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Patches & Support files - May '97
Microsoft Mail & Word: Self e-mailing virus
Windows 3.1
Windows 95 Windows NT 4.0
Internet Explorer 3: Security holes
Microsoft's Internet Explorer has been leaking like a sieve.
In March, a bunch of US college students found a major security flaw in the Windows 95 and NT version of the product while they were doing a class project. The hole could allow a programmer to run programs and even delete files on a user's computer using Windows 95 shortcuts. Within days, Microsoft had a bug fix out.
By that time, the race was on for university students to grab the limelight and find their own Explorer bugs. The results? Two more holes discovered within the space of days.
Microsoft has released a fix for all three security breeches, which we've included on this CD. There are two versions of the fix: one for those using version 3.01 of Internet Explorer, the others for those with version 3.0. Not sure which you're using? Do this:
1. Open IE and click the Help Menu.
2. Look at About Internet Explorer.
3. If the last four digits of your version number are 1215 or higher, you should use the 3.01 security patch (IE301 Security Fix.exe).
4. If those digits are 1155 to 1158, use the 3.0 security patch (IE30 Security Fix.exe).
5. If your version number is lower than 1155, you're using a beta version of Internet Explorer and you should upgrade to the release version (also on the CD-ROM -- MSIE301.exe). Once you've upgraded, use the 3.01 security patch.
6. If you're currently using Explorer 2, you'll be affected by the same security issues. You should upgrade to Internet Explorer 3 (MSIE301.exe) and then install the 3.01 security patch.
While these patches fix the current crop of security problems, chances are there could be more holes discovered in the future. The problem for Microsoft is that it has developed Internet Explorer to be intimately linked with its operating system, and is heading even further down this track with IE 4.0 and Windows 97. The current crop of fixes actually cause their own problems. For instance, they disable the Content Advisor feature of Explorer 3.0, which allows parents to restrict what sites their children visit using Explorer.
The best course of action for Explorer users is to check out -- regularly -- Microsoft's security updates, which it posts on www.microsoft.com/ie/security/update.htm
Someone with a penchant for irony has penned a new virus called ShareFun. This is the first virus to replicate itself by generating e-mail messages containing infected attachments.
The information about the virus comes from anti-virus software house, McAfee. We're sometimes hesitant to accept such information at face value, considering it's in the interest of such companies to discover constant new threats, but we've seen enough macro viruses in the flesh at PC User to recognise the threat from them as genuine.
The ShareFun virus adds a new twist to the macro viruses that have been emerging mostly in Microsoft Office documents (a prime target due to their popularity). Once ShareFun has infected your PC, each time you launch Word for Windows 6.0 or 7.0, there's a one in four chance the virus will take secondary action. If it takes such action, the virus searches your computer for a copy of Microsoft Mail, selects three e-mail addresses randomly from your directory, and generates and transmits an e-mail message to the recipients. The message transmitted contains an attached Word document which is itself infected with the virus.
This is the only action the virus takes: it doesn't harm data and if you don't have Microsoft Mail it does nothing.
Microsoft Word 97 has built-in tools for detecting macro viruses. McAfee has also created an update to its VirusScan program which will stomp the virus. You can download the program from McAfee's site at www.mcafee.com, or off this CD (\utils\Win95\betascan.zip).
Alternatively, we've included the evaluation version of McAfee's new VirusScan 3.0 for Windows 95 on the CD as well (v95i300.zip). This detects macro viruses, like ShareFun, as well as thousands of other viruses. you will find full documentationfor this in the V95doc.pdf Acrobat format file.
Word for Windows file converter
Word 97 uses an entirely new file format. Don't get stuck unable to share documents between versions. This program will convert WinWord 97 documents to Word 95 or Word 6.0 format.
Quicktime for Windows 3.1
URL: http://www.quicktime.apple.com
16-bit version of the Quicktime runtime files required for playing Quicktime for Windows .MOV video and audio files.
Extension to Windows, required for playing Video For Windows .AVI files under Windows 3.1.
