[MikesWhatsNews] MWN #745 HackFix

MikesWhatsNews  13 , 08, 2004
in today's issue #745

2       W32/bagleAQ Worm
3       XP SP2 Released
4       Lavasoft announces the launch of Ad-Aware SE
5       Earth Screen Saver for Windows
6       USB-Drivers.com
7       Casper XP
8       CCC     UninstallAbility   
9               Old mice        
10      Time Sync v1.0
11      Links In Email Dont Work 
12      Jewel Quest
HackFix Updates 
____________________________________________________________

NOTE: Any time you see the "  ++ ",  it means there is more 
          of the article, or story, on the linked site. Mike
____________________________________________________________

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AOL Users</a>
___________________________________________________________
2
W32/bagleAQ Worm
http://www3.telus.net/mikebike/w32bagleAQ.htm
Win32.Bagle.AG is a worm that spreads via e-mail. 
The worm has been distributed as a 19,460-byte, PEX-compressed Win32
executable. 
Bagle.AG consists of several components; the worm executable, an HTML file,
an EXE dropper and a .DLL that contains a routine to download the worm. 
++
REMOVER:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/w32.evaman.c.removal.
tool.html
____________________________________________________________
3
XP SP2 Released
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/press/2004/aug04/08-06WinXPSP2LaunchPR.asp

REDMOND, Wash. - Aug. 6, 2004 -- Microsoft Corp. today announced the release
to manufacturing of Windows® XP Service Pack 2 with Advanced Security
Technologies. This free service pack delivers the latest security updates
and innovations from Microsoft, establishes strong default security
settings, and adds new proactive protection features that will help better
safeguard computers from hackers, viruses and other security risks.

"Service Pack 2 is a significant step in delivering on our goal to help
customers make their PCs better isolated and more resilient in the face of
increasingly sophisticated attacks," said Bill Gates, chairman and chief
software architect at Microsoft. "It is the result of sustained investments
in innovation and extensive industry collaboration. It also reflects a broad
recognition that as the security environment changes, the industry needs to
work together to respond."

During the worldwide rollout of Service Pack 2, Microsoft will localize the
software in 25 languages over the next two months and distribute it to
computer manufacturers, enterprise customers and consumers through
downloads, retail installation, free CDs and on new PCs. The easiest way for
current Windows XP users to ensure they receive Service Pack 2 when it
releases in their language is to simply turn on the Automatic Updates
feature in Windows XP. Customers with Automatic Updates enabled will receive
the latest security updates for Windows XP, along with updated installation
software that will optimize the download experience of Service Pack 2 and
all future updates to Windows XP. The timing for customers to receive the
Service Pack 2 download through Automatic Updates depends on a number of
factors, including the customer's Internet usage, location, language and the
level of Internet demand for Service Pack 2. Automatic Updates uses spare
Internet capacity to progressively download updates without interfering with
daily PC use. Microsoft expects to distribute Service Pack 2 to
approximately 100 million PCs through Automatic Updates over the next two
months. Automatic Updates is easy to turn on in Windows XP, and details are
available at http://www.microsoft.com/protect/.

Customers without reliable Internet connections who wish to obtain Service
Pack 2 on CD can order a free disc from the Microsoft® Web site as Service
Pack 2 is rolled out worldwide.
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/downloads/updates/sp2/cdorder/en_us/defaul
t.mspx 
Microsoft also is working with computer manufacturers to ensure they can
make Windows XP-based PCs preloaded with Service Pack 2 available as soon as
possible.
++
More info;
<http://money.cnn.com/services/tickerheadlines/prn/sff021.P1.08062004143420.0
5689.htm>

***  MfM ***  Don't rush into this update.
Most Service Packs will still have some bugs in them. 
Wait a month or so before installing the latest one as there are invarialby
new bug discovered after the SP is released. 
It is also a large download so why not wait for the free CD if you are on a
dial-up internet connection.
____________________________________________________________
4
Lavasoft announces the launch of Ad-Aware SE
http://www.lavasoft.de/
Lavasoft currently distributes its anti Spyware application Ad-Aware to over
80 million home and corporate users worldwide including 3000 partners in
over 120 countries. Lavasoft started distributing Ad-Aware in 1999. 1825
days have passed since Lavasoft released its first anti Spyware application
which has precipitated a wave of liberation that our users and customers
have, and continue to, enjoy. Ad-Aware has since been developed into a state
of the art application that can keep pace with the increasingly
sophisticated threats we face. 

