Actrix Newsletter Febuary 2002

This newsletter has been produced to help you get the most out of the Internet,
and to keep you, as an Actrix customer, informed of developments and services within the company.
Past newsletters may be viewed at http://editor.actrix.co.nz/
Newsletters are now archived by article at http://editor.actrix.co.nz/byarticle/
Questions and comments about the newsletter can be e-mailed to editor@actrix.co.nz
Other inquiries should be e-mailed to support@actrix.co.nz

No doubt, if you've been using e-mail for a while, you're already well aware of the curse that is Spam, or unsolicited e-mail that comes to you offering ridiculously great deals, all sorts of sexual enhancement, or the ability to find out secrets about your friends, boss or employees. No doubt, too, you're also thoroughly sick of it.

Unfortunately, Spam is a fact of Internet life. Spammers change their sending addresses, use fake user names, and generally know all the tricks in order to stay hidden and untraceable. Because they change their details all the time, they're awfully hard to filter out too. Generally they work on the principle of not caring that they annoy the living daylights out of 499,999 people, as long as the 500,000th responds to their offer of sale with interest. They're unscrupulous. They know full well that the world hates Spam, but they carry on regardless. For this reason, I anticipate that the Spam problem isn't going to go away anytime soon.

One thing that you can do is set up Outlook Express to send e-mail from certain senders straight to your Deleted Items folder. At least this saves you having to read or deal with it. I'm currently being hit a dozen times a day by Spam that I believe comes from the same outfit. The sending details vary from Special Deals or SpecialDeals to Holiday Offers or HolidayOffers. The "opt out" clauses at the foot of the e-mail tell me that I am receiving these offers because I signed up for them. This is a bald-faced lie, but, as we've established, these guys are unscrupulous. I made the mistake of responding to their "opt out" or "Remove me" clause at the bottom of one of the e-mails. This has merely confirmed to them that my e-mail address works and is checked on a regular basis. The Spam from these losers just keeps on coming thick and fast.

As stated, you can set up Outlook Express to send e-mail from certain senders straight to your Deleted Items folder. There are a number of ways you can do it, and you may be tempted to use the block senders option (OE6). I don't recommend the block senders option, because it is not very flexible. It really only allows you to trash mail sent from certain e-mail addresses or domains. The Message Rules option allows you to send e-mail straight to your Deleted Items folder on the basis of e-mail addresses, message text, subject line, attachment, size and so forth. It probably won't take you long to realise that message rules are also great for automatically sorting mail into folders, but we'll leave that for another day.

1. Open Outlook Express, and then click on Tools.
2. Click on Message Rules in the dropdown box that appears and then on Mail in the little grey box that appears to the right when you click. The Message Rules box should appear, similar to the one pictured here on the right. You'll see that I already have four mail rules working. The first three have to do with sorting mail, but Rule #4 is my Spam killer.
3. Click the New button, and the New Mail Rule box will appear. This box has four sections.
4. The first section is called Select the Conditions... and contains a series of checkboxes. Click a tick into the box labelled When the From line contains people.
5. The second section is called Select the Actions. Click a tick into the box labelled Delete It.
6. The third section is called Rule Description and should now have the following words in it: Apply this rule after the message arrives. Where the From line contains people Delete it.
7. Click the underlined blue words (contains people) and a small box entitled Select People will appear.
8. Type anything that might appear in an e-mail's from line here. I normally just type in the words that Outlook Express displays for me as to who the Spam e-mail is from. Put them in a word or phrase at a time and then click the Add button on the left. For example, type in Save Big and click Add. Then type in SaveBig and click Add. Do this for all the Spam you've been receiving. You can also type in e-mail addresses here. As you add these words or phrases, you'll see them appearing in the lower portion of the Select People box.
9. When you're done, click Okay. The rule should take over and work from there.

Now admittedly, this only works for Spam you've already received, but at least it will alleviate some of the burden of future Spam from the same sources. Remember, you can add to or delete from the rule at any time. Just click Tools/Message Rules/Mail, and select your rule. Click once on the underlined blue words at the bottom of the Message Rules box to bring up the Select People box in order to add more words or names.

