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Brian's Buzz on Windows has changed its name to the Windows
Secrets Newsletter. Get the latest high-tech tricks with a free
subscription. Click here to subscribe
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JUNE 5, 2003 - Issue 7
Merrily we roll along
I'm pleased to report to you that Brian's Buzz on Windows has grown to
more than 38,730 subscribers, up 13% in only four weeks. Now that the
circulation warrants it, I've added to the right-hand side of
the newsletter a section of sponsored links. This will financially support
my research into future articles I'm planning to bring you. The content of the
right-hand section will consist of
text ads (no banners), similar to Google's AdWords. The left-hand column
will continue to contain my own editorial findings on news that's important
to Windows pros. Thanks for your support. --Brian Livingston
TOP STORY - info you need to make Windows work
Windows Update finds no updates, but it's only a matter of time
By Brian Livingston
Reader Jeremy Rosenblatt blows the whistle on a situation in which Microsoft's
widely used Windows Update routine finds no updates to install - even
when there are clearly many patches needed by a machine.
"The behavior would not cause a typical user to suspect a problem,"
Rosenblatt writes, "as Microsoft provides no hint that an error has
occurred." I'll let him tell the rest of the story:
- "The cause of the issue is that if a machine
has its date set to something outside of the valid range of the SSL
certificate on MS's WinUpdate site, WinUpdate
will get an SSL error. Instead of reporting it in some intelligible
manner, WinUpdate simply reports, 'There are no updates available for
your computer. Please check back later' (with no error message at all).
"Only if you then click on the 'See Also/Windows Update Catalog' do you
get a clue that there might be an error involved. And even then it isn't
obvious what's going on. You get an error page, but the only troubleshooting
tip is a mailto tag that formats an e-mail to MS with 'ERROR 0x800A138F'
in the subject line.
"It's easy to try for yourself. Just change your machine's date to 2001,
open a fresh instance of IE and go to
Windows Update.
"It should also occur if you use the WinUpdate Start menu icon,
although there's some possibility you may need to reboot after the
date change."
This scenario would most likely occur when someone was
setting up a PC for the first time and its internal clock hadn't yet
been configured. But it can also happen to many longtime users who
aren't too fastidious about their computer's date and time settings.
After Rosenblatt wrote in about this, the problem was quickly added
to the WinUpdate troubleshooting page. But since a clear error message
is never displayed to affected users, they might go quite a long time
without critical updates - and never think to look for a troubleshooting
note.
So watch those system clocks. The time may be later than you think.
To send me more information about this, or to send me a tip on any other
subject, visit
WindowsSecrets.com/contact.
RECOMMENDED READING - a few page views to boost your knowledge
Totally Tasteless Photoshop Elements
If you have anything to do with taking digital photos - or even just
looking at them - you'll love this zippy new book on how all those fake
Photoshop images are really done. The cover shows a Chihuahua juggling steak
knives, but that, ahem, just scratches the surface of what you can do.
The author, Wally Wang, is basically a stand-up comic, but that's a plus
for a book like this, where you never know what's real and what's
digital effects.
More info
Mark Minasi's Windows XP and Server 2003 Resource Kit
This huge brick just came out on Monday, and it's already
making desks creak under the weight of its collected wisdom. The boxed set
includes four books with more than 4,000 pages on the intricacies of
working with Windows XP and Server 2003 (formerly .NET Server).
Networking expert Mark Minasi and his co-conspirators have
assembled a work you certainly won't speed-read but may well treasure.
More info
WINDOWS GIZMOS - the best new stuff
SanDisk Digital Photo Viewer for TVs
You've got a big-screen television in the conference room, but how do you
use it to show your colleagues the digital photos you brought to the meeting?
SanDisk's Digital Photo Viewer solves that problem. You simply plug it into
the TV, and the device displays photos from every known memory card:
CompactFlash Type II and III, Memory Stick, MultiMedia Card,
SmartMedia, and Smart Digital. For a street price as low as $56, including
a remote, this gizmo makes sense for home showings as well.
