windows

Recall -- A few days ago, Infopackets Reader Ted B. asked if there was a way to connect 2 wireless PCs [one using Win98, the other WinXP] together without using a router as a Wireless Access Pointer (WAP). He wrote: " ... An elderly lady recently ... came into the shop and needed help with wireless networking (802.11) between her older Hewlett Packard computer (running Windows 98SE) and her XP notebook. Unfortunately, we could not get the connections working. She had opted for a wireless network because she did not want to run a long cord from her bedroom to her living room to connect the ... (view more)

Today's issue of the Gazette marks the end of the special promotion for my Service Pack 2 Fail-Safe install guide . Reminder: you can save up to 54% off the guide if you purchase before midnight tonight. Before we move onto other topics of interest ... featured in our newsletter, I've decided to end this special promotion with a lightening round of SP2-related questions from our Readers. Answers are short-but-sweet and will address the most frequently asked questions I've received via email / from the newsletter over the last 2.5 months. Ready? Round 1 ... Begin! Q: " I have installed ... (view more)

XP SP2 Frequently Asked Questions: Continued from Part 1 ... Q: " I already have Norton Internet Security installed and running. Does it make sense to use the Service Pack 2 Firewall or should I stick with Norton? Should I use both at the same time? ... " A: It is not recommended that you run two firewalls at once, as this can cause problems with programs which rely on your Internet connection. I don't have any experience with Norton Firewall, but I personally recommend using Zone Alarm (free), as it is widely accepted among the Internet community as a very strong and secure firewall ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Denise D. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have Windows XP and currently subscribe to the Road Runner high-speed Internet service (offered by Time Warner). I have tried to install Windows XP Service Pack 2, but after installing it, I ... could no longer access the Internet. I kept receiving a message 'cannot find server' on all sites through Internet Explorer. Subsequently, I had to uninstall the Service Pack in order to regain access to the web. What do I need to do in order to install the service pack and have access to the Internet? " My response: This has been a ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader James T. writes: " Dear Dennis, I read and enjoy your newsletter everyday that it's published -- yet, I can't understand why (as of late) you've giving so much hype to Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)? I agree that SP2 is a ... critical and necessary update ; nonetheless, Microsoft's Service Pack releases almost always coincide with incompatibility issues. As with any Service Pack, I feel, there is no guarantee that it will install successfully -- nor is there a guarantee for anything, when dealing with computers. ... My reason for writing you today, in fact, is with ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Denise A. writes: " Hi Dennis, First let me say that I thoroughly enjoy your newsletter. What a wealth of information it is! I just finished reading Tuesday's Gazette article, ' restricting access to portions of the start menu ', ... for the sake of security. My question is this: can a folder or certain file be password protected? I am running Windows XP. " My response: If you own more than one computer and have a local area network, you can can restrict who has access to what by setting the "share" privileges on Folders. On the other hand: if you only own 1 ... (view more)

Recall -- Yesterday, Infopackets Reader Don R. asked if I had any suggestions for running old DOS programs in a Windows environment. In my response , I provided some links to sites with helpful DOS / Windows information (especially for games), but ... then asked Infopackets Readers for additional info. DOS-enthusiast Mike K. writes: " You're welcome to 'steal' anything useful from my website (KennedySoftware.ie). In particular, you might take a very quick look at LesSpace, PatchCRT, and some long-winded notes on running 'Old-Apps' in newer OSes and PCs. If you or any of your Readers have ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Don R. writes: " Dear Dennis, I run some old DOS programs on my new XP PC and am running into memory problems. I have tried all the memory manager options I see, but they have no result. Any suggestions? " Side note: MS DOS is the ... predecessor operating system to Microsoft Windows. Unlike Windows, DOS operates from a command line. For example: to load a program, you would typically need to navigate to a program folder (by issuing DOS commands) and then execute a program by typing in its name. A sample MS DOS Window can be seen here . My response: I get asked this ( ... (view more)

Yesterday, I came across a very interesting article posted by p2pnet.net which details a recent exploit in MS Windows, called "jpeg of death.c v.05". In summary: on September 17th, 2004, a proof-of-concept exploit was discovered that could ... potentially execute malicious code on the victim's computer when viewing a JPG file image file using Internet Explorer; at the time, however, the exploit only crashed Internet Explorer. On September 24th, a new variant of the exploit appeared, responsible for running potentially malicious code if an infected .jpeg file was downloaded from the ... (view more)

Infopackets Reader Lei F. writes: " Dear Dennis, I have scoured the Internet and tried everything I could come up with, but I just can't seem to get stop (MSN Messenger) from the running processes. Even when I end the process using Task Manager, ... within minutes, msmgs.exe appears again. No one in our family even uses Windows Messenger, those that do use MSN Messenger v6. I have tried EVERYTHING, Dennis -- how do I get rid of it? I've tried searching Google for the answer, but was unable to come up with anything. I'm sure a significant proportion of infopackets subscribers have the same ... (view more)