Obviously, we've only touched on one of the capabilities of the Outlook Express Message Rules feature. Have a look through the other options and have a go at setting up a few more rules that might be helpful. One possibility is to organise incoming e-mail into different folders - a great way to sort mail for families who use the one machine.

During the Christmas break, while most of you were out and about making the most of our so-called summer, the staff at Actrix have been hard at work devising ways to improve our service offering to you.

Over the next few weeks we will launch a new Actrix website that contains many new features. Among these are a new and improved webmail system, an on-line help function and a password protected members only section that allows you to add services to your account, change your payment options, view your statements and much more.

To go with the new website we have also changed the look and feel of all our dial-up plans and increased our payment options to give you the flexibility to pay in advance, or monthly – whichever you choose.

In the next week you will receive an e-mail from us explaining in more detail what the changes are and how they specifically affect you – so keep an eye on your in-box!

I'm writing this article to counter a particular virus HOAX that is circulating around the world this week. This hoax is the fastest spreading virus hoax I've ever seen, and already many people I know have fallen victim to its wrong and harmful instructions.

The wording of the hoax is included below, but basically the hoax tells the reader that a file on their hard drive, called SULFNBK.EXE, is actually a virus, and that they should delete this file before 1st June because the virus will activate itself on that date.

THIS IS NOT TRUE!!

There is indeed a file called SULFNBK.EXE on most computers - it's actually a legitimate Windows utility that is used to restore long filenames! (See http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q190/4/18.asp for proof). The file is installed on your computer when Windows is installed. Like any other .EXE file, it can be infected by any virus that targets .EXE files, however the file itself is definitely not a virus, as this hoax claims it to be.

(Note, however, that according to Symantec's website, "the virus/worm W32.Magistr.24876@mm can arrive as an attachment named Sulfnbk.exe. The [legitimate] Sulfnbk.exe file used by Windows is located in the C:\Windows\Command folder. If the file is located in any other folder, or arrives as an attachment to a email message, then it is possible that the file is infected.")

If you read the hoax (below), you should spot several obvious signs that indicate it's a hoax. Firstly there is the encouragement to send the warning on to everyone in your address book. This way, the hoax is quickly propagated around the Internet, which results in panic or uncertainty amongst Internet users who don't know enough about hoaxes to realise that it is one. Secondly, the hoax tells us that McAfee and Norton can't detect the virus because it's still dormant. This isn't true - just because a virus is dormant and waiting for a particular date to release its payload, doesn't mean it can't be detected with antivirus software. This statement is simply another example of scare-mongering.

Hoaxes like these can actually do a lot of harm - they aren't harmless as some people might think. Forwarding them on causes panic and confusion, and can result in people following their instructions with negative results (as seen with this hoax), and can even result in a "boy who cries wolf" effect, whereby less-informed Internet users become de-sensitised by all the hoaxes and then ignore a REAL virus warning. Remember, most new Internet users have the mindset that "if I read it on the internet, it must be true". Sadly this is not the case. When receiving an email that claims to alert you to a new virus, look for tell-tale warning signs of a hoax, such as those mentioned in the previous paragraph. Also, look for URLs (links) to web pages at reputable antivirus sites, that back up the warning claim. A good virus warning should ALWAYS link to a website, eg. at Nortons or McAfee etc, to back up its claims. Lastly, if in doubt, check with a computer "geek" or your Internet Service Provider, or browse through a good antivirus website (eg. www.symantec.com/avcenter/) for information on the warning, to determine if it's real or a hoax. Most antivirus websites have info on hoaxes as well as legitimate viruses.

These links have more info and verify that the warning is only a hoax...
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/sulfnbk.exe.warning.html
http://vil.mcafee.com/dispVirus.asp?virus_k=99084
http://antivirus.about.com/compute/antivirus/library/weekly/aa051601a.htm
http://antivirus.about.com/compute/antivirus/library/hoaxes/blensulf.htm

Also: http://vmyths.com/hoax.cfm?id=257&page=3 - a good explanation of how this hoax may have started, and why forwarding such e-mails is so harmful!