Lavasoft, with its Ad-Aware technology, is widely known for delivering
comprehensive and secure performance. Together with several newly developed
techniques and our newly developed scanning technology Ad-Aware SE delivers
heretofore unseen performance on both PCs and workstations. With Ad-Aware SE
we show how to achieve modern, comprehensive anti Spyware protection.... 
++
____________________________________________________________
5
Earth Screen Saver for Windows by John Walker
 http://www.fourmilab.ch/earthscr/
The Earth screen saver displays an image of the Earth as currently
illuminated by the Sun, from a variety of viewpoints. 
You can view the Earth from the Sun (day side), the night side, from the
Moon, or from an arbitrary altitude above any point on the globe specified
by latitude and longitude.
Day and night regions of the globe are shown based on the current date and
time. 
The image of the Earth shifts location on the screen every 10 minutes to
avoid burning in the phosphor in one location. 
The Earth Screen Saver is available exclusively for 32-bit Windows systems
such as Windows 95/98/Me and Windows NT/2000/XP. 

The Earth Screen Saver is in the public domain. 
You can do anything you like with it. 
The images are generated based on the cloudless Earth databases created by
the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center from the MODIS instrument onboard the
Terra satellite. 
The image of the Earth by night is based on nine months of observation by
the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program.
For further information and additional images, visit the NASA Earth
Observatory site. 
++
____________________________________________________________
6
USB-Drivers.com
http://www.usb-drivers.com/
This site maintains listings of USB drivers available on the web, organized
by company. 
Includes links to useful resources. 
++
____________________________________________________________
7
Casper XP
http://www.fssdev.com/products/casperxp/

THE IDEAL BACKUP SOLUTION FOR WINDOWS XP 

Casper XP? makes it a snap to keep a bootable backup of your Windows XP
system. Just use Casper XP to copy your system hard disk to another hard
disk. If your system hard disk fails or becomes corrupted, simply boot your
computer directly from your other hard disk (i.e. your backup hard disk) and
you're up and running again in a matter of minutes. It really is that
simple. 


30-day trial version of Casper XP. While fully operational, this trial
version does not provide support for volume resizing. For example, using the
trial version of Casper XP to copy a 10GB drive to a new 100GB hard disk
will result in a 10GB copy being created on the 100GB hard disk; the
additional 90GB of space on the new hard disk will remain unpartitioned
space. This is only a limitation of the trial version. The full release
version of Casper XP will permit the copy of the 10GB drive to be resized to
100GB, making the additional 90GB of free space on the drive available for
new files, folders, and programs. 
++
____________________________________________________________
8
'Christy's Computer Corner'
  thanks to Christy;
http://www.1stpick.org
Uninstalling Unwanted Programs

UninstallAbility freeware
http://www.aurelitec.com/software/uability/download.htm

