At regular intervals, Microsoft issues Critical Updates for Windows. Everyone who knows me knows that I recommend configuring your system so that these updates get downloaded automatically. (But don’t choose the option to install them automatically; in that configuration, Windows will automatically restart itself in the middle of the night, even if you have unsaved files open!)

Every so often, one of these Critical Updates turns out to cause additional headaches. That’s the case with Critical Update 811493, which fixes a nasty security bug that could allow someone to take over a computer running Windows XP. Unfortunately, this fix doesn’t play well with some antivirus programs on computers that also have Windows XP Service Pack 1 installed, as Microsoft acknowledged in a brand-new Knowledge Base article: 819634 – You May Experience Performance Issues After You Install the 811493 (MS03-013) Package on Your Windows XP SP1-Based Computer.

After this issue surfaced last week, Microsoft took the patch off the Critical Updates list and added it to the Recommended Updates list. So you’ll only find it if you choose the option to visit Windows Update and scan your system. Most people will probably be just fine. I’ve got this fix installed on several computers here, all using Norton AntiVirus 2003. Everything’s running normally, with no performance problems at all. But you might not be so lucky, especially if you’re using a different AV program.

If you’ve noticed that your system has slowed down since the last time you updated it, this update could be the cause. To fix the problem, you can remove the update (from Control Panel, choose Add or Remove Programs and then select the “Windows XP Hotfix (SP2) Q811493” entry. You can then wait for the updated patch from Microsoft, which should be ready in a few days.

If your system isn’t displaying these symptoms, however, leave the patch installed!

The Siemens phone is back-ordered, AT&T informs me. So I’ll have to make do with the good ol’ Nokia for a while longer.

The Toshiba arrived yesterday, however, and so far I’m impressed. It’s light, sleek, and engineered like a tank. I was skeptical about the pivoting screen, which converts from the Tablet PC slate format (portrait orientation, with the pen for input) to a traditional notebook-with-keyboard format. But it works, and it seems more solid than the plastic hinges on the old HP.

I haven’t had a chance to do much more than fiddle with the pen as an input device. It did a surprisingly good job with my crappy handwriting, though, converting it to text with more accuracy than I would have expected.

We all dream of finding a way to strike back at the scammers and scumbags who stuff our inboxes with unwanted solicitations for porn, pyramid schemes, penis enlargement pills, and other junk. In Bruce Schneier’s Counterpane this week, I read about one spam artist who got a taste of his own medicine, big time.

Seems the notorious “spam king” Alan Ralsky gave a newspaper interview in which he bragged about his luxurious new home in West Bloomfield, Michigan. The details found their way onto Slashdot, where the readership tracked down his mailing address and organized themselves into an impromptu digital posse that began signing him up for catalogs, mailing lists, and the like. “Within weeks,” according to Schneier, “[Ralsky] was getting hundreds of pounds of junk mail per day and was unable to find his real mail amongst the deluge.”

Doesn’t it just warm your heart?

OK, I confess. I have a serious case of gadget lust. My current cell phone is more than two years old, so I’m replacing it with a
Siemens S46 Global Phone. It’s not the best-looking handset around, but it works with AT&T Wireless, it does Web stuff, and it’s compatible with GSM networks in Europe and the US. AT&T is literally giving them away. How could I resist? It should arrive any day.

I’m also vacillating over what should replace my three-year-old HP notebook. It has to be a Tablet PC, of course, and it has to be as light as possible. The
Toshiba Portege 3500 gets rave reviews and has the best combination of big screen, fast CPU, and expandability. At $2200 and up, though, it’s expensive.

Maybe the made-in-Taiwan SlateVision is a better choice? It costs at least $700 less, is one pound lighter, and uses the slate format instead of the Toshiba’s convertible format.

Decisions, decisions… Which would you choose?

My favorite Webmoron points out that I’ve been, shall we say, missing in action for about a month. Well, at least someone noticed!

I’ve been in heads-down mode cranking out yet another book, this one an update to Special Edition Using Microsoft Office XP with Woody Leonhard. Needless to say, I’ve been buried in Word, Excel, Outlook and the rest of the Microsoft Office 2003 suite. Oops, I meant system. The marketing gurus at MS have decided that this isn’t just a collection of programs, it’s now an integrated system whose parts all work together in mostly perfect harmony. Well, not quite. But as someone who’s been writing about Office for a decade, I have to say this upgrade is impressive.