Please feel free to forward this information on to those that have sent you the hoax!

----- CONTENTS OF HOAX -----
It was brought to my attention yesterday that a virus is in circulation via email. I looked for it and to my surprise I found it on mine... Please follow the directions and remove it from yours TODAY!!!!!!!

No Virus software can detect it. It will become active on June 1, 2001. It might be too late by then. It wipes out all files and folders on the hard drive. This virus travels through E-mail and migrates to the 'C:\windows\command' folder.

The bad part is: You need to contact everyone you have sent ANY E-mail to in the past few months. Many major companies have found this virus on their computers. Please help your friends !!!!!!!!

DO NOT RELY ON YOUR ANTI-VIRUS SOFTWARE. McAFEE and NORTON CANNOT DETECT IT BECAUSE IT DOES NOT BECOME A VIRUS UNTIL JUNE 1ST.

WHATEVER YOU DO, DO NOT OPEN THE FILE!!!

----- END OF CONTENTS OF HOAX -----

Here is how to get that file back on Windows 98 and 98 SE:
1. Go to Start --> Run
2. Type SFC and hit enter.
3. Click on "Extract one file from installation disk"
4. In the "Specify the system file you would like to restore" box, type C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SULFNBK.EXE and then click on "Start"
5. On the next screen, you'll see a "Restore from" box. Type in the path to your Windows CAB files (usually C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS). If you can't find the CAB files on your computer, insert your Windows 98 CD and then type *\Win98, replacing * with the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive (for example, if your CD-ROM is your D drive, you would type D:\Win98).
6. Click the OK button.

Here is how to get that file back on Windows ME:
1. Go to Start --> Run.
2. Type MSCONFIG and hit enter.
3. Click on the "Extract File ..." button.
4. In the "Specify the system file you would like to restore" field, type C:\WINDOWS\COMMAND\SULFNBK.EXE and then click on "Start"
5. On the next screen, you'll see a "Restore from" box. Type in the path to your Windows CAB files (usually C:\WINDOWS\OPTIONS\CABS). If you can't find the CAB files on your computer, insert your Windows ME CD and then type *\WinME, replacing * with the drive letter for your CD-ROM drive (for example, if your CD-ROM is your D drive, you would type D:\WinME).
6. Click the OK button.

Please note: Actrix supplies links to these sites for your interest and possible use. We cannot endorse or take any responsibility for their contents. Got a site you think would be neat to share with other readers? Let me know and receive a free Norrie the Nerd chocolate bar courtesy of Actrix!

Congratulations to last month's chocolate bar winners who correctly identified ingredients for dancing raisins (from the Bizarre Stuff website). They were: Jacqui Clemens, Bob Denniston, Ray Cooper, Malcolm, Eleanor Becker, Jennifer Castle, Murray Hall, Eric Lord, Laura Keightly, Angela, Lily Riley, Diane Wills, M. Laugesen, Carl Beuke and Brian Edwards. You could also win chocolate by submitting to the Mayfly Project 2001 life summary site and sharing your 20 word entry with me. The two who won chocolate for this were Mary Ivory and Johnno from Shantytown. More chance to win this month below!

Weird Car Game
www.g5.dk/bilspil/cargame.asp - This is quite a fun one. It's one of those drag and re-arrange games that starts out quite easy but rapidly becomes more mentally taxing as you move through the levels. The point of it all is to free the Volkswagon beetle from the traffic jam by moving the cars and trucks around.

Free Anti-Virus Protection!
www.grisoft.com/html/us_index.htm - This free anti-virus software from GRISoft comes with the recommendation of John Mathews. I haven't tried it myself, but John says: "It flashes stuff rapidly on the monitor at boot-up, tells you "No viruses found",which is comforting, sends you a E-mail saying "Thank you for authorising..etc", and , most gratifying, it's FREE to non-commercial users!"

