Dennis Faas

If you haven't already heard the buzz, AOL and Yahoo have teamed up with Goodmail Systems, and will soon be charging a "voluntary" per-email fee to bulk-mailers in order to guarantee the delivery of emails to recipients. A story at internetNews.com ... summed it up nicely (posted February 9th, 2006): " ... Companies that have buttered their bread by sending free e-mail via AOL and Yahoo will soon have the option to pay to ensure their messages arrive at their target destinations. AOL in the coming months will begin charging a fraction of a penny or more per message in what they ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Steve T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have recently added a 120GB external hard drive to my Dell Dimension computer (via the USB port). Problem: whenever I turn my computer on (to start Windows), the external hard drive always tries ... to boot first. Inevitably I get an error message that 'operating system is not found' and I have to shut off the external unit and then reboot the machine in order to start Windows properly. For this reason, I am curious if my Windows XP crashes, would it be able to boot from the external hard drive? If so, how would I go about doing this? ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader James D. writes: " Dear Dennis, After reading your in-depth review on Acronis True Image [disaster recovery / disk imaging software], I immediately purchased a registered copy. Unfortunately, I've run into a problem being able to ... record my image backups directly to DVD. According to Acronis, I need to install packet-writing software in order for this to work. What is packet writing software and why isn't it included as part of the Acronis package? " My response: This is a frequently asked question. In short: Packet Writing software is a "plugin" (per se ... (view more)

If you've subscribed to our email newsletter, you may have noticed that the format has changed. Specifically: Infopackets.com and the Infopackets Gazette email newsletter are now spotlighting articles written by other authors. With that said: Over ... the past few weeks, I've received *many* requests from our Readers to participate in writing articles (I.E., to "Blog with Infopackets"). Unfortunately, many of the letters I received were ambiguous, which tells me that perhaps the initial request to allow individuals from our audience to "blog" was not made clear. Allow me to ... (view more)

SpyFalcon is the latest rogue anti-spyware program that dupes unsuspecting users into registering (paying) for a full version of the program in order to remove a supposed Spyware infection. SpyFalcon operates in the same manner as SpyAxe and ... SpywareStrike by issuing fake warning messages similar (and almost identical to) Windows Update Notification balloons. Click here for an example. Like SpyAxe and SpywareStrike, SpyFalcon infects the host computer due to an exploit in MS Windows. The exploit can be resolved after infection is removed and after visiting Windows Update Web site. Both steps ... (view more)

Winfixer is also known as: Virtumonde, and Msevents, and more appropriately: Trojan.Vundo. Trojan.Vundo is a component of a Spyware program and is known to be installed by visiting a web site link contained in a spammed email. How To Remove Winfixer ... / Virtumonde / MSEvents Save these instructions to your desktop for later use. Download the Vundo Fix to your desktop. Go to your Desktop; double click VundoFix.exe. Place a check in the checkbox labeled 'Run VundoFix as a task'. You will receive a message stating that VundoFix will close and re-open in a minute or less. When VundoFix re-opens, ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader 'Francoise' writes: " Dear Dennis, Thanks for a great web site. I've learned a lot reading your articles. Question: I just bought a new computer and miss the CleanSweep from Norton System Works 2002 that I have on my old machine. ... I have been looking around for a utility that removes most URL's from the Internet Explorer address toolbar but keeps those that I use often. CleanSweep had a way of leaving those that I use regularly and delete the others. I tried a few apps that clear IE History but those pesky URLs are still there. Do you know of any utility (part of a bundle is ... (view more)

The Xbox 360 is Microsoft's newest video game console, the successor to their original Xbox. It was released on November 22, 2005 in North America, December 2 in Europe, and December 10 in Japan. It will be released on February 2, 2006 in Mexico, ... February 24 in South Korea, and March 2, 2006 in Australia, New Zealand, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore. The Xbox 360 will compete against the upcoming generation of consoles, including the Sony PlayStation 3 and Nintendo Revolution, and was officially unveiled on MTV on May 12, 2005, a week before the E3 trade show. Except in Japan the console is ... (view more)

Synopsis: Convert DVD movies to iPod and PSP Portable -- all with one package! Magicbit DVD Ripper Deluxe features one step video and audio conversion: just insert the DVD, choose convert, and you're off to the races. Magicbit DVD Ripper Deluxe: ... Features drilldown One-click conversion: convert DVD movies to almost any video format Excellent video and sound quality Auto-fit technology: convert movies to be viewed specifically on iPod, PSP, and other portable players Fast conversion: direct support for Intel Pentium 4 HT (HyperThreading Technology) processors Support for all popular video ... (view more)

A free xbox 360? Yes it's true -- I've just received wind that Jake Ludington is giving away a free xbox 360! Unless you've been living under a rock for the past few months, you are probably already aware that: the xbox 360 is currently *the* ... hottest game machine due to a short supply (and huge demand), the xbox 360 isn't widely available on the market A ploy by Microsoft for free publicity, perhaps? Perhaps not. USA Today is reporting that the supply for the xbox 360 is likely to stay scarce until the spring. " ... [The Xbox 360] has been hailed as an advance in home entertainment and ... (view more)