Drive Image 5.0
C: Gene Barlow advises those who recently bought Drive Image v4.0 at the SPCUG meeting, version 5.0 is now available. Let him know and he will send it to you for $5 shipping.

Life Stages Worm and McAfee
Q: We just updated the McAfee virus program, and it seems as though it couldn't keep the Life Stages Worm out of one of our machines. So it really put a question in our mind, how good this daily update of McAfee is in keeping garbage out when the Life Stages Worm had been around for quite a while.
A: My confidence level is not too high at the moment.
A: I prefer Norton, I'm not sure why.

Unblocking E-mail Senders
Q: We regularly use the "block senders" feature of Outlook Express for unwanted e-mail from spammers. But somehow I think we put our own name on the list. We need to sort this "blocked senders" list by alphabet since it's so long. Since OE does not seem to be able to do this easily, can you tell us how to do this?
A: You will be editing your registry, a critical part of Windows. Screwing this up will, at best, destroy your "blocked senders" list and, at worst, destroy your installation of Windows. Make a copy of the registry before you begin. The "blocked senders" list is contained in the registry.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, then click OK.
3. Locate the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{Identity Number}\Software\Microsoft\ Outlook Express\5.0\Blocked Senders (might be Block Senders)
4. Click Registry on the main menu bar, then click Export Registry File.
5. In the "Save In" box, change the location to a convenient location (Desktop, for example).
6. In the "File Name" box, type "blocked senders.reg", and then click Save.
7. If you want to actually sort the list, there is much additional work to do. If you just want to find and remove your name, that's simple. Open the .REG file that you saved earlier in a text editor (Notepad if the size is less than 60 kilobytes). Use the editor's Search function to find your name. Replace it with something else, like "qqquuu@ zzyyxx.com". Or if there is absolutely nothing else on that line but your name, then delete it. That is:
   "Name1"="andre@robin.com" <=replace name
   "andre@robin.com" <=delete line

Scripting Host Facility
Q: I've used a preview mode on e-mail for years and got so attached to that —I can delete messages without even opening them. Now it doesn't work right. Is there some way you can work around it so you can leave the preview mode on and still have a semblance of safety? Is it true it uses Windows Scripting Host Facility?
A: If you turn off Windows Scripting Host, it won't work; you can't activate it from the e-mail.
R: What about JavaScript?
A: Well, the reason why JavaScript might make a difference is because if you receive e-mail that is formatted as HTML than rather than having Outlook actually rendering it, Internet Explorer renders it. That's why you need to get the updates for the security patches for Internet Explorer because it's the one that's got the problem, not Outlook. If you had both the updates for Explorer and for Outlook, you might be all right to have the preview mode on.
A: There's one other thing that might do it. In Outlook Express if you do Tools, Options, then Security, there's a way to set your e-mail to be on the restricted zone, which turns a lot of that stuff off. It doesn't affect your Web browsing, it only affects the e-mail reading. And that might be enough to protect you. It's certainly worth trying. It's going to be in the Internet Zone, which is less security. But for e-mail, it doesn't matter. Restricted zone works fine.

Virus Checkers
C: Just wanted say that no matter what security settings you put on any of your software, if the software doesn't have a way about knowing about a particular type of virus, there is nothing it is going to be able to do. An anti-virus software package is almost mandatory these days unless you want to back your system up on a very regular basis and spend the time doing so. And by the way, a data drive only does an gig an hour, so with today's drives, that could take you quite a while. So if you don't have an anti-virus software package, you can get one for $20 now. And if you're not doing it, you don't have anybody to blame but yourself.
R: Computer Associates has a free virus program called InoculateIt that is getting fairly decent ratings compared to Macfee and Norton. So there's no excuse not to have a virus checker.

Laptop Network Problem
Q: The laptop (one of a four-station LAN) stopped accessing the Internet about a week ago. All PCs can see and access files on all other PCs on the LAN. All PCs except the laptop access the Internet and mail. The laptop can only PING itself. Win98, Toshiba cable modem, Linksys BEFSR41, 3Com FE574BT. I have removed and reinstalled all the networking components and double-checked network settings. I am awaiting a replacement NIC card.
A: Once, just to be on the safe side, in Outlook Express, I set it to be "offline." That way, any unauthorized access to the outside world would be blocked. I would be just a little bit safer from the lax security of these programs, or so I thought at the time. (By the way, Norton AntiVirus 2001 respects this setting. If O/OE/IE is set to be "offline," then so is NAV's LiveUpdate.) So, check if you are "offline." For example, in IE, click File on the menu bar and examine the "Work Offline" entry on the drop-down menu. If checked, uncheck and try to access the 'net.
R: That didn't fix the problem. It must be something else. The latest things I did: repaired IE5.5 (no help) and re-installed IE4.0 (no help). I will re-install 5.5 and I suppose I must consider re-installing Windows next.
A: I presume you have verified that the laptop's IP address and workgroup name are appropriate for your LAN (192.168.x.y where x is the same number for all stations on the net and the name is the same).