Windows 95/98/Me/NT/2000/XP

You know how it is--sometimes you try to uninstall a program and the
uninstall fails. 
You don't have to put up with this erratic behavior. 
Just download a copy of Aurelitec, Inc.'s UninstallAbility. 
This utility is free for personal use and ensures that you will always be
able to uninstall those no longer needed programs.

~~~~~~~~
9
Old Mice

The roller mice tend to attract just about everything on your desk and your
mouse guts get dirty.  
Don't worry, you don't need to get in touch with some sort of computer vet
to fix the little guy.

Gently turn the mouse over (sometimes they frighten easily; however, if
you've had him declawed, 
you should be OK). Normally, there is a removable piece that holds the mouse
ball in. It usually 
comes off with a little twist. Pull the ball out and remove any excess dirt,
fur, hair, gum, pop, spare 
change, etc. Usually just wiping off the ball with a lint free cloth will do
the trick. If it's extra grimy, 
rinsing it off under running water would be a good idea (the ball - not the
mouse), just make sure 
that it's 110% dry before you re-assemble things.

Next look inside the mouse where the ball was. You'll probably need to take
a pair of tweezers and 
(carefully!) pluck the hair / fur / lint off the rollers (they act like a
magnet for this stuff). 
You might even try to blow it out with some of that canned air stuff (in
case you're tempted, it's 
probably NOT a real good idea to wash it out with water :-)

Finally, I'd make sure that your desk or mouse pad surface is clean and free
of lint, hair, mouse 
droppings, etc. And that should do it!

Was this forwarded to you ?
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____________________________________________________________
10
Time Sync v1.0   free
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/ptsync.asp

Stay on time! Now you can synchronize your computer's clock to one of the
many ultra-precise time servers available on the Internet. 
You can schedule periodic automatic updates, or adjust your clock on demand
any time you choose. 

"This little program keeps our computer clocks accurate, synchronizing them
with any of the many "time servers" available on the Internet. Either on a
schedule, or on demand, Time Sync contacts one of these servers and
determines the current date and time -- often with an accuracy of only a few
thousandths of a second. It then adjusts our computer's clock, moving its
"hands" until they match the server's ultra-precise clock.

Why is such a program useful? For some folks, it may not be. But if you're
one of those who need an accurate clock, or reasonably insist that any clock
faithfully report the accurate time, you may find Time Sync indispensable. 

The Time Sync is also handy if your computer is attached to a local network.
Running the program on every computer ensures all computers agree on the
current date and time of day.

Hopefully, I've made Time Sync easy to use. Run it, and you'll see a single
window containing three tabs. 
The first tab, labeled "Welcome", displays information about the program,
and the purpose of the other two tabs.

The second tab reads "Auto Sync". Click it and you'll see a list of over 200
Internet Time Servers, grouped by country and (in the case of servers
located in the United States) state. Your first job is to select one of
these servers, preferably one near your computer or network."

One of Karen's free tools.
http://www.karenware.com/powertools/powertools.asp
I recomend her programs they are free/donation ware with no spyware or ad
ware added.

____________________________________________________________
11
Links In Email Dont Work

Sometimes when I click on a web address in a elail it does not work.

This is often the result of a link whch is wrapped, shows up on 2 lines. 
The trick is to copy and past the link into the address bar.

Another problem occurs when a period is added to the end of a URL

http:\\www3.telus.net\mikebike. won't work.

http:\\www3.telus.net\mikebike  will
____________________________________________________________

  HackFix updates, thanks to Christy;
staff@xxxxxxxxxxx
Http://www.hackfix.org
This weeks Virus Pattern Updates (08/12/2004)


All Software listed Alphabetically by Company name as some 
companies manufacture more then one product.


Aladdin Knowledge Systems

Esafe Desktop/Gateway/Enterprise
Last Updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.esafe.com/esafe/downloads/virusig.asp
Or
>From the Esafe folder in your Start Menu select Download Updates
~~~~~

AlWil Software

Avast Antivirus
Last Updated Aug 11/2004
To update your software:
Visit: http://www.avast.com/eng/download/updates/index.html
Or
Right click on the AVAST icon in the system tray, Select iAVS Update, 
AVAST will check for updates and download the appropriate files as needed.
~~~~~

 Authentium Software Systems

Command antivirus
Last Updated Aug 10/2004
To update your software
Visit http://www.authentium.com/support/downloads/index.cfm
~~~~~

Center for Antivirus Technologies (CAT)

Quickheal
Last Updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.quickheal.com/winupg.htm
Or
Open Quickheal select Utility from the top toolbar and liveupdate.  Follow
the 
onscreen prompts.  Alternately you can select Liveupdate directly from the 
QuickHeal program menu on the startmenu.
~~~~~

Frisk Software Systems

Fprot
Last Updated Aug 10/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.f-prot.com/download/home_user/
~~~~~

Computer Associates

E-Trust
Last updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
http://www3.ca.com/support/vicdownload/
Or
>From the Respective folder in your Start Menu select Autodownload

For Vet Anti virus
http://www.vet.com.au/html/software/update.html

Be sure to have your Customer ID and your registered email address 
handy for verification.

