December 28, 2007
Set your preferences for the year to come
The New Year is a good time to check your preferences and make sure you continue to receive the Windows Secrets Newsletter. It will only take a minute — just follow the easy steps shown below. Read more »
IE 6 fix is just in time for the New Year
In this special, news-update edition of Patch Watch, I provide help for those of you who are afflicted by crashing in Internet Explorer 6. Some other things to watch out for are the new service packs for Office 2003 and Office 2007, which are bringing trouble with them this holiday season. Read more »
December 13, 2007
Have a question? Ask Fred Langa!
This week in Windows Secrets, our editor-at-large finally gets back to work. Many of you know that Fred Langa, after nine years of writing the LangaList e-mail newsletter by himself, and then merging with Windows Secrets and writing our lead story for almost a year after that, escaped to the wilderness on a five-month motorcycle journey through the width of the U.S. and back across Canada. Read more »
MagicJack promises dirt-cheap phone calls
Making phone calls over the Internet is nothing new, thanks to well-known providers like Skype and Vonage. But a simple USB device from an upstart, MagicJack, promises to bring voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) to the masses for as little as $20 USD per year. Read more »
Windows Home Server is not ADS-friendly
I explained in my Dec. 6 article how Alternative Data Streams (ADS) on NTFS-formatted disks can be used to hide data on your computer. But copying such files to a shared folder on Windows Home Server can corrupt the streamed data, meaning applications on other PCs on the LAN don't recognize the file format. Read more »
Never leave home without it!
It's a classic story. Boy meets Girl. Boy and Girl spend the night together. Boy has to leave in the morning for a meeting, but asks for Girl's phone number. Girl clogs Boy's toilet and ends up leaving an unexpected present along with her number. Read more »
Is your ISP in cahoots with spammers? 
Ever wonder if someone's mining your ISP's mail server for addresses? Here's one way to test for malfeasance at your mail server — and I'll show you several other ways to keep your e-mail address out of the wrong hands. Read more »
Will Vista SP1 improve your performance?
Microsoft says that Vista Service Pack 1 will improvement system performance, and many of you probably think. "It's about time!" This week, I give you a rundown of several improvements you can expect after you load Vista SP1, and a link where you can learn even more. Read more »
Office 2007 SP1 surprises Vista SP1 beta users
Many people were startled on Dec. 12 to see that Service Pack 1 for Office 2007 had been auto-installed, and their machines had been rebooted. Microsoft had said that Office 2007 SP1 would be made available on Dec. 11, but would not auto-install on that date — but the beta versions of Vista and several other Microsoft products didn't behave that way. Read more »
December 6, 2007
Hide sensitive files with Alternate Data Streams
Almost every small business and individual PC user has some sensitive or private files to keep away from prying eyes. If you're running a modern version of Windows, you can use a little-known feature called Alternate Data Streams to hide your confidential files inside other files or folders. Read more »
Microsoft to cut WGA 'kill switch' out of Vista
Microsoft has announced significant changes to its trouble-prone Windows Genuine Advantage technology, beginning with the upcoming Service Pack 1 for Windows Vista. Unlike Vista's behavior today, WGA will not disable functions of Vista SP1 if the instance is seen as "nongenuine," but will instead merely display hourly nag screens inviting users to buy another copy. Read more »
But, my mom said I could!
In real estate, location is important. In the stock market, patience is key. When asking your mom if you can take a chainsaw to school to cut your desk in half for show-and-tell, timing is everything! Read more »
The secret life of 3D Pinball
Of all the features in Windows XP that have gone missing in Vista, many of you most lament the passing of 3D Pinball. Really. Well, strap on your pearl-handled phasers, Space Cadet: here's a holiday treat that can help you cheat and hack 3D Pinball to your heart's content in both XP and Vista. Read more »
Use Process Explorer to dig into your system
Microsoft's Process Explorer tool is a convenient way to find in one spot a lot of information about running processes. In the last several months, I've covered in this column a lot of commercial and canned tools. Now I'll show you how to explore on your own. Read more »
Service Pack 1 for Office 2007 now due Dec. 11
Despite recent statements by Microsoft that Service Pack 1 for MS Office 2007 wouldn't ship until "early 2008," it's just been announced that the huge download will actually be released on Dec. 11, to the surprise of many. If your company makes any use of Office 2007, you need to look into the details of this upgrade and prepare yourself for any issues it may pose. Read more »