I’ve been using Office 2003 on my main production system now for more than six months, most recently with Beta 2. If you’re already an Office XP user, you’ll have no trouble making the transition. And if you live in Outlook, this upgrade is an absolute slam dunk, if for no other reason than the I-can’t-believe-it-really-works-this-well junk mail filtering. When I woke up at 5am this morning (after a restful four hours’ sleep), Outlook had successfully intercepted 29 pieces of spam, allowing the 7 good messages to make it through. On average, I get more than 100 pieces of spam each day, and Outlook is blocking about 90% of it, typically.

Oh, and I’ve also landed a gig with Microsoft.com, producing a series of every-other-week columns for the Windows XP Expert Zone. You can check it out for yourself here.

So I’ve been just a little bit busy…

OK, Lloyd, the ball’s in your court…

I’m always willing to give other browsers a try. Internet Explorer does a lot, but it’s far from perfect. For the past few months, I’ve been using Phoenix 0.5, a lean and impressive version of the Mozilla code base. It’s nice, but customizing it takes some effort, and as befits a version 0.5 product some features just don’t work. (Still, when all’s said and done I bet it’s going to be worth the effort. In fact, rumor has it the next go-round of Mozilla will be based on the Phoenix code.)

Several weeks ago, I switched to a different browser. I’m mighty impressed with Avant Browser so far. It’s got the three killer features that are missing in IE: tabbed browsing (multiple Web pages in a single browser window, with each one getting its own tab), intelligent pop-up blocking, and the ability to clean up history, cookies, and other potential privacy invaders.

Best of all, Avant is just a wrapper for Internet Explorer. Under the covers, it uses the IE HTML tools, which means compatibility is simply not an issue. It’s a free download, and it’s easy to configure. The author, Anderson Che, gladly accepts donations, but there’s no obligation to do so.

I’ve only encountered a few minor annoyances. Some add-ins, notably SideStep and the Powermarks Bookmark Manager, don’t work with Avant Browser. I also get occasional harmless error messages that are probably related to my, um, oddball hardware configuration rather than bugs in the software.

But those nits aside, this is one IE update that’s worth it. Even if it didn’t come from Microsoft.

The mainstream press is whipping up fears about a new variant of the CodeRed virus/worm called CodeRed.F. I’ve already seen a few well-meaning souls post warnings implying that this new threat can strike people running any version of Windows. Well, not exactly.

As always, Symantec Security Response has a prompt and timely explanation of what CodeRed.F can and can’t do.

Here’s the bottom line: This virus, like the original CodeRed, affects only computers that are running Internet Information Services — in other words, those that are acting as Web servers. If you are using a normal desktop configuration of Windows, you need not take any special precautions.

Of course, some people actually do run IIS (or its older baby cousin, Personal Web Server), so that they can deploy their Web pages onto a local test site before going live with them. If you’ve installed IIS or PWS on your computer, you’re potentially vulnerable. (Not sure whether you’re running your own Web server? Type http://localhost in your browser. If it returns a Server Not Found error message, you’re safe.)

Of course, anyone running IIS should be especially vigilant about installing security patches for it. In particular, patch MS01-33 and patch MS01-44, both of which were released in summer 2001 (nearly two years ago!), protect against this infection. Norton AntiVirus signatures from August 2001 (and those of virtually every other leading AV software maker) also protect against it.

The real threat with this virus is that it is slowing down traffic on the Web as a whole because of all the servers around the world, especially in Europe and Asia, which have not had the proper patches installed.

One of the greatest rock ‘n’ roll artists of our time is dead. I saw the Clash in 1979 when they were at their peak. I remember being almost literally blown away by the volume, the passion, the sheer energy coming off the stage. A lot of the music of that era was disposable. Most of it hasn’t aged well. But the Clash? Their songs sound as fresh and energetic today as they did a quarter-century ago.

We’ll miss you, Joe.

Over the years, I’ve written millions of words on Windows, Office, and other topics. A few years ago, I had regular columns in print (PC Computing, which became Smart Business before it collapsed and died under the crushing weight of way too many clueless Ziff-Davis Vice Presidents) and on the Web. Today, virtually all of my work is in books. (My latest effort is Faster Smarter Windows XP, and Windows XP Inside Out has been a best-seller since it was released in late 2001.)

This site represents a way for me to do some of the things I used to do, covering news, providing information, and sharing tips and tricks without having to go through a lengthy production process. I hope you like it. If you have questions or comments, click the Comments button and share your thoughts.