**Note**

We knew this time would come eventually, that Computer Associates would 
not continue to support/update the older program 
https://www2.my-etrust.com/services/ipe_support??
~~~~~~


GeCad Software

Rav (Reliable AntiVirus)
Last Updated:  Aug 12/2004
To update your software:
Visit: http://www.ravantivirus.com/pages/dldupdate.php?type=Daily
Or
Open Rav and select Rav Update from the toolbar
~~~~~

Grisoft Inc.

AVG 
Last updated Aug 11/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.grisoft.com/us/us_index.php
Or 
Open AVG and click Virus Database to check for updates
Or
Open AVG control centre and click Update Manager/update now

**Note:  To help speed up AVG updates you can set your program to use 
an alternate download site.  
Open AVG control centre->update manager->download from server.  The 
drop downbox should have listed www.grisoft.com (default)  and 
www.grisoft.cz. (be sure to select "apply" when done to save the changes) 
The default site is most often used so can at times become temporarily 
unavailable.  By using the secondary site (www.grisoft.cz) helps to ease 
the server and makes your update go quicker as most don't use it!
~~~~~

H+Bedv

AntiVir
Last updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.free-av.com/antivirus/allinonen.html
Or
Open AntiVir, from the top toolbar select Tools->start internet update and
follow the on screen prompts.


Vexira 
Last updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.centralcommand.com/updates.html
Or
Open Vexira, from the top toolbar select Tools->start internet update and
follow the on screen prompts.

Vexira Antivirus is marketed by Central Command however it is the same
program as Antivir with only a different name.
~~~~~

Kaspersky

Kaspersky Anti-Virus (formerly AVP)
Last updated Aug 06/2004 
To update your software
Visit: http://www.kasperskylabs.com/updates.asp
Or
Open AVP from the top toolbar click Tools-> Update virus definition
Or
>From the Kaspersky folder in your Start Menu select AVP updater


*Note*  Avp now has available a cumulative update and a 
daily update with the daily being any important items they 
feel shouldn't wait till the next cumulative update.  Our 
dates here are based on the most recent Major update.

**Note:  Improved update accessiblity.  To ease the update web traffic
Kaspersky labs has additional servers for autoupdating.  The program
defaults to use one server but can be altered to check a variety of 
servers. Select Kaspersky updater, select update via the internet to 
open the drop down box(es) select "location"  Check the box labeled 
"Use alternate locations from the list"  select next and next to update.  
This option should stay selected after the first time.  This helps 
Kaspersky lighten the load for updates and helps you obtain updates 
easier.
~~~~~

Network Associates

Mcafee 
Last updated Aug 11/2004
To update your software 
For Mcafee Visit
http://www.networkassociates.com/us/downloads/updates/superdat.asp
(for Virus and Engine updates)


Drsolomn (Product no longer available for new users however 
updates still available for current users):  Go to the following 
Internet site: http://download.mcafee.com/updates/4x.asp
IMPORTANT: When you get to this site you may notice that it refers 
to VirusScan. This update is not only for VirusScan. It also works 
with Dr.Solomon's. 

Or
Open your respective software virus scan scheduler, double click 
Auto update, click Run Now to do a manual live update, or click 
Schedule to set up a timed live update.
~~~~~

Norman Data Defence

Norman Virus Control
Last updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.norman.com/downloads.shtml#definition_files_updates
Be sure to have your Valid Username and password handy for verification.
Or
>From the Norman folder in your Start Menu select Internet Update

**Note Norman Virus Control web updates are only for version prior to 
5.0.  Norman 5.0 can only be updated via the update in the program itself.

