Hello, again! Many thanks to those of you who took the time to offer feedback on the previous issue. As some of you asked, I've increased the font size, changed colors, and made some other changes to hopefully make the newsletter even better!

Things are busy here at Casa Boyce with the Rational Press Guide to Small Office / Home Office Networking still in the works. I'm also in the middle of remodeling my mother-in-law's house next door--it's down to the casing and other trim now! My latest scheme to get the money to finish the job is to charge every spammer $1 for every email I get asking me to buy Cialis and Viagra. Uh, who actually buys that stuff from a completely unknown source and without a prescription? "Scuze me, but do you have any psychotropic drugs for me cheap?" I don't think so. I'll stick with Wal-Mart for my mood- and/or body-altering drugs and keep bugging my legislators to impose life-altering sentences for spammers.

Hasta luego,

Jim

Featured Windows Tip
Back up or move Outlook Express to another computer

If you’re like most people, you probably don’t pay much attention to backing up your messages or addresses until it’s too late. Your system crashes and you’re left with an empty inbox and address book. Or, maybe you’re installing a new system or moving to a different computer and need to move your Outlook Express folders, messages, and addresses. Whatever the situation, backing up or moving your Outlook Express data isn’t very difficult. The trick is knowing where your data is located.

Here’s how to locate your Outlook Express data store: Open Outlook Express and choose Tools, Options. Click the Maintenance tab, and then click Store Folder. Outlook Express displays a dialog box showing the current location for the message store and enables you to specify a different folder. If your goal is to back up your data store, simply back up the contents of the specified folder on a periodic basis. Restore the files to the same folder if your system crashes and you need to restore your data.

If you’re moving your Outlook Express data to another computer, first log on to the target computer and open Outlook Express, which will create the data store on that computer. Use the method described previously to locate the store folder on the target computer. Then, close Outlook Express and copy the contents of the store folder from the old (source) computer to the store folder on the new (target) computer.

You’ll probably also want to back up or move your addresses. These are stored in the Windows Address Book, which has your user name and a WAB file extension. Search the computer for your WAB file and back it up or replace the copy on the target computer with the one on the source computer.

Featured Office Tip
Configure attachment blocking in Outlook

In order to help reduce virus infections and to prevent other malicious programs from affecting your system, Outlook 2002 and 2003 include an attachment blocking feature that prevents you from opening specific types of attachments. Outlook supports two levels of attachments for attachment blocking.

Level 1 attachments are hard-coded into Outlook, including BAT, COM, EXE, VBS, SCR, and several others. These can't be opened or saved to disk. Level 2 attachments are defined at the server level by an Exchange Server administrator. These attachments can't be opened directly in Outlook; however, you can save them to disk and open them from there.

If you're not using Exchange Server, you might prefer to change the list of file types that Outlook treats as Level 1 attachments. You can do so through a registry change:

1. Open the Registry Editor and open the key HKEY_CURRENT_USER\ Software\ Microsoft\ Office\ 10.0\ Outlook\ Security. Change the 10.0 to 11.0 for Outlook 2003.

2. Add a string value named Level1Remove in the Security key and set its value to include the file extensions of those files you want removed from the Level 1 attachment list. Separate multiple file extensions by semicolons.

After you restart Outlook, the attachments listed in Level1Remove will be treated as Level 2 attachments. You will be able to save them to disk but not open them directly in Outlook.

Note: Before editing the registry, be sure to back it up first so that you can restore it if something goes wrong.

Featured Windows Server Tip
Allow directory browsing without enabling browsing permission

If you have been in IT for long, you might remember the gopher protocol, introduced in 1991 as a distributed document search and retrieval mechanism. Gopher servers offered a relatively easy means for users to browse a hierarchy of documents. In some ways, what the user saw was similar to what you see today when you view an ftp site from a Web browser like Internet Explorer—a hierarchical list of folders and documents.

You can enable something similar to gopher in Internet Information Services by simply enabling directory browsing for a web site or virtual directory. Enabling directory browsing gives you an easy way to offer a list of documents or other files to users without developing any HTML code. To enable directory browsing on a folder, open the folder's properties in the IIS console and place a check beside Directory Browsing on the Directory tab, then click OK.

If you prefer not to enable directory browsing because of security concerns or because you want more control over how the resulting page looks, you can create an active server page for the folder that accomplishes the same results. To obtain sample code that you can use as-is or customize, see Microsoft's Web site here for details.

Keep in mind that enabling directory browsing for a directory enables browsing down through the directory's structure. Using the ASP code instead enables browsing only of the current directory. You can propagate the Default.asp page to the subdirectories if you need browsing capabilities there.