There are two levels of re-installing Windows—the overwrite and the overkill. The overwrite level will install Windows on top of itself but does not overwrite the registry. Hence, any difficulties you may be having which lie in the registry will not go away. Your desktop arrangement, all your applications that use the registry, all the files created by those applications, etc., will not be affected. The overkill level depends on the fact that you have first backed up, then deleted the current registry. When Windows installs itself, it will create a new registry and all your applications will need to be "refreshed." By refreshed, I mean that you will have to go through the motions of re-installing programs only so that their "essence" is put into the new registry (and shortcuts put on the Desktop, on the Start button, etc.). Still, all the documents and user files created by those applications will not be affected. (But back 'em up just in case.)

I've just read a report that ZoneAlarm may cause some problems. There are two components to ZoneAlarm: the User Interface and its underlying "service" called TrueVector. To eliminate ZoneAlarm as a potential cause of your difficulties, you must stop the "service."

From the report:

"To unload the TrueVector Service, go to the Configure panel and uncheck the box labeled 'Load ZoneAlarm at Windows startup' or 'Load ZoneAlarm Pro at startup.' If this box is grayed out, open the Internet Logs directory (in 95/98/ME this will be 'c:\windows\ Internet logs', in NT and 2000 it will be 'c:\winnt\Internet logs'), where you will find a file called 'iamdb.rdb' and a file named after your computer with the '.ldb' extension. Delete both of these files. If you are unable to delete these files, then try booting into Safe Mode to do it.

"If you use the Desk Band feature, this should also be disabled. To do this, right-click on any unused portion of the taskbar at the bottom of the screen, select 'Toolbars,' and uncheck 'ZoneAlarm Desk Band' (or 'ZoneAlarm Pro Desk Band').

"Reboot Windows (very important)."

R: Success! It was Zone Alarm all along! Apparently it was blocking port 139, so preventing Internet access but permitting LAN communication. I had it disabled, but that was not enough. I had to uninstall it to fix the problem. So I uninstalled it with its own removal program and rebooted. I was online right away. Then I re-installed ZA and all is working fine. I noticed when starting Netscape that ZA detected and blocked access to outbound traffic to 192.168. 1.xxx. I cleared that alert from ZA and all has been well since. I was aware of an insidious problem with ZA's True Vector element from earlier problems associated with it. However ZA is a great firewall, is free, and is a must have. Therefore it is incumbent on the user to overcome these types of problems in order to utilize this valuable program.

McAfee E-mail Checking
C: I noticed that with McAfee you've got to be careful because it doesn't turn on the e-mail checking by default.
A: Because it slows the e-mail down.
R: But if you don't do that, I assume it wouldn't catch those viruses. Is that what it's saying?
A: Probably. I don't use it. McAfee did me in sometime in the past and I said, no, I'm not gonna do them anymore.
R: This "Surf and Guard" thing will block an executable file. It doesn't work on a database the same way the anti-virus programs do, and it's not be used in lieu of anti-virus. It will pick up an executable or VBS or something that starts working on your registry or will do anything that could be construed as malicious. You can set the code levels or set the levels that it works. I would like for somebody willing to use Surf & Guard to let me know if it works.

M3U Music Files
Q: I downloaded a music file off the Internet and want to burn it onto a CD-Rom. Why doesn't my burner software allow me to burn a file that ends in .M3U? What is the M3U format?
A: The .M3U format is a text file that contains the locations of MP3 music files—a playlist. Microsoft Windows associates the M3U filetype with its Media Player until you install something else—Winamp, for example. If you examine the M3U filesize, it should become evident that it cannot contain the actual music data. Use NotePad to examine the file's contents. It's straight text and should indicate the whereabouts of the mentioned MP3 files.