Thunderbyte Anti Virus
Current Version: This product is no longer being supported.
http://www.norman.com/tbav.shtml
~~~~~

Softwin

BitDefender (Previously known as AVX - AntiVirus eXpert as of Nov 06/01)
Last Updated Aug 06/2004 
To update your software
Visit:
http://www.bitdefender.com/bd/site/downloads.php?menu_id=19&s_id=3
Or
Open BitDefender select Protection Options->live upgrade
Or
>From the BitDefender folder in your Start Menu select Bitdefender Live
         
Press Release on the software change 
http://www.bitdefender.com/press/ref1.php
~~~~~

Sophos

Sophos Anti Virus
Last IDE available Aug 12/2004
To obtain the latest IDE files
Visit: http://www.sophos.com/downloads/ide/

**Note:  Sophos does not update as other products do.  They update 
the Engine/software once a month (or so) to include all the previous 
IDE files.  New IDE files are available with new virus threats and must 
be downloaded individually until the next software update is available.  
Our update dates reflect the most recent available IDE file.
~~~~~

Symantec

Nortons AntiVirus
Last updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/defs.download.html select 
your language -> product from the list
Or
Open Nortons software and click the "live update" button
Or
>From the Nortons folder in your Start Menu select LiveUpdate - 
Norton Antivirus
~~~~~

Trend Micro

PcCillin 
Last updated Aug 12/2004
To update your software
Visit: http://www.antivirus.com/download/pattern.asp
Be sure to have your Registration number handy for verification
Or
Open PcCillin click Update then click Update Now (or Update later 
to Schedule a timed update)
~~~~~~~~~

If there is an Anti Virus program that is Not listed here that
you would like to see added to the weekly updates list Please
feel free to let us know.

Remember Your anti virus software is only as good as the user...
If you don't keep it updated it won't provide you with maximum
protection.

This weekly Update will be sent every Thursday on or after
6pm (eastern) to keep you up to date on virus pattern updates
available. Virus patterns are checked for most recent update
date as of 6pm Thursdays.

~~~~

~ Hackfix Project Staff
staff@xxxxxxxxxxx
Http://www.hackfix.org

3017 St Clair Ave #176
Burlington, Ontario
L7R 3L7

____________________________________________________________
12 
Jewel Quest ` Demo
http://www.nstorm.com/games/game_detail.asp?game_id=141
OS: Windows 98\ME\2000\XP 
Explore the ancient ruins of Mayan civilization while discovering hidden
treasures and priceless artifacts. In this unique new take on the
classic-style matching game, you must rearrange valuable relics to turn sand
tiles into gold. As you venture deeper into the jungle, you will encounter
increasingly difficult puzzles containing secret twists, cursed items, and
buried artifacts.
____________________________________________________________
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Antivirus software is a good choice to scan your system for possible viruses, 
however no virus scanner is 100% effective as manufactures cannot keep up with 
the rapid change of viruses that happens daily.
Be sure to update yours regularly.
http://www.hackfix.org/software/antivirus.html
______________________________________________________________________
Please feel free, to offer constructive criticism, as that will help me keep it 
interesting.
I also welcome any submissions about new products, web pages, or articles of 
interest.

All submissions posted in MWN will be given proper credit.
"MikesWhatsNews" believes in giving credit where credit is due but at times 
deadlines and information that is very important to readers we accidentally 
misspost an item.

If you believe something to be miscredited, or you know the author of one of 
the articles which we have posted as 'unknown', please do let us know so we can 
correct the information where applicable.

Many times in a article you may see a click here for more information, or to go 
to a link, these often will not work, as the original information, was taken 
from a page with HTML links. This is when you will want to go to the webpage 
indicated in the article, ++ ,for 'the rest of the story'
***MfM*** indicates that I am adding my own information to a particular    
article.
                         `~*~*~*~*~*~`
Mike ~It's a good day if I learned something new.
You can read a sample of my newsletter on my web page http://www.mwn.ca
My virus pages ~ http://virusinfo.hackfix.org 
mytech@xxxxxxxxxxx
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