Random Fix - Computer Help

No longer does Outlook 2007 use Internet Explorer to render and view e-mail messages.  Microsoft took Word 2007 and used that as the sole engine to view and compose e-mail messages with.  Why did they do this?  I don’t know but I just found out that there are several sites reporting about this concerned with the way that standards are being handled.

Microsoft hasn’t really complied to web based standards for quite some time.  With the recent release of Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft seemed to have finally caught on to complying with web standards but it seems that they took five steps back with Outlook 2007.

I first used Office 2007 when the public beta became available.  One thing I noticed was several changes to the way Outlook handled fonts and other formatting items.  I am heavy on customizing Outlook’s setting to using certain fonts for composing and replying to messages.  Upon trying to set the font of the RSS feeds due to the font being used being too small, I did some research and found out through an MVP via the Outlook newsgroup that Microsoft had completely revamped the way Outlook renders and composes e-mail.  From that point on I messed around with a few settings and found that with Word you could actually change the RSS feed font; however, this was either broken or fixed by later builds of Office 2007.

I then went out in search to see if I could override everything coming in via a style sheet like I do with Internet Explorer.  I soon found out that this was not possible and everything as far as rendering the actual page and CSS goes is left up to Word 2007.

I was surfing through Neowin.net and found that there are several sites out there along with many upset people and their main gripe is this: Fix the CSS and HTML rendering with Outlook.

It seems there has been a huge outcry for this and I can only hope that Microsoft will take heed and listen to what we all have to say.  I hope they fix this issue and let us choose and also comply with the web standards that are set forth for a reason!

If you use Hotmail accompanied by Outlook Express 6 and you recently updated to Internet Explorer 7, you may encounter a problem where upon opening Outlook Express you receive an unknown error with the details stating that it could not connect to the HTTP server for Hotmail.

I searched and found that this is due to IE7 and that there is a fix.

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/904942/

You need to download the patch that matches your operating system be it Windows XP, Windows XP 64-bit, Windows 2003, etc.

I downloaded and installed the patch and it fixed the problem.  Hope this helps.

Since last week I haven’t seen IE7 in the Microsoft Update catalog when doing a clean install.  Very strange as I thought it is actually better for most people who don’t know what they’re doing to have a secured browser installed automatically.  Most people don’t know that there is a new browser or even how to go to Microsoft.com, look for IE7 and then download/install it.  Makes little sense to me.  I’m kind of disappointed to be honest.  I searched Google news and couldn’t even find an article saying that they removed it.  Two computers today, clean install with SP2, doing all Microsoft Updates and I have yet to see it pick up the IE7 update.  Weird.

Yes, the OEM can be used on another computer after you’ve already installed it onto one.  Will you be in compliance with the EULA?  No, you will not.  So, in order to get it to install on another machine you will have to lie to the Microsoft rep.  Do I condone this activity or behavior?  No.  But I wanted to make sure that everyone knows that you’re not dead in the water once your motherboard or hard drive dies.  You will still be able to get Vista back onto another computer and still be able to use its full features.  I say this is better than pirating Vista, don’t you?

Here is proof.

A 40 year old substitute teacher from Connecticut [Julie Amero] is facing 40 years in prison for having spyware pop ups appear while she had her computer on during one of her 7^th grade classes that she teaches.

Now first and foremost, I remove this shit for a living, and you really can’t put the blame on someone for this type of thing happening.  It just so happens that she was in the wrong place at the wrong time, I guess.  However, she is going to jail!  That is bullshit!  How can you convict anyone based on the cold hard facts that her computer was infected with spyware?

What is spyware?  My definition of spyware is this: Anything on your system that maliciously attempts to harvest your data/surfing habits and or anything downloaded and installed without your consent.

Often times, if your computer is not updated with the most recent Windows Updates you are susceptible to having your computer compromised by zombie computers which continuously send out e-mails which contain spyware and viruses.  Also even if you view a certain website and you have an outdated application such as Java or Flash on your computer you can be compromised and spyware installed without you knowing.

In turn, spyware usually will serve you pop up ads depending on what type of information it has already collected about you.  Other times it will start producing pornographic pop ups.  I believe a lot of the pornographic pop ups are referrer ads which if you click on, someone makes a commission based on that click.

You see, something like this can happen to ANYONE.  It could happen to you, me, your mom or even your dad.  Who knows?  But the sad fact is that people are being prosecuted for this type of misfortune when they really shouldn’t be.

I also just read about someone going to jail for having child pornography on their computer.  Did you know that if your computer is compromised that someone with malicious intent could easily start to serve illegal pornographic photos and videos from your computer?  If you were to be investigated you would go down, why?  All because some idiot hacker or sick fuck wants to mask his wrongdoings; that is BULLSHIT!!!