MalekTips: 9-17-2004
 
Welcome to the latest issue of the MalekTips newsletter, providing computer and technology help and tips. We appreciate your subscription!
 
Read just some of what you can find by visiting the following web addresses:
 
* Travel to interesting and useful websites. Want to see how Earth looks from space? Or, zoom in a little bit and see how your neighborhood and others look from the sky. You can also virtually 'fly' to other areas around the globe and see how they look from the air. Or, if you are planning on actually flying, calculate airport wait times so you're not still on the ground when your plane is about to take-off. And if you plan on traveling by car, find out where you can find some cheaper gas prices to help save you money.
 
* Having trouble with the spyware and adware removal tool Spybot Search and Destroy? If you cannot run other software while Spybot is scanning your system for spyware and adware, we have a tip. This newsletter also can help rid your computer of extraneous shortcuts to the software as well as alert sounds.
 
* Plus, there's even more help: Change some of Microsoft Word 2003's autocorrect features. Make Outlook 2003's new e-mail Desktop Alert appear longer onscreen so you can actually read it. Use Google to search for local area businesses. Download replacements for your Windows XP calculator. Speed up Winamp 5 by not loading metadata and by disabling its visual spectrum analyzer. And there's more!
 
These tips and more, 31 in total, can be found below in the latest version of MalekTips - just access the links for the full tips. Enjoy! And remember - if you have a computer question, be sure to visit the MalekTips forums at http://www.malektips.com/forums
 
Andrew Malek MalekTips.Com
 
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Point them to the following web address to sign up and read past newsletters online: http://malektips.com/maillist
 
* Recent MalekTips Front Page Stories *
 
9-15-2004: Inkjet Refill Kit Recall
 
The US Consumer Product Safety Commission has issued a recall of NCR Universal Inkjet Refill Kits. The refill kits, containing ethylene glycol, which could accidently be consumed by young children, do not contain warning labels nor child-resistant packaging. View the aforementioned website for more information, including how to obtain a refund or free replacement kit.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml04/04215.
html
 
9-15-2004: Netscape - Multiple Vulnerabilities
 
Security firm Secunia is reporting several vulnerabilities in Netscape 7.x. These include cross-scripting vulnerabilities and those that can "compromise a user's system". No patches have been released. Reportedly several of these vulnerabilities were found and fixed in yesterday's release of Mozilla 1.7.3, Firefox 1.0PR, and Thunderbird 0.8.
 
Link (External Site): http://secunia.com/advisories/12535/
 
Link (External Site): http://www.mozilla.org/
 
9-15-2004: Hurricane Ivan Newsfeeds
 
WWLTV, the CBS affiliate in New Orleans, is currently offering a live newsfeed of their Hurricane Ivan coverage. Traffic cameras are also visible from their website of the now busy I-10.
 
WPMI, the NBC affiliate in Mobile, Pensacola, and Ft. Walton Beach, is also planning a live newsfeed as the storm approaches.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.wwltv.com/
 
Link (External Site): http://www.wpmi.com/
 
9-14-2004: Microsoft Office - WordPerfect Convertor Vulnerability
 
A vulnerability in the WordPerfect convertor for Microsoft Office could allow remote code execution. Various versions of Office 2000-2003 and Works Suite 2001-2004 are affected. View the aforementioned link and patch your system if necessary. Or, visit Office Update as the updates may be available there when you do a scan.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin
/MS04-027.mspx
 
Link (External Site): http://office.microsoft.com/
 
9-14-2004: Buffer Overrun in Multiple Microsoft Products
 
Microsoft has announced a fix for a buffer overrun vulnerability in the JPEG processing library for multiple products. These products include Windows XP and XP Service Pack 1 (not Service Pack 2 yet software running on the operating system may be vulnerable), Office XP Service Pack 3, Office 2003 (though you should be patched if you have already installed all the service packs), Project 2002 SP1 and 2003, Digital Image Suite version 9, and more. Visit the aforementioned link and strongly consider patching your system if you use any of the affected software.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/bulletin
/ms04-028.mspx
 
9-14-2004: Mozilla Bug Bounty Payments
 
The Mozilla Foundation has announced they have made payments in response to their Bug Bounty program According to the release, the Bug Bounty program has resulted in various security fixes found in the newest releases of the Firefox and Mozilla browsers and the Thunderbird e-mail client.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.mozilla.org/press/mozilla-2004-09-14-01
.html
 
9-14-2004: Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird Announcements
 
The Mozilla Organization announced the release of the Firefox 1.0 Preview Release and Mozilla Thunderbird 0.8. New Firefox features include an updated pop-up blocker, numerous security improvements to help against phishing attacks, a Live Bookmarks feature allowing easier viewing of RSS feeds, easier searching for browser plug-ins, and more. Thunderbird now offers a global inbox, RSS integration, and improved searching capabilities. Downloads are available at http://www.mozilla.org/.
 
