Return-Path: Received: from vsmtp8.tin.it (192.168.70.235) by ims3d.cp.tin.it (7.2.060.1) id 437C8F4D00438151 for antonio.ing@tin.it; Tue, 22 Nov 2005 03:37:39 +0100 Received: from athena.sunbelt-software.com (207.90.4.71) by vsmtp8.tin.it (7.2.060.1) id 43819028000D7A61 for antonio.ing@tin.it; Tue, 22 Nov 2005 03:37:38 +0100 Received: from mail pickup service by athena.sunbelt-software.com with Microsoft SMTPSVC; Mon, 21 Nov 2005 21:37:49 -0500 from: "WXPnews" to: antonio.ing@tin.it subject: The Sony Fiasco: How Far will Copyright Holders Go? Content-transfer-encoding: 8BIT Content-type: text/html; charset="iso-8859-1" Reply-To: news@news.wxpnews.com Message-ID: X-OriginalArrivalTime: 22 Nov 2005 02:37:49.0984 (UTC) FILETIME=[BAF02200:01C5EF0D] Date: 21 Nov 2005 21:37:49 -0500 WXPnews™
WXPnews™ E-Zine
 Tue, Nov 22, 2005 (Vol. 5, 47 - Issue 203)
Feel free to forward this newsletter to other WXP enthusiasts.
Read this newsletter online here: http://www.wxpnews.com/?id=203
The Sony Fiasco: How Far will Copyright Holders Go?
 
  This issue of WXPnews™ contains:
 
  1. EDITOR'S CORNER
    • The Sony Fiasco: How Far Will the Copyright Holders Go?
    • Followup: Digital Toys and Windows Wish Lists
  2. HINTS, TIPS, TRICKS & TWEAKS
    • Internet Management Stays Under U.S. Control
    • The $100 Laptop is Reality
    • Close-up Look at Office 12
    • Google Bug Let Hackers Take Control of Gmail Accounts
    • Speaking of Google
  3. HOW TO'S: ALL THE NEW XP FEATURES
    • How to Access Local Files During a Remote Desktop Session
  4. WXP SECURITY: UPDATES & PATCHES
    • RPC Denial of Service Vulnerability
  5. WXP QUESTION CORNER
    • Can you stream radio on your handheld computer or phone?
    • Can I back up to CDs?
    • Can I run a Mac OS on a PC?
  6. WXP CONFIGURING & TROUBLESHOOTING
    • How to Use Chkdsk to Check for Disk Errors
    • You Get an Error Message or the Program Quits when You Right-click
    • XP Launches IE instead of Windows Explorer
  7. FAVE LINKS
    • This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
  8. PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
    • NEW! ACDSee 8: Powerful Photo Manager
 
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  EDITOR'S CORNER
 

The Sony Fiasco: How Far Will the Copyright Holders Go?

Digital Rights Management has been right smack in the middle of the news for the last several weeks, ever since Mark Russinovich ran across a rootkit on his computer and tracked it down to a Sony media player that he'd installed in order to play a Sony music CD. It was part of the XCP DRM software that's supposed to prevent users from making more than a set number of copies of the songs on the CD.

The story hit the mainstream media and the proverbial waste byproducts hit the oscillating instrument as consumers learned that a major record company was introducing a type of software generally regarded as malicious to their systems without their knowledge.

Even the U.S. government got into the act. Stewart Baker, of the Department of Homeland Security, had a statement to representatives of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), one of the foremost defenders of DRM and the force behind all the lawsuits against alleged music pirates - including young children and grandparents who never even used their computers. Baker reminded them that "it's very important to remember that it's your intellectual property - it's not your computer."

You've got to wonder if that came as a shock to the RIAA. Although they are adamant about protecting their property, they seem to think they have every right to invade the privacy of computer users and use those people's property without permission in furtherance of their cause.

Some of our readers wrote to ask exactly what a rootkit is, how they can find out if they have it on their computers, and how to get rid of it if they do. Well, rootkits have traditionally been hacker tools, which can disguise the fact that a system has been compromised.

Luckily, Microsoft has included detection and cleanup of the Sony rootkit in their malicious software removal tool (MSRT), which is updated monthly to handle new threats. Sony has released a service pack to remove the cloaking technology, which you can download at:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122ED-XCP

However, Russinovich cautions that the patch itself can create problems and recommends that you uninstall the software manually. He provides instructions on how to do so in his blog at:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122ED-Uninstall

Experts say the rootkit has probably been installed on at least half a million computers.

