GNOMEREPORT: On A Really Big Boat...

Part of me feels like opening mouth and inserting foot. On the other hand, my main concern is getting e-mail not going to Web sites. Here's the story that wins the "too tight restrictions" award:

"A friend of mine was going on maternity leave (in Canada it's a year from work), and the week before she was supposed to leave, she got fired because she made a personal call on a company phone. She went to a lawyer, since it was obviously not because of the call but the upcoming maternity leave - the lawyer said she had no case because the corporate policy said no personal calls on business phones. So, even though it's 'ok' to do so, be careful!" Ouch.

Tejaswy reports his company places a lot of restrictions, yet they get splattered with viruses all the time. I am thankful not to be dealing with viruses at work. I don't get spam there either, but of course, I don't use my work e-mail anywhere either except to get newsletters on products we use.

Since I monitor the Lockergnome bounced messages inbox, I get to see plenty of corporate e-mails saying the content is not appropriate. I guess that's what happens when you send a newsletter about computers, but with personality without bad words. Some e-mail monitoring programs are not very good as they bounced, claiming we had dirty words (we didn't). One said it was because we used the word cr@cker (as in "Polly wants a biscuit"), and many claim we have viruses, but we run our newsletters through a virus and spam checker before they go out. Mercy.

On a brighter note, we get humorous "Out of Office" notices. I want to say hello to the Boise, Idaho fishermen and I hope they had a great vacation. Also, hello to the guys on a "If we are not here, we are gone, most likely on a really big boat - out on the ocean somewhere, enjoying ourselves."

Anyway, I wasn't trying to "cry you a river" with my complaint. I hate to come home to hundreds of e-mails and you know I make an effort to respond to all messages... even the ones that aren't nice (for lack of a better word). Sure miss having my PDA slash modem set up.

Whenever at the office - surf wisely and respect corporate policies. That goes for me, too. You can do whatever you want at home. T'aint my bizness.

Corporately yours,
Meryl K. Evans

DOWNLOAD: Adobe Reader SpeedUp v1.12

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{Speedup the super slow Acrobat} I get annoyed whenever I have to open a PDF file through the Internet because it's @(*$# slow. This program promises to speed up the process to make it bearable. Works with Acrobat versions 3 through 6.01. Crossed my fingers in hopes the program works and it does. The PDF files are noticeably loading faster. Since I am using a full version of Acrobat, it might be slower for me than most. With each new release, the program (as with most) gets more bloated and slower to load. SpeedUp will ease the pain. However, it has one bug. When I read an eBook with links, the links don't work correctly. I just disable it and it works again. [Meryl]

DOWNLOAD: Mozilla Engine

• 106K
• Win9x/2k/XP
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http://aab.spin.ee/misc/ie2mozilla

{Replace IE browser engines} I use MyIE2 as my main browser since it has more capabilities than Internet Explorer and is easier on the eyes than Mozilla, which I also use. MyIE2 uses the IE engine, which is like saying it uses its heart with a different body. The Mozilla engine has a different make up and this patch replaces the IE engine with Mozilla's. Before you use the patch, ensure you have Mozilla's ActiveX control installed per the note on the Web site. I tested it by using the main page of the css edge since the spiral example looks almost identical in both engines. The engine worked without a hitch and nothing crashed. Be sure to read the page information as it doesn't work with all browsers and is imperfect in its implementation. [Meryl]

GNEWBIE GNOOK: The Kernel's Secret Recipe For Headaches

Ken Colburn of Data Doctors answers Lynn, who wonders:

Q: I get a "has caused an error in Kernel32.dll" message a lot. I get it when using the Window Cleanser on my temporary internet file folder. What's up with this kernel thing?

A: The Kernel32.dll is a 32-bit "dynamic link library" (dll) file that is found in Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows Me. Dynamic link library files, in general, are called upon by your programs to address specific components. There are literally hundreds of these files on your system that can be called upon at any time instead of having to be pre-loaded in the system memory.

The Kernel32.dll file handles memory management, input/output operations and interrupts, which are used to address hardware components.

It's an essential core component of Windows that acts as a traffic cop for controlling your primary hardware interface.

Unlike most DLL files, Kernel32.dll is loaded into a "protected memory space" when Windows is started up, because it is called upon constantly and so it can not be disturbed by other programs.

When you get a message that an error has occurred in Kernel32.dll, something has attempted to use the protected memory space it occupies. The portion of the error that comes before the "has caused an error" will point to the offending program.

