by Arie Slob

Dear Windows-Help.NET Subscriber, This week's Newsletter will be one on a strict "diet", as most of my time is taken up with setting up our new dedicated Web server. After some initial delays, we have now taken delivery of our new "box", and I have to spend some time setting things up and testing, so we can complete the changeover very soon. The new dedicated server should insure that, as traffic to the website continues to grow, InfiniSource.com and Windows-Help.NET are able to run as quickly and smoothly as possible with total reliability. Back Orifice 2000 This new version of the original Back Orifice Trojan horse was released by the Cult of the Dead Cow (CDC), at the beginning of this week. So far there have been no reports of this Trojan "in the wild", but that should only be a matter of time. Most anti-virus software vendors have updated their virus definition files with detection/removal for Back Orifice 2000, so I suggest you go to your AV vendors Web site, and download the latest virus signature files. If you don't have any anti-virus software, you can still get your hands on Norton's AntiVirus 5.0 from our Software store, for the price of $34.95, and if you reside in Canada or the USA, you can profit from a $20 rebate - giving you the excellent protection provided by Norton's AntiVirus for only $14.95. Another good option for Trojan removal is The Cleaner, another great utility from InfiniSource Software. The Cleaner has helped thousands of users quickly and effectively clean their system of the original Back Orifice, Happy99.exe, the Melissa virus and now the latest version of Back Orifice. Windows 98 SE Internet Connection Sharing If you are having trouble getting this feature to work, or if you would just like to know something more about it, check out the TechFile I wrote about Internet Connection Sharing (ICS). It has tips in setting up ICS, a trouble-shooting section, and there is also a page where I'll try to keep track of all Microsoft Knowledge Base Articles dealing with ICS. At present my experience with ICS is limited to a set-up using a modem connection, since, here in the back-waters where I'm located, there is only a faint hope that ISDN & Cable modems may become available towards the end of this year. :( Windows 98 Service Pack 1 Service Pack 1 is now also available from the Windows Update Web site. As reported in the Newsletter of 03 July, the parts making up the Service Pack 1 are also available from the Microsoft Windows 98 Download Web site. Popular Software from the InfiniSource Software Store CheckIt 98 CheckIt 98 is a complete hardware troubleshooting utility with extensive tests, system information, crash recovery, Windows 98 tools, Year 2000 test and fix, and more. $49.95

Pandora's Box (by the creator of Tetris)
Microsoft Pandora's Box is a new puzzle-solving game that will take you literally to the ends of the earth with 350 visually stunning puzzles. Download the trial version [15.9MB] today.

Requites DirectX 6.1. Windows 98 users can download DirectX 6.1 from the Windows Update Web site, Windows 95 users can download it from the Windows 95 Downloads page.

Microsoft e-mail hoax
Microsoft is warning users to disregard an e-mail hoax that claims to contain a Y2K fix for some of the company's software. The e-mail reads: "Dear registered Microsoft customer, we have compiled a program to test and fix the issues related to the year 2000 change" and contains an attachment. According to Microsoft the e-mail did not appear to be malicious, but warned that such e-mails could be modified to be destructive

Microsoft Policies on Software Distribution

Windows 98 Tip
Customizing ScanReg
It is quite easy to customize ScanReg to include files in the daily backup made by this utility. Just edit the file Scanreg.ini (found in \Windows) which is well annotated with instructions.

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Windows 2000
First Look Part III: Windows 2000 Server Overview
Eric Bursley takes us for an overview of Microsoft's upcoming Windows 2000 Server.

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