Sony, perhaps recognizing what the bad PR can do to their sales, has now issued a recall of the CDs that contain the rootkit technology. This happened after several viruses were discovered that take advantage of the rootkit to hide their own activities. If you have one of the copy protected CDs, you can send it back to Sony and get a new one that doesn't have the rootkit. A list of the albums that contain the XCP technology and instructions on how to get the replacement CD are available here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122ED-Recall

They've also placed a link on their frontpage providing information about the copy protection technology. And if you bought the CD from Amazon, that company is offering full refunds to customers who purchased the rootkitted CDs from them see:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122ED-Refunds

Here's another thing about the whole thing that bothers me: No one else seems to have brought up the question of whether Sony could possibly be the only company doing this? I suspect it may be that they're just the only one who got caught. Of course, Sony is making sure to spread the blame to the British company that provided them with the DRM software, First 4 Internet. That company, along with Sony, argues that the rootkit doesn't pose a security vulnerability. We do know that Warner Music, Universal and EMI signed up with First 4 Internet for trials of their copy protection.

Some industry pundits have speculated that Sony's merger with BMG may have contributed to the whole fiasco. You can read more on that theory here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122ED-Merger

Whatever the reasons, I hate to see this happen and I especially hate the way Sony has dragged their feet on taking responsibility and fixing the problem. I say that because, as a consumer, I have a long and good relationship with Sony. We own Sony big screen TVs, Sony home theater systems and Sony Vaio laptop computers. We've had good experiences with all of them.

However, we've heard horror stories about Sony's entertainment divisions before. Best-selling author Dean Koontz has repeatedly recounted his experiences in trying to get his name taken off a movie made by Sony Pictures (and recently got in hot water for the way he told the story). We know that in a company as big as Sony, it's very possible that one hand doesn't always know what the other is doing. We hope the rootkit disaster will be a wakeup call to all music companies and movie studios that all is not fair in love and war and copyright protection.

What do you think? Should Sony take most of the blame for the rootkit, or do you think they were duped by First 4 Internet? Are they unique, or do you think other record companies are doing similar things and just not getting caught? Should users who installed the rootkit be compensated (beyond the exchange for a new non-copy protected CD)? Do you support the lawsuits filed against Sony? Do you support a boycott of Sony products? Or is the whole story just much ado about nothing? Let us know your opinions at feedback@wxpnews.com.

Followup: Digital Toys and Windows Wish Lists

A number of our readers wrote to tell us about their own favorite new digital toys. Barry W. told us about stumbling across the Sony DirectDVD VRD-VC20, an external DVD burner that not only can function as a regular DVD and CD burner connected to your computer via USB 2.0, but can also work as a standalone to burn DVDs from FireWire (IEEE 1394), S-video or composite video sources. That means you can use it to create DVDs from all those VHS tapes you have. Very cool.

Steve G. is taken with the Linksys WUSBF54G network adapter and wi-fi finder, that locates wireless networks in standalone mode and then can be plugged into the laptop to connect to the network.

Dave F. pointed us to the Robosapien and its companion Robopet, which is one of many toy robots on the market this year (and a lot less expensive than Sony's robotic dog). Check them out at www.wowwee.com. Lance J. told us about the Moog Piano Bar, which adds MIDI output to almost any piano. Finally, lots of you wrote to say that the Xbox 360 is at the top of your list.

We also asked readers to send us their wish lists for the next version of Windows. Pete K. asked for "a less scary rollback implementation." Joyce B. had a long list, but the gist of it was that she'd like much more information about the effects of programs she runs, files she loads or configuration changes she makes to the system. She wants error messages to tell her in plain English what the problem is, instead of providing a bunch of meaningless codes. Tom B. wants XP, like his Macintosh, to remember the directories he was working in when he saves a file so he won't have to navigate through the directory tree every time he reopens the program. That's actually an application function, and some apps (such as Corel PhotoPaint) will do that on XP.

Those of us in the U.S. will be celebrating Thanksgiving this week. As always, one of the things for which I'm most thankful is the opportunity to bring this newsletter to the Windows XP user community for the last few years, and for all the friends I've made in the process.