Hints and Tips
www.hints-n-tips.com/ - Hints-n-Tips serves as a central web-based database of all sorts of bits and pieces of practical information collected mainly from site visitors. Categories include Pets, Appliance Care, Plumbing, Health, Internet, Security and Humour. Many more!

GetFit.Com.Au
www.getfit.com.au - This well-designed and extensive site is what the Internet should be all about. There is a wealth of information available for free, exercises you can do, images to inspire, an online weight calculator and much more. If you just want a few ideas to get back in shape this would be a good place to start. You can join up (and pay) to get a personal training plan based on your fitness goals, but you don't have to do that in order to benefit from the site.

Office Pranks
www.gwally.com/pranks/office/ - This site provides a list of pranks you can play on your workmates at your office or workplace. Most of them would probably make you pretty unpopular, though some are very funny. This site can at least be reasonably funny to read.

Pop Matters
www.popmatters.com/ - This site serves as an extensive resource for rock music enthusiasts. It contains a large archive of album, concert, book and even comic book reviews. It features articles on music and "culture" from right across the board in terms of themes and in terms of time. Here you can read about many of the latest concerts happening right now, but you can also drag up album reviews from the Sixties. Put a good album on and put your feet up. You could be there a while.

Year-End Google Zeitgeist
www.google.com/press/zeitgeist.html - What was hot and what was not in the year 2001? The Year-End Google Zeitgeist feature provides a glimpse at what captivated the world over the past 12 months, based on the most popular search terms on the world's most popular search engine. It's good to see that Britney is only a very small part of the story. There are many lists here, and the "Year 2001 in Review" timeline is particularly interesting. Be sure to click to enlarge it. Free chocolate to anyone who can e-mail me with one of the top misspelled queries (under the Timeline link). Send your answer to editor@actrix.co.nz. Make sure you include your postal address.

Quit Smoking with Quit Net
www.quitnet.com/qn_main.jtml - Quit Net "brings proven scientific methods to the Web to deliver support to smokers whenever they need it." There are lots of gizmos and piles of information and resources - moreso if you become a member, which is also free. Punch your vital smoking statistics into the Q Gadget and you get an up-to-the-minute readout of how much money you've saved, how many cigarettes you DIDN'T smoke, and how much time was added to your lifespan.

View the sky from any city
www.fourmilab.ch/yoursky/cities.html - This site presents you with an extensive list of cities all around the world, including three in New Zealand. Click any city to see a diagram of the stars directly above that city at the exact time that you click. There is also a fairly helpful and detailed section explaining the symbols and terminology. A great resource for astronomy enthusiasts.

Past Magazine Articles
http://www.findarticles.com/ - Search articles for free at FindArticles.com, a searchable online archive of magazine and journal content. You can search by magazine, by category, or by specific topic. The site is easy to use and reasonably quick. Just enter the topic of your choice into the search field and receive a list of magazine articles available free to you online.

Giggle Poetry!
www.gigglepoetry.com -There are lots of funny poems here, written with that simplicity and humour that only children are capable of. There are poetry contests and more! This site is ideal for educators as it teaches poetry writing in fun and interesting ways, but it could also be enjoyed by parents and by kids with an interest in writing poems.

Distance Calculator
www.indo.com/distance/ - This site allows you to measure the distance between any two spots on earth. Simply enter two places into the search engine. The page may ask you to clarify which countries your chosen cities are in. After that it will present you with the distance (as the crow flies) between the two in both kilometres and miles. You'll also usually get a few geographical specifics about the two cities, such as global position, population, elevation and so forth. Free chocolate to anyone who can e-mail me with the exact distance between Wellington, NZ and Youngstown, Ohio. Send your answer to editor@actrix.co.nz. Make sure you include your postal address.

Hackers Set Sights on Home PC Users : Computer hackers, once satisfied to test their skills on large companies, are turning their sights on home computers that are faster, more powerful and less secure than ever before. The hackers can steal your identity, destroy your data or use your computer to launch attacks on Web sites or your friends. Click here for more.

FBI Sounds Alarm on Microsoft XP: The FBI's top cyber-security unit warned consumers and corporations to take new steps beyond those recommended by Microsoft to protect against hackers who might try to attack major flaws discovered in the newest version of Windows software. Click here for more.

