Saturday, August 21, 2004
Saturday Tech News Blog
Multipleplatforms.com |
|
| Tech News 8-21-04 Problem With Internet Explorer Post-Update Secunia has issued a “Highly Critical” alert for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0.1; 5.5; and IE 6 for Windows users. The alert has been confirmed on Windows XP SP1 and SP2. Search Microsoft’s Knowledge Base You can search the Microsoft Knowledge Base to learn about any error messages you receive when running your Windows PC. Just visit the MS Knowledge Base and type in the message in question. Apple Has Error Message Help Too Apple provides an online help with error messages and you can find an explanation for the most common error messages when you are downloading files. Visit the Apple web site to learn more about this issue. Doom 3 is Delayed CNET reports that the PC flavor of Doom 3 will be delayed and may not be available until next year. Reminder From Friday: Apple’s PowerBook G4 Recalled A problem with the battery in the PowerBook G4 has prompted Apple to issue a recall on the laptop and they are suggesting customers not use the effected PowerBooks until the battery has been replaced. According to CNET, PowerBooks that are being recalled have a serial number range that starts with HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. The serial number is located on the battery label. Contact Apple immediately if your PowerBook has any of the above batteries installed. What is a Server? The definition of the day is server. According to the Congress Online Project, “A computer on a network that is dedicated to a particular purpose and which stores all information and performs the critical functions for that purpose. For example, a Web server would store all files related to a Web site and perform all work necessary for hosting the Web site. Most congressional offices have at least one server that is dedicated as both a network server and a file server. This means that, in it's network server role, the computer is responsible for holding the files and managing the processes that enable everyone in the office to access and use the network. In it's file server role, it holds the central computer files and the CMS database.”  Please Visit our other web site California Fairs and Festivals.com 
|
Friday, August 20, 2004
Friday Tech News Blog
Multipleplatforms.com |
|
| Tech News 8-20-04 Apple’s PowerBook G4 Recalled A problem with the battery in the PowerBook G4 has prompted Apple to issue a recall on the laptop and they are suggesting customers not use the effected PowerBooks until the battery has been replaced. According to CNET, PowerBooks that are being recalled have a serial number range that starts with HQ404, HQ405, HQ406, HQ407, or HQ408. The serial number is located on the battery label. Contact Apple immediately if your PowerBook has any of the above batteries installed. Microsoft Begins SP2 Updates For Us CNET is reporting that Microsoft is beginning to release the SP2 patch to customers that have their computers set to receive updates automatically. The rollout will take some time and you may not want to be the first on the block with this update. Read more on this issue below. How and Why You Might Want to Block SP2 Find out about the Frequently Asked Questions about delaying the installation of SP2 at the Microsoft web site. MSDART.DLL Error Message A reader inquired about an error message they began receiving on startup after a motherboard upgrade. The message is: “The procedure entry point_GetIUMS@4 could not be located in the dynamic link library MSDART.DLL”; we found the issue is related to a missing or corrupted Microsoft Data Access Components file. The condition usually occurs after reinstallation of an original version of Windows XP. The reader had reinstalled XP after the motherboard upgrade, so the solution was to download and install MDAC 2.8 or later from Microsoft. To read more about this issue, go to the MS web site. What is a WAN? WAN is our term of the day. The IT people are talk about it, and we nod our heads in knowing agreement, wondering silently what the heck they are talking about; according to BCD Forum, the definition of WAN is: A Wide Area Network, or WAN, refers to a network with a backbone that that spans a relatively large geographical area, usually consisting of two or more Local Area Networks, or LANs (LAN: see Thursday’s definition). The largest WAN in existence is the Internet. Open Source Updates Updates for everyone is the order of the day at Secunia, the following open source systems have updates available: Fedora Core 1&2; SuSE Linux All; and Gentoo Linux 1.x Please visit our other site: www.californiafairsandfestivals.com
|
Thursday, August 19, 2004