QUOTE OF THE WEEK:
A vacuum is a hell of a lot better than some of the stuff that nature replaces it with. - Tennessee Williams (1911- 1983)

'Til next week,
Deb Shinder, Editor
(email us with feedback: feedback@wxpnews.com)

 
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  HINTS, TIPS, TRICKS & TWEAKS
 

Internet Management Stays Under U.S. Control

There's been a lot of talk lately in the international community about having the U.N. take over management of the Internet's domain naming and IP addressing system from the U.S. organization ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers). The issue came up at the World Summit on the Information Society, last week, and representatives of more than 100 countries agreed to leave things as they are. Read more about it here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122TI-Internet

The $100 Laptop is Reality

Prices of computers have been falling like crazy, but are you ready for a laptop computer that costs just $100? Well, it's here, although you may not be able to buy it unless you're part of the government of a third world country. A prototype of the machine was shown at the World Summit mentioned above. It looks a little like a toy, but it's a functional PC - although not a very powerful one by today's standards. It runs on a 500 MHz AMD processor and uses flash memory instead of a hard disk. But it includes wi-fi and does basic word processing, email and Internet tasks. Perhaps the coolest thing about it is the hand crank that you can use to power it if you don't have electricity available. Read about it and see a photo at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122TI-Laptop

Close-up Look at Office 12

Last week, Microsoft finally released the beta version of the next generation of Microsoft Office. You can't get your hands on the applications yet unless you're in the private beta testing group, but you can read a full review on what's new, what's changed, and what's problematic in the new versions of Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access and Outlook on the Office Letter's Web site at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122TI-Office_12

Google Bug Let Hackers Take Control of Gmail Accounts

The elhacker.net Web site recently published a description of how to exploit a vulnerability in Gmail to take over a user's account, but it appears the victim would have to voluntarily give his or her authentication token to the hacker (for instance, in response to a phishing attempt). In any event, Google has patched the bug, so your Gmail account should be safe, but this points up the fact that vulnerabilities can strike anywhere. Read more about it here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122TI-Gmail_Hack

Speaking of Google

Seems that every time you turn around these days, Google has another new service. Last week, the beta of their Google Base service, which some say is designed to compete with Craig's list and/or eBay, went live. Google says it's a place to post information of all kinds, including for sale ads, wanted ads, blogs, announcements of events and activities, jobs, reviews, products and more. You can check it out at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122TI-Google_Base

 
  HOW TO'S: ALL THE NEW XP FEATURES
 

How to Access Local Files During a Remote Desktop Session

You can use XP's remote desktop connection (RDC) feature to connect to another XP computer's desktop and run applications or access its files. If you want to be able to access the drives on your local computer from the remote desktop session, so that you can copy files between the local machine and the remote computer, you can redirect the disk drives. Here's how:

  1. Click Start | Programs | Accessories | Communications.
  2. Select Remote Desktop Connection.
  3. Click the Options button.
  4. Click the Local Resources tab.
  5. Click Disk Drives.
  6. Click Connect.
 
  WXP SECURITY: UPDATES & PATCHES
 

RPC Denial of Service Vulnerability

Last week, Microsoft issued an advisory about a security flaw in the Remote Procedure Call (RPC) protocol that can be exploited to create a denial of service attack (this is a type of attack that overwhelms a network or system so that it is not available to legitimate users). The problem occurs on Windows 2000 SP4 and Windows XP SP1 machines. If you've installed SP2 on your XP computer, you're not subject to this vulnerability. If you haven't, you'd better check out the security advisory at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122SE-RPC_Exploit

 
  WXP QUESTION CORNER
 
Send your Windows XP questions to feedback@wxpnews.com

Can you stream radio on your handheld computer or phone?

QUESTION:
Do you know of any portable devices (such as a phone) that will stream internet radio? Not Sirus or XM but this type of internet radio. Thank you. - Dave K.

ANSWER:
That's a great question, and one that I'm sure many folks who are considering buying a Pocket PC or Web-enabled cell phone are interested in. The short answer is "yes!" Pocket PCs, including PPC phones, can stream Internet radio. You'll need to download a player, such as the Resco Pocket Radio software, which you get as a free trial version or buy for $19.95 at:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122QC-Radio

Or PocketMusic, which you can get for the same price at:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122QC-PocketMusic

Or you can get the freeware GSPlayer at:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122QC-GSPlayer

Live365 made the first streaming radio player for Pocket PCs, back in 2001, but theirs doesn't seem to be available anymore.