More info
Netgear 802.11b Wireless USB Adapter
If your laptop has no place for a PC Card, you can now get Wi-Fi
on the go with this tiny wireless adapter that plugs into any USB port.
The street price is just $48, so you can soon be plugging in this
goodie and enjoying Internet access at a Starbucks or airport cafe
or thousands of other hot spots that are popping up all over.
More info
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SPONSORED LINKS
Book Price Watch
powered by Amazon.com
prices subject to change
Top 10 Bestselling Computer Books This Week
1.
Mastering Windows XP Professional,
Oct 2001, List: $39.99, Used & new from: $8.91
2.
The CISSP Prep Guide: Mastering the Ten Domains of Computer Security,
Oct 2002, List: $69.99, Price: $69.99
3.
Microsoft Windows XP Inside Out,
Oct 2001, List: $44.99, Price: $31.49
4.
Adobe Photoshop 6.0 Classroom in a Book,
Dec 2000, List: $45.00, Price: $31.50
5.
Homepage Usability: 50 Websites Deconstructed,
Nov 2001, List: $39.99, Price: $27.99
6.
Windows XP for Dummies,
Sep 2001, List: $21.99, Price: $15.39
7.
Microsoft Windows XP Professional Resource Kit Documentation,
Oct 2001, List: $59.99, Price: $41.99
8.
The Photoshop 6 Wow! Book,
Jul 2001, List: $49.99, Price: $34.99
9.
Web Content Management: A Collaborative Approach,
Sep 2001, List: $39.99, Price: $27.99
10.
Hacking Exposed: Network Security Secrets & Solutions, Third Edition,
Sep 2001, List: $49.99, Price: $34.99
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Reach IT pros
Advertise in Brian's Buzz on Windows
Circulation: over 38,000
Cost per 1000: $5 per 50 words
Text-only ads get results
Contact us now
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FORWARDING INSTRUCTIONS - news gains value when it's shared
Please share this information with your colleagues
You're encouraged to refer your friends and colleagues to this free
newsletter. Because most e-mail programs don't correctly display a formatted
message that's been forwarded, simply call people's attention to
the permanent Web address of this issue:
BriansBuzz.com/w/030605.
HERE'S A TIP - you'll get a better newsletter if you choose the paid version
You're reading the free version of Brian's Buzz on Windows
Subscribers to the paid version are receiving additional information
this week with my analysis of the most important new
Microsoft bulletins and my recommendations on the best new freeware:
- Microsoft bulletins. An important new
patch for Internet Explorer 5 and 6. Updates on other IE security holes
and viruses.
- Free software. A free utility that alerts you to outages of your
Windows servers - or any IP address. A free way to manage the six stages of
Windows startup.
- Free downloads. Later this month, and every calendar quarter
thereafter, paid subscribers will be allowed to download for free a
valuable report I've licensed for their use.
If you make a contribution before June 18, 2003,
you'll be sent the full, paid version of the newsletter you missed.
To upgrade to the paid version, please visit
WindowsSecrets.com/upgrade.
Thanks in advance. --Brian Livingston
THE WEIRD WIDE WEB - playing for you the Internet's greatest bits
You've gotta give 'em credit for this one
The crazy guys at ZUG (which bills itself as "the world's only comedy site")
have pulled off a major prank, proving that no one
at retail stores even bothers to check that the signature on a charge slip
actually matches the one on the back of the credit card. John Hargrave,
who remarks that his normal signature looks like it was written by "an
unusually talented chicken," signed his charge slips as Shakespeare, Jesus,
Porky Pig (at Disneyland), etc., and no one batted an eye. He says he's
thinking of legally changing his name to "I Stole This Card." But I'll stop
right there because you really have to read this hilarious tale for yourself.
The Credit Card Prank
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