These files are required by any program written in the Visual Basic programming language. Just install/copy them into your Windows directory.
Windows 95 Service Pack 1
URL: www.microsoft.com/windows/windows95/info/system-updates.htm
Essentially a collection of bug fixes for Windows 95, The Service Pack comes in two versions -- everything on a small one for single users, which we've included here, and a larger one for network managers.
Much of the mass on the larger versions consists of information documents and tools to bulk install the Service Pack on networks in different specialised ways, depending on how Windows 95 is organised on the network -- plus such strictly professional tools as Server Manager, User Manager and Event Viewer for managing a Windows NT network from a Windows 95 workstation.
Installation of the small version is very simple: it's all in a single EXE file and everything is installed automatically. You may not really need it all, but they won't be in the way or take up any room.
OLE 32 bug fix. Corrects file management glitches in Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint for Windows 95 -- note, however, there has been a subsequent OLE 32 bug fix.
Windows 95 Shell update. This update to the Windows 95 shell32.dll file fixes a problem in which files copied onto themselves can be truncated to a zero-byte file size, and also makes it possible to browse NetWare Directory Service printers from the Add Printer wizard.
Windows 95 Common Dialogue update for Windows 3.1 Legacy Printer Drivers. When 32-bit applications print using Windows 3.1 monolithic drivers or the Windows 3.1 pscript.drv/unidrv.dll driver, the applications sometimes fail. This update fixes that bug.
Vserver update. Fixes a known share-level security problem with file and printer sharing for Microsoft Networks and Samba's SMBCLIENT (a UNIX shareware network client).
NWServer update. Fixes a problem with file and printer sharing for NetWare Networks, which might affect data security for corporate users.
Vredir update. Fixes a problem that affects only Windows 95 users who use Samba UNIX servers.
Windows 95 Password List update. Protects your password file against potential security violations. Warning: This update has a bug itself and there has since been another Password List Update.
Microsoft Plus! update. Obviously only applicable to those with MS Plus!, this provides an updated version of sage.dll to fix a minor problem with System Agent: when version 1.0 System Agent is running, programs that perform floating-point calculations might be slightly off in precision.
Printer Port (lpt.vxd) bug fix. Service Pack 1 will automatically install a version of the parallel port driver (lpt.vxd) that was available previously on the Windows 95 CD in the \DRIVERS\PRINTER\LPT folder. This driver corrects problems seen on some ECP (Extended Capabilities Port) equipped machines.
Update Information Tool. A special applet to determine which Windows 95 upgrades have been installed.
Windows 95 Kernel Update
URL: www.microsoft.com/windows/windows95/info/system-updates.htm
Anyone who runs Internet and network (or, more specifically `Windows Sockets') applications continuously over long periods of time (especially applications which use a large number of sockets) will benefit from this update.
This update resolves a memory leak which occurs when opening and closing a socket using the Windows Sockets API. Without this update, running a Windows Sockets application over a long period of time, especially one which opens and closes a large number of sockets, will result a significant resource drain.
This can cause the Windows swapfile to grow very large, overall deterioration of performance, and over time, possible system instability. This update allows users to better run such applications for long periods of time without loss of system performance and stability, and without requiring users to reboot their computers periodically to free system resources.
Windows 95 OLE32 Update
URL: www.microsoft.com/windows/windows95/info/system-updates.htm
Microsoft has provided a number of further bug fixes and updates since the release of the Windows 95 Service Pack 1, including this OLE 32 Update to the OLE32 update in the Service Pack. Users who run multiple 16-bit applications which use ODBC for data access should install this update, or have OLE-linked files on a networked drive, or who distribute electronic versions of their documents and are concerned with privacy.
This update resolves the following issues under Windows 95:
- When running multiple 16-bit ODBC applications concurrently, shutting down the applications in a certain order may cause Windows 95 to crash. This update resolves this issue, allowing successful concurrent operation of multiple 16-bit ODBC applications without crashing.
- If links are established between OLE objects within a given directory structure on a network drive, then moved to a different drive with the same directory structure, the links are not maintained. If this same operation is performed on a local drive, the links are maintained. This update resolves this issue, allowing links to be maintained between OLE objects that are moved between network drives with identical data structures.