Once you get the software installed and configured on your handheld, you'll be able to rock on the road. Of course, you'll need an Internet connection (you can connect through an 802.11 network if your device has built-in wi-fi or a wi-fi SD or flash card, or you can subscribe to the wireless data service offered by your cell phone provider). Your connection speed will affect the quality of the stream.

Can I back up to CDs?

QUESTION:
How do I back up to a CD? The backup program for XP allows to back up to floppies but computers don't even come with floppy drives any more. - Leisah B.

ANSWER:
We agree that the NTBACKUP.EXE utility that comes with Windows XP is limited in functionality. Although you can back up to a CD that has been previously formatted with a packet writing application, the backup utility won't recognize an unformatted disc as removable media. One workaround is to get a program such as DirectCD and format the disc with that. Then the backup program with use it as a backup volume. Another option is to save the backup file in the CD Burning folder on your hard disk, and then burning the disc to CD from there.

However, even with that problem solved, the XP backup tool won't span multiple CDs. That means the total size of your backup has to be under 533 MB. So the best thing to do is buy a third party backup utility that can span CDs. Some that will do so include Handy Backup or WinBackup.

Can I run a Mac OS on a PC?

QUESTION:
I was wondering if there was some type of program (like retail, with support) that would allow a person to run a Mac operating system on a PC? I know of many to run a PC on a Mac, but there are certain programs that will only run on one operating system or another. Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated. - Darrell H.

ANSWER:
You probably know that you can run Windows on Virtual PC for Macintosh or similar virtual machine programs like Guest PC. Unfortunately, VPC for Windows doesn't support Mac operating systems as guest operating systems. There is a free emulator program called PearPC that you can use to install OS X, but it's not a commercial product. You can read more about how to do it here:
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122QC-PearPC

 
  WXP CONFIGURING & TROUBLESHOOTING
 

How to Use Chkdsk to Check for Disk Errors

You can use the Chkdsk tool to scan your hard disk volumes for errors and repair those it finds, including bad sectors, lost clusters, cross-linked files and directory errors. You can run it from the command line or from My Computer or Windows Explorer. For more information on how to use it, see KB article 315265 at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122CO-KB_315265

You Get an Error Message or the Program Quits when You Right-click

If you try to right click a file in Windows Explorer and you either get an error message that says "Access Violation" or Windows Explorer closes unexpectedly, you may need to get the hotfix referenced in KB article 824136 at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122CO-KB_824136

Note that before you can apply this fix, you have to have at least Service Pack 1 installed.

XP Launches IE instead of Windows Explorer

If you're trying to open Windows Explorer with the Win key + E, and instead XP opens Internet Explorer, it's because the wrong path is entered in the program shortcut. You can fix the problem by changing the target in the Explorer properties. For instructions on how to do that, see KB article 555522 at
http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122CO-KB_555522

 
  FAVE LINKS
 
Got a fun link? Send it in! feedback@wxpnews.com

This Week's Links We Like. Tips, Hints And Fun Stuff
 
  PRODUCT OF THE WEEK
 

NEW! ACDSee 8: Powerful Photo Manager

This week's product of the week is the latest offering from ACD Systems publisher of many award winning graphics tools. ACDSee 8 Photo Manager's powerful browse and search tools help you sift through thousands of pictures effortlessly, find the best ones, and organize them into common sense categories that make your photos easy to find later. Find your pictures in a snap with the Quick Search Bar. Touch up your pictures using editing features like the Photo Repair tool. Create inspiring Flash slideshows set to your favorite music. Burn your images to CD or VCD. Share your photo albums with friends and family online or by e-mail. Plus, with a range of failsafe storage features, you'll never lose a single photograph. This is a must have utility for those who enjoy digital photography. WXPNews subscribers can download and try it here or buy it now with an exclusive $10.00 discount.

http://www.wxpnews.com/rd/rd.cfm?id=051122PW-ACDSee

 
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INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THIS DOCUMENT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND FREEDOM FROM INFRINGEMENT.

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