Terry's Computer Tips - Newsletter
January 14, 2007

Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter
http://www.terryscomputertips.com
A computer tips newsletter for users of PC's.

Volume 2, Number 31 — Sunday, January 14, 2007

Part 1  | Part 2  | Part 3 | Part 4

IN THIS WEEK'S ON-LINE ISSUE:
   1.   Outlook Express Emails Going into Deleted Items Folder
   2.   Updates Last Week
   3.   Creating an Email Folder in Outlook Express
   4.   Windows XP Password Problem
   5.   Creating Email Rules in Outlook Express
   6.   My Computer Security Software Recommendations
   7.   Several Windows Challenges & Tips
   8.   Recommend my Terry's Computer Tips Newsletter to Your Friends

Welcome to the on-line edition of my Terry's Computer Tips newsletter.

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1.  Outlook Express Emails Going into Deleted Items Folder

This has been the week for some weird problems. Whether users have opened dialog boxes and accidentally clicked on the wrong things or "IE7 did it to me," I've read of some subscriber problems have been very frustrating. Take this one from Louise, for example:

Terry,
   I have somehow clicked on something this morning, and now my messages that should go in my "inbox" are going into my "deleted message" box.
   I have tried different things, and I am at a loss as to how to fix this. Please help. Thanks in advance. Louise Langley..
   Oh I have DSL Windows XP. OUTLOOK EXPRESS for my email.

I wrote back to Louise to say that it appeared that she had created a new rule (in Outlook Express) to handle incoming emails.

Unfortunately, it sounds like she accidentally set up the rule take all incoming email and put it into the Deleted Items folder.

You can check your email filters that you have set up in Outlook Express by using the following steps:

1. Start Outlook Express
2. From the menu bar, click on Tools
3. Message Rules, and then
4. Mail

At this point, you will be at Message Rules dialog box. For emails, stay on the Mail Rules tab. Then, click on the first mail rule (in my case, this has the default name "New Mail Rule #1" and review the Rule Description (the conditions and actions) in the box below.

This will show you the email message handling rules that are currently set up. Click on each and check them to see if they say what you intended them to say. The newest rule, by default, is at the end of the list — so that's probably were the problem can be found.

As you can see in the example, the Rule Description box shows that I have created a rule that says that, if the From line contains "Spammer McSpam" (you'd put in the real name, if you were trying to create a rule like this), then Outlook Express is to delete the email. In other words, it would transfer the offending email into the "Deleted Items" folder.

It appears that Louise had selected "Delete it" in the #2 box -- but had accidentally clicked on All Messages in the #1 box.

If she did that, the resulting rule, as you can see below, says "Apply this rule afer the message arrives: For all messages, Delete it."

 

2.  Updates Last Week

Microsoft (operating systems, email, web browser, office suites):
Patch Tuesday was last week. Microsoft releases almost all updates once per month, on the second Tuesday. These are the patches I saw:

Microsoft Windows XP

Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool - January 2007 (KB890830)
After the download, this tool runs once to check your computer for infection by specific, prevalent malicious software (including Blaster, Sasser, and Mydoom) and helps to remove any infection found. If an infection is found, the tool will display a status report the next time you start your computer. A new version of the tool will be offered every month. If you want to manually run the tool on your computer, you can download a copy from the Microsoft Download Center or run an online version from microsoft.com. This tool is not a replacement for an anti-virus product. To help protect your computer, you should use an anti-virus product.

Security Update for Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP (KB929969)
A security issue has been identified in the way Vector Markup Language (VML) is handled that could allow an attacker to compromise a computer running Microsoft Windows and gain control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Interestingly, if you have IE6 instead of IE7 installed, you get the same message with the same patch number (KB929969), but it is reported as an update for "Windows XP" and not for "IE6"

Security Update for Windows XP (KB929969)
A security issue has been identified in the way Vector Markup Language (VML) is handled that could allow an attacker to compromise a computer running Microsoft Windows and gain control over it. You can help protect your computer by installing this update from Microsoft. After you install this item, you may have to restart your computer.

Microsoft Office 2003

Security Update for Excel 2003 (KB925257)
A security vulnerability exists in Microsoft Office Excel 2003 that could allow remote code execution. This update resolves that vulnerability.

Security Update for Outlook 2003 (KB924085)
This update resolves a security vulnerability in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 that could enable a remote user to execute code on a computer that is running Outlook 2003.

Update for Outlook 2003 Junk Email Filter (KB925534)
This update provides the Junk E-mail Filter in Microsoft Office Outlook 2003 with a more current definition of which e-mail messages should be considered junk e-mail. This update was released in January 2007

Microsoft Office 2002/XP

Security Update for Excel 2002 (KB925523)
A security vulnerability exists in Microsoft Excel 2002 that could allow remote code execution. This update resolves that vulnerability.

Security Update for Outlook 2002 (KB921594)
This update resolves a security vulnerability in Microsoft Outlook 2002 that could enable a remote user to execute code on a computer that is running Outlook 2002.

Firefox (web browser, http://www.mozilla.com, free):
Versions 2.0.0.1 and 1.5.0.9 were released on December 19th. These are security fixes.. Current version 2.0.0.1. Latest v1.5 version is 1.5.0.9 -- Mozilla.org urges all users to upgrade to Firefox 2.

Opera (web browser, http://www.opera.com, free):
New version! Version 9.10 was released December 18th. This release of Opera introduces "Fraud Protection" as well as user-interface and stability changes. Read the details.

Netscape (web browser, http://browser.netscape.com, free):
No update this week. Version 8.1.2 was released during the week ending September 30.

US-CERT issued a press-release on November 8th that recommended that Netscape users turn off JavaScript. (Mozilla Firefox, SeaMonkey and Thunderbird were subject to the same issues, but new versions were released on November 8th to solve the problem.) AOL has not updated Netscape to the new version of the underlying "Gecko" browser.

SeaMonkey (web browser, email, HTML editor, newsreader; http://www.mozilla.org/projects/seamonkey; free): Version 1.0.7 was released on December 19th.

Eudora (email, http://www.eudora.com, options: paid, sponsored or free/lite):
No update last week. Version 7.1.0.9 was released October 11, 2006. This was announced as to be the last commercial version before Eudora becomes open-source in the first half of 2007.

Mozilla Thunderbird (email, http://www.mozilla.com/thunderbird, free):
Thunderbird version 1.5.0.9 was released December 19th.

OpenOffice (office suite — spreadsheet, word processor, presentations, graphics, web design; http://www.openoffice.org; free):
Version 2.1 was released during the week ending December 24th.

Part 1  | Part 2  | Part 3 | Part 4

Volume 2, Number 31 — Sunday, January 14, 2007

Copyright © 2007 Terry A. Stockdale.  All rights reserved.