Thursday Multipleplatforms Tech News Blog
Multipleplatforms.com |
|
| Tech News 8-19-04 Apple’s Calculator Can Perform Did you know that Apple’s Calculator does more than just add, subtract, multiply, and divide? You can use the Mac number cruncher to convert meters to feet, calories to joules, and much more. Check it out by opening your calculator application and select convert from the toolbar to view the options available for this handy tool. Good Times a Hoax for All Times Sophos is reporting the recurrence of the ‘Good Times’ hoax virus, and this e-mail message is a long-lived joke that won’t go away. The virus that is not is reportedly contained in an e-mail message that has the subject ‘Good Times’. Please visit our Sophos web page for more information on this hoax virus. Updated List of Programs Conflicting With SP2 Microsoft has released an updated list of programs that have a conflict with the Service Pack 2 update for Windows XP. View the long list at the MS web site. Use Auto Recovery if SP2 Install Goes Wrong If you have a problem when installing Microsoft’s Windows XP SP2 visit the MS web site to learn how to use Automatic Recovery feature to save your computer from a possible calamity. Make sure that you back-up your important data before you upgrade. Protection If You Remove SP2 If you have installed SP2 and decided it will not function for you, Microsoft has advice on how to keep your PC safe if you remove the update. Read more about the issue at the MS web site. Updates For Gentoo, Mandrake and Debian Secunia has issued the following update and security bulletins: Gentoo Linux 1.x, Mandrake Linux 9.x, and Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 What is a LAN? When hear your geeky friends talk about networks, they often talk about the LAN; what is a LAN? According to Ohio State University, “Local area network; a network that extends over a small area (usually within a square mile or less). (It) Connects a group of computers for the purpose of sharing resources such as programs, documents, or printers. Shared files often are stored on a central file server.” Lance Armstrong Foundation Update The Livestrong bracelets are still back ordered, but you can place your order now and they will be shipped ASAP. Lance’s book, “Every Second Counts” is available now from the LAF store (we are on chapter five). Please click on the Lance Armstrong Foundation logo at the top of this page to order your book or bracelet and help support the great work of this organization. Thanks. Please visit our other site: www.californiafairsandfestivals.com
|
Wednesday, August 18, 2004
Wednesday Tech News Blog
Multipleplatforms.com |
|
| Tech News 8-18-04 Free Music from iTunes Visit the Apple iTunes Music Store to download your free copy of The Rasmus’ song “In the Shadows”, from their album Dead Letters. Security Flaws in Windows SP2 PC World reports that Microsoft’s Service Pack 2 also has security issues according to the computer experts; MS has also scaled back delivery of the updates to give users more time to adjust their configurations. Read more about the update availability below. To see a list of programs with confirmed SP2 conflicts, read our news from Sunday. Update on Windows XP SP2 Availability According to our sources, Microsoft is reporting the following release dates for SP2: “8/16 - Release to Software Update Services. 8/18 - Release to Automatic Update for users running Windows XP Home Edition only. 8/25 - Release to Automatic Update for all Windows XP users including those running Windows XP Professional Edition; release to Windows Update for interactive user installations.” Two New Hoax Viruses Sophos Security has issued a bulletin regarding two new hoax viruses: T-Virus and Irina. The former is a cause of concern for cell phone users because it delivers a text message notifying the phone owner that an infection is occurring on their phone. Irina, another virus hoax, claims that an e-mail virus is infecting computers. These hoax viruses are not a threat, but that doesn’t prevent them from causing damage based upon the wrong assumptions. Visit our Sophos Hoax Virus web page to learn more about these issues. Mozilla Releases Alpha Version Mozilla.org has released Mozilla 1.8 Alpha 3 for multiple platform users. The new release maybe buggy, so use with caution if you are banking online or performing other important transactions. Open Source: More Updates! We really would like to write about another topic for open source users but Secunia issued the following bulletins regarding updates and security issues: Gentoo Linux 1.x (1,2); Mandrake 9.x; and NetBSD. What is Google? Someone close to us, but not comfortable with the world of computers, asked a timely question, what is Google? Google has become famous because of their search engine; so, what is a search engine? According to the Greenley Library, "In order to find documents on the WWW, you need to use a search engine. Search engines are very large databases that contain information about web pages. Search engines are automatically updated by special programs called "robots" or "spiders" that search the WWW for new content and then report their findings to the database. There are many different web search engines that you can use to do a search. Some of the most popular ones are Google and AltaVista.”  Please visit our other site: www.californiafairsandfestivals.com