The file is examined by the player and then uses those parts of Windows that will locate the actual MP3 file(s). The actual location might be in your folder of MP3 files, hidden in your Internet Temporary Files folder (if you downloaded the M3U file from the Net), or still only available from someone's site out on the Web.

If the file is out on the Web, it will be "streamed" (plays the audio stream as it is downloading to your computer) through the Internet connection.

Alaskan Needs C++ Mouse Library
Q: I moved to Juneau, Alaska, and am in sort of a pickle. I can't find a reasonable PC user's site/group up here that fills any of my needs, let alone the one I'm asking here: I need a very simple solution to a C++ problem I have. I need to capture mouse buttons and coordinates in the DOS environment. Obviously, I'm going to need some LIB or OBJ source file to access the mouse driver.
A: I'm supposing Anchorage is a bit of a drive from Juneau, but the Alaska Computer Society might be worth checking into, contact President Gene White, 274-6782.

Use Programmers Heaven to search for "C++" and "mouse. The list you get should include several likely candidates for a C++ mouse library. For example: CMOUSE.ZIP (Microsoft Mouse Class for C++), MOUPP400.ZIP (mouse++ is a mouse interface class for Borland C++ or TurboC++), MOUSE.ZIP (mouse library for C Programmers. DOS utility, mostly assembly code to enable mouse support), PCCURSOR.ZIP (mouse and cursor class for C++), RYEMOUSE.ZIP (RyeMouse.lib (C/C++ mouse library)).

From Quicken to MS Money
Q: We had Quicken Basic 98, but now we have Microsoft Money. Can we download onto a disk the Quicken data and have Money accept the data?
A: The short answer is yes. But for a collection of "Watch out for..." helpful articles, go to Microsoft Support. Search on the product Money and enter "Quicken" in the question field. You will get a list of about 75 articles that describe how easy it is, if you follow the prescribed steps.

Hardware

Troubleshooting a Printer
Q: My Epson printer went offline and I can't get it to work. Can you help?
A: We first need to determine if your printer is truly offline or simply unable to print because of an error condition. Turn off the printer using the printer's power switch and keep it powered off for at least 20 seconds. Unplug the data cable from the back of the printer. Put paper in the hopper. Press and keep holding down the Load/Eject button while you then also press the Power button. Keep both buttons pressed until the power light starts to flash. Now release both buttons. If something prints, then the problem is not with the printer. Turn the printer off again using the printer's power switch, reconnect the data cable, turn the printer back on and try printing something again. If Windows still reports a problem, continue with the following.

Click Start, Settings, Printers. On the window menu bar, select View, Details. If the printer is truly "offline," then its icon should be faded-out, almost ghostly, and a diagnostic message would be listed in the Status column. Right-click on the Epson icon. If the phrase "Use Printer Offline" is checked, click on that checkmark. Now, on the menu bar, select View, Refresh. If that was the problem and the Status is now clear, try printing. The Status diagnostic should otherwise give you a clue as to what is wrong (from Windows' perspective). If Windows does not report a problem in the Status column, continue with the following.

Right-click the icon and select Properties. Then click the Utilities tab on the Properties dialog window. (At this point your Properties dialogs might be slightly different than how I describe them.) Now click the Epson Status Monitor button. You should now see another window with information about the current status of the printer (from the printer's perspective).

All of this, of course, presumes you have checked the following common error situations: printer plugged into the power outlet and the data cable is connected to the computer and printer.

Modem Prices
C: I'm an AT&T Broadband Internet user and I just want to warn people about modem prices. They are in the hundred dollar range or so, especially if you get them with rebates and specials. But in Sacramento, you can go to their Web site and they tell which ones are approved. They say you can go to the chat room and talk to them, and they'll tell you there's a $10 transfer fee.

Yet when you go and buy the modem and you come back and go to the chat room and give them the serial number and give them your address, they say Sacramento is a no-swap area. And the only way you can get it installed is to call AT&T Broadband service, so they sign you up for service. They tell you then that it may cost you fifty bucks because that's the service charge.

I finally got so mad that I called their service back and got a supervisor and I did get them to say that they will not charge you, but I think a friend of mine got charged. It's a very simple job of swapping out the modem. They're gonna come to my house and supposedly I'm not gonna be charged, so we'll have to wait and see. They charge $10 a month to rent the modems now, so if you get around a hundred, it may be worthwhile except @Home is a very flaky company. Their stock is down to 39 cents a share.