There is a long list of potential causes of this error that include: viruses, low disk space, third-party software that is damaged or incorrectly installed, registry damage, bad memory (RAM), overheating CPU, bad power supply, bad hard disk controller, failing hard disk, damaged swap files, damage to the file allocation table, improper BIOS settings, incorrect hardware drivers, or a whole host of file corruption issues.

As you can start to see, the task of tracking down the exact cause can be daunting. The two most helpful bits of information for beginning your trek are the program name in the error message that caused the error and if you can recall when the problem began.

You referred to a third-party "Cleanser" that I suspect is the cause, because most of these types of programs try to force Windows into making system changes that it wouldn't normally make.

I am not a big fan of third-party utilities that claim to 'make Windows run better' because they seem to cause more problems than they solve. We constantly see customers bringing systems in that "worked just fine until I installed XXX" and often require quite a bit of work to repair the damage created by these programs.

Windows has plenty of utilities that are built-in that do a fine job of maintaining the system, so I would recommend learning what is already there.

Try uninstalling the "Cleanser" program to see if the errors go away. If you recently added memory (RAM), you may want to temporarily remove it to see if that has any effect. If you recently added a new printer and installed the software that came with it, try uninstalling it or anything that you can recall that was added since the error began.

Kernel32.dll errors generally mean that you have a serious stability problem because something is attacking the core of the Windows operating system, so addressing the problem is important.

FAVORITE: Real-Life-Debt

http://www.reallifedebt.com

{Help with money woes} Still paying off those holiday bills? Try the calculator on the home page to figure out how long it will take to get the holiday bills to zero. Real-Life-Debt is working to become a resource for understanding and tackling financial challenges. Get simple advice on how to deal with credit and debit card debt, identity theft, privacy, and bankruptcy. We hope you don't need this resource, but you might have a friend that does (hope not, of course). The site offers resources for more information as well as a weblog on the topic. Here's to good financial health for us all. [Meryl]

NEWS: As Reported By ActiveWin.com

Gartner Questions Microsoft's Commitment To Operating-System Security
Love, Commitment, And Windows Server 2003
Bill Gates Donates $83M For TB Research
ActiveXbox.com: Microsoft MN-740 Wireless G Xbox Adapter - Review
Windows Back Door? Who's Guarding The Guards? That Would Be Us
Chinese Startup Takes Aim At Microsoft Office
Microsoft Seeks Xml-Related Patents
Microsoft At PMA
PlayStream Launches New Services Built On Microsoft .Net Platform
Microsoft: How Damaging Is The Windows Leak?
Microsoft Weighs Options: Investor, Knight Or Observer
Microsoft Leak Exposes Computing Ignorance
ActiveWin.com: Microsoft Windows 2000, NT Source Code Leaked
Lockergnome: Daily Newsletter Excerpts
FCC 'Frees' Free World Dialup VoIP Service
Statement From Microsoft Regarding Illegal Posting Of Windows Source Code
Microsoft Moves To Boost Windows Security
MapPoint And Streets And Trips Construction Update

DOWNLOAD: Nero Burning Rom Ultra Edition v6.3.0.3

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• Shareware
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http://www.majorgeeks.com/download2228.html

{CD/DVD burning} With Nero 6, Ahead Software presents the follow-up to the famous burning solution Nero Burning ROM 5.5. And what a follow-up! Nero 6 is now the name for a whole suite of applications wrapped around the ultimate project launcher Nero StartSmart. Nero 6 is your All-in-One solution! With all the powerful and fun applications now included in Nero 6, all of your CD and DVD burning tasks can be managed in a breeze. [Major Geeks]

DOWNLOAD: W32.Novarg.A@mm Removal Tool v1.05.0

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http://www.majorgeeks.com/download4121.html

{Virus removal}W32.Novarg.A@mm is a mass-mailing worm that arrives as an attachment with the file extension .bat, .cmd, .exe, .pif, .scr, or .zip. When a computer is infected, the worm will set up a backdoor into the system by opening TCP ports 3127 through 3198, which can potentially allow an attacker to connect to the computer and use it as a proxy to gain access to its network resources. [Major Geeks]

DOWNLOAD: Ad-Aware Referencefile

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http://www.majorgeeks.com/download.php?det=726

{Reference update} Latest referencefile for Ad-aware, a free multi spyware removal utility. To install, unzip into your Ad-aware and restart the program. Ad-Aware includes a Web updater, so downloading this manually is optional. [Major Geeks]

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