it and use it almost everyday.

Next Wednesday Chris and I will be attending the TechNet Presents: Great Moments at Work with the New Microsoft Office System in Toronto. If the new version of Microsoft Office has anything worth mentioning, I'll pass it along.

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

The NEWS

AOL hits the gas pedal

AOL Canada rolled out a new middle-speed Internet service Thursday aimed mainly at people who are dissatisfied with their current high-speed providers.
Called Netscape Online Accelerated Internet Service, the new cross-country product uses a standard 56 kbps dial-up modem but can download photographs, graphics, text and e-mail five times faster, approaching 256 Kbps. Netscape Online is selling for $18.95 per month.

For more info:
http://www.globetechnology.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031112.gtaoll1112/BNStory/Technology/

'Spyware' steps out of the shadows

Late in July, an e-mail that hit employee in-boxes at a British credit card and finance company carried a secret payload--"spyware" capable of recording confidential corporate data and sending it over the Net.
Labeled "Wedding Invitation," the e-mail looked at first like spam or an ordinary worm. But consultants at security company Clearswift now believe that the e-mail was part of a targeted attack on the victim company aimed at extracting specific information--a nightmare scenario in the corporate security world.
Clearswift says the incident highlights a dangerous new trend in computer breaches, where spyware applications increasingly play a starring role. Relatively benign attacks intended to win attention by disrupting networks are being eclipsed by sophisticated attempts to steal passwords and other confidential information that can be used to deliver cash.

For more info:
http://news.com.com/2100-1032_3-5108965.html

China moves from DVD to EVD

China, the world's biggest maker of DVD players, moved Tuesday to create its next-generation rival -- the EVD -- the first step toward creating a possible new national industry standard.
Beijing E-world Technology Co. Ltd., the corporate entity of a government-backed consortium of businessmen and academics, and two DVD manufacturers unveiled the indigenous, higher-definition Enhanced Versatile Disc.

For more info:
http://money.cnn.com/2003/11/18/news/international/china_dvd.reut/index.htm

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POLL of the WEEK

Last Week's Poll

Why do you think Microsoft is offering a reward to catch hackers?

They are genuinely interested in security 27.68 % (31)
They are trying to look good 32.14 % (36)
They are trying to shift attention away 30.36 % (34)
I don't know 9.82 % (11)
Total votes: 112

This Week's Poll

Has your computer every actually been infected by a virus?

Yes, once
Yes, many times
Never

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

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PCIN.net FREEHELP FORUM

Visit the PCIN.net FreeHelp Forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post your questions or answer others.

Question

I disabled my Via on board chip when I installed my verto TI 4200 AGP graphics card. Now the card looks like its failed and I have a completely black screen with no sign of a command prompt or anything else.
I cannot get into bios, I guess I will have to try and get the old card repaired to get back in. Are there any other options of enabling the Via chip?
OS is windows 98 and Bios is Award.

Response

No responses yet.

To post a response, visit the General Hardware Help forum at http://PCIN.net/help/forum/index.php?board=4 and click on the "Graphics card woes" topic.

Visit http://PCIN.net/help/forum/ to post a question of your own.

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PCIN.net UPDATE

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

Moon Software Password Agent Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/passwordagent.php

NewsGator Technologies NewsGator Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/newsgator.php

Sunbelt Software iHateSpam Software Review
http://PCIN.net/help/software/ihatespam.php

Logitech Cordless Elite Duo Hardware Review
http://PCIN.net/help/hardware/lced.php

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THE TIPS and OTHER STUFF

Moon Software Password Agent Software Review

"I have 9 web sites that I administer. I have 2 different networks at work I login to. I have purchased from numerous online stores. I have a lot of passwords I have to remember! I was doing just fine until I registered my 9th domain, and I found that I couldn't remember any of the new passwords. I guess I just couldn't squeeze anymore in. I've had numerous people complain to me about having too many passwords to remember, so I figured this would be a good time to find some software to review for PCIN.net
A search of Google brought up many choices, but most of them did not seem to do what I wanted, or they did too much. I was looking for software to store passwords, and that is about it. One piece of software that did seem to meet my needs was Password Agent by Moon Software. I requested a copy and I've been using it ever since."
Check out the full review at http://PCIN.net/help/software/passwordagent.php

DeskLook 3.1 Update

Speaking of software reviews, I received this recently from the XemiComputers Technical Support Team:
"Just to let you know that DeskLook 3.1 is available. You can check what's new in the program here:
http://www.xemico.com/desklook/new.html
Best regards,
XemiComputers
Technical Support Team"
You can read my review of DeskLook 3.0 (a system tray utility that uses desktop wallpaper to display data it reads directly from Microsoft Outlook) at http://pcin.net/help/software/desklook3.php

The Late Night TV Wards

Both the Tonight Show with Jay Leno, and the Late Show with David Letterman are on too late for me. I like the both, so I check out their web sites every so often. The both have excellent web sites with a lot of funny stuff. You can find the Tonight Show web site at http://www.nbc.com/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/ and the Late Show web site at http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/
Be sure to check out Dave's slide shows at http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/slide_shows/ (there is a really funny one called Rejected Commercial Characters) and Jay's headlines at http://www.nbc.com/nbc/The_Tonight_Show_with_Jay_Leno/headlines/

The Memory Hole

"The Memory Hole exists to preserve and spread material that is in danger of being lost, is hard to find, or is not widely known. This includes:
Government files
Corporate memos
Court documents (incl. lawsuits and transcripts)
Police reports and eyewitness statements
Congressional testimony
Reports (governmental and non-governmental)
Maps, patents, Web pages
Photographs, video, and sound recordings
News articles
Books (and portions of books)
The emphasis is on material that exposes things that we're not supposed to know (or that we're supposed to forget)."
Check it out at http://www.thememoryhole.org/

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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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Graham Wing can be reached at editor@pcin.net
Chris Empey can be reached at chris@pcin.net

Copyright 1998-2003, 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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