- Certain OLE applications, such as Microsoft Word, Excel PowerPoint for Windows 95, version 7.0, store information in compound documents such that extraneous information left in unused areas of a hard disk may occasionally be found in unused regions of their document files. This information, while not accessible through normal means, may potentially compromise privacy. This update resolves this issue, preventing extraneous data left on the hard disk from deleted files from being stored in unused regions of OLE documents.
This update improves on the current OLE2 implementation on Windows 95 in the areas of document integrity and privacy, consistent behaviour with respect to local and network file systems, and system stability when using 16-bit applications using ODBC.
Power Toys
URL: www.microsoft.com/windows/common/contentW95UGB.htm
I believe one of the main factors in the success of Windows in all its incarnations is that it's fun to work with -- not just for us end-users, but for the programmers, too. That's clear when you look at Power Toys for Windows 95 -- created by Microsoft's own programmers in their own time, just for the fun of it. As such this is a real update, not just a bug fix.
As is inevitable with an unplanned collection like this, the Power Toys range from weird to wonderful or merely idiosyncratic -- which is fine if you happen to share the idiosyncrasy. For example, there's Round Clock -- a mere decorative matter running an analogue clock with a round face that doesn't sit in a rectangular window. Certainly not practical, since we already have digital time on the Taskbar.
Explore From Here is very practical for a large system or network, as it lets you open the Explorer with any root directory at any level, which can make file maintenance very simple indeed. The HTML Printer Driver allows you to print Web pages in all their graphical glory from many different applications (very practical) and CABView can be extremely useful if you need to find and extract files from CAB distribution archives, such as the ones on the Windows 95 distribution disks or CD. This one isn't a free-standing application, it just gives Explorer the ability to treat CAB files like folders. The latest enhancement to CABView lets you expand a file from a CAB folder by merely dragging it to another folder.
A related item is DOS Prompt Here, which lets you right-click to open a DOS prompt in any folder, saving you a lot of typing.
CD AutoPlay Extender lets you set up non-autoplay CDs to run when you slot them in (except audio CDs). There's also FlexiCD, which runs audio CDs from the Taskbar, and it has a useful control set including a track list.
QuickRes is a very meaty item; it sits as an icon on the Taskbar and lets you change video resolution and colour depth without rebooting -- handy when you want to run games or education programs that can't handle full resolution and colour! In the same heavyweight class we have TweakUI, which adds the ability to change a large number of user interface features to the Control Panel.
The Contents menu is perhaps a little more idiosyncratic; instead of double-clicking on a folder to open it and see what's inside, this utility lets you right-click the folder and select Contents from the pop-up menu. This opens a sub-menu that displays the folder contents and lets you start a program, etc.
Shortcut Target Menu lets you see the target of a shortcut by right-clicking the shortcut and selecting Target, Properties from the pop-up menu.
Telephony Location Selector sits in icon form on the Taskbar and is great for mobile modem users. Picking your location is a matter of two clicks if it's a site you visit regularly, otherwise you'll have to enter details each time.
Xmouse, finally, makes your mouse act like the mouse on an XWindows (Unix) machine. That is, any open window that the cursor enters is selected without clicking. If you spend your days working XWindows in the office it can be nice to have this at home, and you may find it suits you anyway.
By Jan Wikström
URL: http://www.microsoft.com/
Microsoft's extensions for Windows 95. Required for many Win95 games.
URL: http://www.quicktime.apple.com
32 bit version of the Quicktime runtime files required for playing Quicktime for Windows .MOV video and audio files.
These files are required by any program written in the Visual Basic programming language. Just install/copy them into your Windows directory.
Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 2
URL: http://www.microsoft.com/kb/softlib
The latest and complete
array of bug fixes and updates for Windows NT 4.0 users.
It is recommended you run the update with no other
programs running. You will find it on the CD at \patches\nt4sp2\update.exe
Patches and Support files - April '97
Patches and Support files - March '97
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