In the News:

Not taking chances this time: Microsoft will be releasing a new version of Windows, codenamed Longhorn, sometime in 2006. The Software Giant is working with the U.S. Department of Justice to make sure it doesn't run afoul of the antitrust judgment against it. Story

And about Longhorn: I've seen alpha code but not beta code. Total geek that I am, I'm looking forward to using it. More information on Longhorn here. Look for a 2006 version of Office to hit around the same time.

Microsoft to integrate antipiracy into updates: Microsoft plans by midyear to implement antipiracy steps for the Windows Update Web site and the Microsoft Download Center. You'll have to validate your copy of Windows XP or Windows 2000 before you can download updates. The change will not affect Automatic Updates in Windows XP. Story

Surprise! FBI blew a bunch of dough on its Carnivore email eavesdropping tool and then didn't use it. Instead, they used off-the-shelf software. Story

Don't believe your email: Microsoft never, never, never sends emails recommending that you patch your system. These are always scams or virus attacks. A new such email is spreading across the Web. Story

Interesting digital camera technology for your favorite movie star : This new technology would prevent digital cameras from taking a clear picture of you...if you had the right gadget. This is an interesting story, but I predict the technology will go nowhere. Story

Oops! Where's my webcam? I've wondered for a long time when someone would come up with a program that could surreptitiously turn on your webcam and spy on you. Is yours on? Story

Wireless security? Hah! A good friend of mine recently pointed me to www.worldwidewardrive.org, where we spent a few minutes identifying unsecured wireless access points in our town. Need free Internet? Just drive by...

I'm just as bad: One of my neighbors called recently to ask if I had wireless Internet access. She had just bought a new laptop and was suddenly on the 'net with no wires. Turns out she was connecting into my access point, which I knew was open. In a town of 450 people, I wasn't too worried about wireless sniffing, since the access point is segregated from my regular LAN. The punch line: her daughter bought a new computer a few weeks later and called the dealer to find out why she wasn't getting free wireless Internet access, too!

Declare the pennies on your eyes: In the good old U.S. it's time to start thinking about tax returns. I have a CPA do mine because of the corporate returns (and I'm too lazy to do them myself), but in the good old days I used TurboTax. The company now has an online system you can use to do your returns without buying any software. Check it out at www.turbotax.com.

Sites and Software:

Recommended Newsletters and Tip Sites: WinXPnews, The Office Letter, LangaList, Scot's Newsletter

Access control for parents: I have six children and two grandchildren, so I'm constantly looking for ways to keep the kids out of places they shouldn't be on the Internet, in chat, etc. This one looks like a keeper. Access Control Home

At last, a Mario Brothers ringtone: Now I know there's a Mario Brothers ringtone if I ever get tired of the Monty Python theme song on my cell phone. http://arcadetones.emuunlim.com/

Tools for Outlook users: MAPILab offers a great set of add-ons for Microsoft Outlook and Exchange Server, including one to add reply recipients to your Contacts folder, a topic covered in the last newsletter. www.mapilab.com.

Any wannabe pilots out there? I've flown aircraft, both real and radio-controlled, for a long time. I've found Microsoft's Flight Simulator to be a great tool for practicing instrument approaches (but aircraft handling isn't overly realistic). Check out Great Planes' new R/C simulator if you're interested in learning to fly model aircraft or want to keep your flying skills honed during the winter. I haven't used it yet, but aerofly professional looks good, too!

Custard

This drink has been a Christmas treat in the Boyce household for as long as I can remember, but it's a great treat any time of year. It's a guaranteed kid-pleaser!

In the top of a double boiler (or large saucepan), mix eggs and sugar well with a wire whisk. Add milk gradually, mixing with whisk. If using a double boiler, cook over (not in) boiling water, stirring frequently, until mixture coats the spoon (like a thin gravy). If using a saucepan, keep the heat down to medium and stir very often to prevent scorching. Remove from heat and add vanilla, and optionally a little nutmeg or cinnamon. Stir and refrigerate, and serve in punch cups. This stuff is finger-lickin good!

Our Tennessee cousins sometimes add a little Bourbon to the drink, but I've never had it that way.

To make frozen custard, use 1 cup of sugar instead of 3/4 cup. Mix with 1 pint half and half and freeze in an ice cream freezer. For chocolate custard, add chocolate or cocoa to the custard while it is cooking. For fruit custard (Fredricksburg, TX peaches are the best), make 1 1/2 recipes of custard (with the extra sugar) and add 4 cups of crushed fruit ,sweetened with some extra sugar, to the freezer. You can substitute cream for half and half if you prefer a creamier result.