Link (External Site): http://www.mozilla.org/press/mozilla-2004-09-14-02
.html
 
Link (External Site): http://www.mozilla.org/
 
* Tips! *
 
These tips are NOT available to the general public yet! You can find them here first in the MalekTips newsletter! Thanks for subscribing.
 
Google - Localized Search
Find local area businesses with Google without resorting to your phone book.
 
Google - View Related Pages
View pages Google deems to be related to your favorite website.
 
Google - Search for Only Word or PDF Documents
Search for Word and Adobe documents with ease using Google.
 
Google - Area Code Search
Find out what city represents a particular area code with Google.
 
Google - Elmer Fudd Interface
Make Google look like your favorite cartoon character wrote it.
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Stop Hyperlinking Web Address URLs
Keep Word 2003 from automatically turning web addresses in your documents into live hyperlinks.
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Create Documents Viewable in Older Versions of Word
Create Word 2003 documents that may be easier to view by those running older versions of the word processor.
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Remove Smart Tags from Saved Documents
Keep Word 2003 documents from storing Smart Tag information.
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Give Your Documents a Background Picture
Add pizzazz to your Word 2003 documents by inserting a background picture or photograph.
 
Microsoft Word 2003 - Print Background Colors and Images
Ensure Word 2003 prints your background pictures or photographs.
 
Outlook 2003 Misc - Make the New E-Mail Desktop Alert Appear Longer
Force Outlook 2003's new e-mail Desktop Alert to stay onscreen long enough to read it.
 
Outlook 2003 Misc - Edit the Custom Dictionary
Add industry and business-specific acronyms and words to your Outlook 2003 custom dictionary.
 
Outlook 2003 Misc - Manipulate Favorite Folders
Configure Outlook 2003 to show your most used mailboxes and folders on top of others.
 
Outlook 2003 Misc - Remove Warning Before Deleting Items
Prevent Outlook 2003 from warning you every time you forcefully delete a mail message, calendar item, or task.
 
Outlook 2003 Misc - Change the Default Flag Color
Change Outlook 2003's default flag color to something else besides red.
 
Sites to Browse - Cheap USA Gas Prices
Help save money by finding cheaper gasoline prices for your automobile.
 
Sites to Browse - Earth from Space at Night
See how Earth's lights look from outer space at nighttime.
 
Sites to Browse - US Airport Wait Times
Help ensure you get to the airport on time by viewing typical security delay wait times.
 
Sites to Browse - View Your Street from the Air
Browse the world, including your street, from the air.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Spybot Keeps Other Programs From Running
Help force Spybot to allow you to multitask as it scans your machine for spyware and adware.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Secure Shredder to Remove Files
Forcefully remove files with Spybot Search and Destroy to prevent easy recovery of deleted confidential and private information.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Play or Mute Alert Sounds
Play or mute alert sounds with Spybot finishes its scans.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Show or Hide Desktop, Quick Launch, and Start Menu Shortcuts
Display or hide various shortcuts to Spybot Search and Destroy on your Windows system.
 
Spybot Search and Destroy - Remove Backups When Fixing Problems
Go 'without a net' by keeping Spybot Search and Destroy from making backups as it cleans your machine of spyware and adware.
 
Winamp 5 - Movies Playing Slow? Change the Priority
Speed up Winamp 5 if it has difficulty playing movies and other multimedia files at full-speed.
 
Winamp 5 - Use Your Multimedia Keyboard Controls
Download plug-ins that can help your multimedia-enabled keyboard control Winamp 5's functions.
 
Winamp 5 - Remove Numbers from Playlist
Clean up your Winamp 5 playlist by removing song numbers.
 
Winamp 5 - Use Your Own Playlist Font
Override your Winamp skin's playlist font to that of your choosing.
 
Winamp 5 - Speed Up by Not Showing Metadata Except on Song Open
Add files to Winamp's multimedia queue without waiting for it to load extended multimedia file information.
 
Windows XP and Calculators - Keyboard Shortcuts
Use these shortcuts to run Windows XP's calculator without relying on the mouse.
 
Windows XP and Calculators - Other Calculator Replacements
Is Windows XP's calculator not powerful enough for you? Download these freeware and shareware replacements.
 
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MalekTips is published by Envision Programming:
 
Envision Programming attn: MalekTips PO Box 11592 Knoxville, TN 37939-1592
 
This issue of MalekTips is Copyright 2004 Andrew Malek of Envision Programming. All other copyrights and trademarks are properties of their respective companies.

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