XP SP2 - when to upgrade

As long as you are current with Windows Update, have a firewall installed, and your virus protection is up to date and enabled then there is no rush to get SP2 installed. Issues with SP2 are being reported daily and the problems are being addressed quickly. If you wait one to three months before installing SP2 you'll end up with a better result and the application developers will have had time to tweak the software applications. If Martha Stewart wasn't so busy deciding whether she wants stripes or plaid for her jail cell decor, she'd probably say, "Wait a month. It's a good (and smart) thing."

Microsoft has issued Knowledge Base Article 842242 listing a number of programs and games encountering problems as a result of the changes made to Windows Firewall in SP2. The article deals with how to open ports manually so the applications will work properly.

StereoGram Creator

I had to note this one, as a friend is very much into this...

Create two images. One being the pattern and the other a grey scale image showing depth. The lighter it is, the closer the 3D, the darker, the more it will be pushed in.

Using Google, I found a number of Sterogram creators.I used this one from Olej's.

DOWNLOAD: JAlbum 4.0.4 [3.6M] W9x/W2k/WXP/Linux/Unix/Sun/OSX/etc.!

http://jalbum.net/index.jsp

jalbum is a java based web album generator

This software makes web albums of your digital images. JAlbum aims to be the easiest to use and most powerful tool in this category - and free!

JAlbum runs on Windows, Mac OS X, Linux and others and speaks 13 languages. Today JAlbum is mentioned over 500.000 times on the Internet (Google/Altavista) and this site has nearly 4000 visitors per day and a live community. I hope you find it your tool of choice for sharing images.

DOWNLOAD: FOFF v1.0 [240K] Win9x/2K/XP FREE

http://www.ally.ru/downloads.phtml?id=1&page=3

{Stop unregistered executables from starting} This password protected program allows you to select start up applications and then prohibit them from starting when the computer starts up. Prohibitions are based on extension names (exe, bat, .com). To get the original password, look at the default_pass.txt file. Instructions are limited. It's an option for preventing unregistered executables from being executed. [Meryl]

DOWNLOAD: Outlook Express Quick Backup v2.9 [2.6M] Win98/2k/XP OE 5+ FREE

i'm always asked about backing up email, so here's a new solution ...

http://www.oehelp.com/OEBackup/Default.aspx

We've previously talked about how you can back up your Outlook Express files by manually searching for the entry folder in the chasms of Windows. This process may have been a little too tedious for some of you. Thankfully, the Outlook Express Quick Backup software is ready to come to our aid in greatly simplifying the process. All you have to do is select an existing folder for the backup files to be transferred to, and then click the Complete Backup button. That's all there is to it. You now have a folder with your address book, message files, etc., that is ready to be transported to a CD or any other source. It really couldn't be any easier. Well, I guess it could if you had someone else do it for you. I'm going to check into this. [Brandon]

DOWNLOAD: Ultimate Boot CD v2.21 [45.8M] Win9x/2k/XP FREE

http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4019.html

{Diagnostics} Free yourself from the slow loading speed of the floppy drive. Even if you do have a floppy drive, it is still much much faster to run your diagnostic tools from the CD-ROM drive rather than wait for the tool to load from the floppy drive. Consolidate as many diagnostic tools as possible into one bootable CD. Wouldn't you like to avoid digging into the dusty box to look for the right floppy disk, but simply run them all from a single CD? Then the Ultimate Boot CD is for you! [Major Geeks]

DOWNLOAD: AcronymGenie v4.0

http://www.mywebattack.com/gnomeapp.php?id=107661

{Searchable database of acronyms} Acronym Genie is a searchable database of acronyms and abbreviations from various areas, including Computers, Internet, Information Technology, Programming, Networking, and many others. It includes more than 17,000 acronyms and offers an easy-to-use interface with simple and advanced search options. In addition to acronyms, it also offers anagram lookup. The program includes an offline database and does not use the Internet to perform searches.

User Profile Hive Cleanup Service

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?FamilyID=1b286e6d-8912-4e18-b570-42470e2f3582&DisplayLang=en

A service to help with slow log off and unreconciled profile caused by profile hive unload problems. Symptoms of these problems include events in the application event log with source Userenv and event id 1000 where the message text indicates a profile unload problem and the error is Access is denied or event id 1517 or 1524.

SYSTEM: Windows Media Player 9 Series Downloads Radio Preset Information

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=822964

{Fix for Windows Player} When the Windows Media Player 9 Series starts, it updates the radio preset list from the Internet. In certain Enterprise scenarios, the network administrator may want to restrict this behavior. A new Group Policy object permits an administrator to prevent the Windows Media Player 9 Series from accessing the Internet to retrieve this information. There is a download that includes the hotfix, which has two files: The updated Wmp.dll file includes the new behavior, and the Wmplayer.adm file is an updated Group Policy file. [Meryl]

Home PC Firewall Guide

http://www.firewallguide.com/

{Everything you wanted to know about firewalls, but were afraid to ask} Some people know that a firewall is a good thing to have in terms of security, but not how to implement one. Others are unclear about the whole firewall business and whether or not it has anything to do with matches (bad pun, sorry). This is an excellent guide for the home, small business, and home office user. Get more than the "Just go install ZoneAlarm and you're cool" advice. Get how-tos for installing and uninstalling firewalls, information about security for Linux, BSD, and PDAs as well as information on anti-virus, anti-spyware, and anti-everything programs. Let the Home PC Firewall Guide be your friendly local sheriff to help you protect yourself from Internet bandits. [Meryl]