FBI Says Microsoft Patch Will Fix XP Glitch: The FBI advised computer users Thursday that a software patch offered by Microsoft Corp. should be sufficient to fix a major security weakness in the Windows XP operating system discovered by a computer security firm last month. The vulnerability -- a kind of open door to the Internet -- would have allowed hackers to seize control of a computer when it connected online, enabling an intruder to steal user information or even launch a virus attack on other computers. Click here for more.

(Humour/Satire) - Surprise Settlement Evenly Splits Microsoft; One Firm to Make Software, Other to Make Patches: In a surprise settlement today with nine U.S. states, Microsoft agreed to be split into two independent companies - one that will continue to make Microsoft operating systems, browsers, and server software, and another, potentially larger company that will make patches for Microsoft operating systems, browsers, and server software. Click here for more.

Top Ten Viruses Reported To Sophos In December 2001: Sophos, a world leader in corporate anti-virus protection, today released the latest in a series of monthly charts counting down the ten most frequently occurring viruses. Click here for more.

Ten Resolutions that will Wring More Results from your Website: Here are some New Year's resolutions that are vastly better than those you've made for yourself. They're resolutions for improving the usefulness of your corporate website. And unlike your oaths to learn the oboe or stop playing the ponies, these are ten resolutions that you can easily and quickly act on. Click here for more.

Microsoft Boasts of Explorer Reach : Microsoft is truly Gulliver in the land of Technology Lilliput, and some figures released late in December from New York-based Jupiter Media Metrix indicate just how high the giant towers. Click here for more.

Spam Feeding Anger on the Internet : Lose five pounds in a week. Make $5,000 each month. And while you're at it, buy a pill to increase your sexual potency by 581 percent! Who knew e-mail could be so helpful? The volume of unwanted messages - commonly known as Spam - has become a pariah for parents, a costly burden for Internet service providers and a general nuisance for everyone else. Click here for more.

Gigger: Next Big Virus : JS.Gigger.A@mm is a worm written in JavaScript. It uses Microsoft Outlook and mIRC to spread. It attempts to delete all files on the computer and to format drive C if the computer is successfully restarted. Click here for more.

New Zealand Small Firms Wary of Net: Only 39 percent of smaller manufacturers in New Zealand use PCs to send business e-mails and use the Internet. This is according to a survey that was carried out by the Employers & Manufacturers Association (Northern). Only 14 percent use a CRM system and only 7 percent use ASPs Click here for more.

Retail giant The Warehouse is set to bring computers to the masses by offering free training in its Warehouse Stationery stores. Anyone is eligible for the "Key4Free" lessons and The Warehouse expects to be inundated with interest from would-be computer whizzes. The first store to offer the service is in Manukau and the company expects to expand the training sessions to most of the chain's 34 stores.

The Key4Free programme is a joint initiative between The Warehouse and the Tertiary Accord of New Zealand, and the first lessons are being held with the Manukau Institute of Technology (MIT), which will take enrolments for the programme on an 0800 number.

MIT will give the "students" appointment times and provide in-store tutors for the training, while The Warehouse will meet the cost of the computers and converting the stores. Each store offering computer lessons will have 15 to 30 computers and the 90-minute lessons will be held during opening hours.

Given the stores are open every day, each would be able to offer around 950 lessons a week. The students will learn Excel and Word programmes, and how to use the internet.

The move comes as part of founder Stephen Tindall's desire to give something back to the community and support the knowledge economy. "We hope to attract a lot of people who haven't had exposure to computers, particularly older people. Computers are just so vital these days," said a Warehouse spokesperson.

Some Warehouse Stationery stores will be made smaller to accommodate the computer training. "There is a bit of cost involved but we think it's worthwhile."

The Warehouse will work with polytechnics in Wellington, Christchurch, Hamilton and Auckland when expanding the programme across the country.

Thanks, John, for your article. John Anderson works on the Actrix help desk, and hopes to contribute articles to the newsletter over the next few months. -Ed.