|
Monday, August 16, 2004
Monday Tech News Blog
Multipleplatforms.com |
|
| Tech News 8-16-04 Apple Has Answer For AirPort Express Issue If you are having problems setting up AirPort Express and you have a firewall in place, Apple may have the solution to your headache. Visit the Apple web site to learn more about making the assistant work for you. New Security Issues With Internet Explorer Secunia has issued a security advisory for Internet Explorer 6; 5.0.1; and 5.5 on systems running XP with Service Pack 1 and on PCs with Windows 2000. You should read more at Secunia if you are using either of the configurations confirmed to be affected by this issue. Adobe Warnings Issued Another advisory has been issued regarding Adobe Reader 6.x and Adobe Acrobat Reader 5.x and you can read more at the Secunia Security site. Manage Your Files Efficiently Microsoft has recommendations to help you manage your files across a shared network or your hard drive available at the MS Support site. Open Source Updates The following operating systems have security bulletins or updates issued by Secunia, please visit their web site to learn more: Gentoo (1,2) Debian GNU/Linux 3.0 PC Won’t Go When iPod Connected? If you can’t get your PC to start when it is connected to an iPod, a simple BIOS adjustment may solve your problems. To learn more about the issue visit Apple Knowledge Base web site. PC World Download of the Day PC World’s Download of the Day is one we have recommended previously, OpenOffice. You can learn about downloading the application from PC World, or visit our ‘Answers to your Questions’ page for the link to OpenOffice and directions on installation. Please visit our other site: www.californiafairsandfestivals.com
|
Sunday, August 15, 2004
Sunday Tech News Blog
Multipleplatforms.com |
|
| Tech News 8-15-04 New Hoax Virus Sophos has issued a security alert for a new hoax virus circulating that claims to be a gift certificate from Applebees. Visit our Sophos web page and follow the link to learn more about this new hoax. Mac Users Netflix Freak 1.2.5 Macs users already using Netflix Freak can update their applications at The Little App Factory to fix several bugs. If you own a Mac and use Netflix, you should try Netflix Freak, it is a cool tool and receives great reviews in MacUpdate. It makes rearranging your rental queue a breeze, and offers many other helpful features. We love Netflix and never go to the video store anymore! Microsoft Lists Programs Conflicting With SP2 Microsoft has a list of programs that cause conflict with SP2 as reported by eWeek Technology. The list includes solutions for some of the issues and most of the conflicts listed by MS will have little impact on most end-user. If you are ready to install the fix, please back up all your important data first. Add Signature To Document If you use Microsoft’s Outlook, you can learn more about signatures at their Outlook web section. You can add your business logo, or add an animated graphic to your signature with the tips found at the Microsoft Support site. LinuxToday Likes tux.org Too We have reported on tuxs.org previously and now LinuxToday has added their nod of approval to the web site dedicated to introducing new users to open source. Other Open Source News According to LinuxToday, August 28, 2004 has been declared Software Freedom Day. What is Wi-Fi? Syracuse University supplies the definition to the question of the day, what is Wi-FI? “Short for wireless fidelity This is another name for IEEE 802.11b. It is a trade term promulgated by the Wireless Ethernet Compatibility Alliance (WECA). "Wi-Fi" is used in place of 802.11b in the same way that "Ethernet" is used in place of IEEE 802.3. Products certified as Wi-Fi by WECA are interoperable with each other even if they are from different manufacturers. A user with a Wi-Fi product can use any brand of Access Point with any other brand of client hardware that is built to the Wi-Fi standard.”  Please visit our other site: www.californiafairsandfestivals.com
|
