Web Privacy: How the Cookie Crumbles

By Jan 18, 2000 12:00 AM

Microsoft Password Protection

If you use Windows 95 or 98 to access an NT network, a snoop with physical access to your PC can snag your password. The old Windows for Workgroups stored users' network passwords in system memory after each log-in. Part of this habit was carried over to Windows 95 and 98 (but not Win 98 Second Edition). By issuing certain commands, an intruder can learn your password. You can download the 148KB patch for Windows 95 and the 161KB patch for Windows 98 from Microsoft.

IE Growing Pains

Internet Explorer 5.01 resolves scores of IE 5 stability and security problems, including memory leaks and numerous security holes covered in previous Bugs and Fixes columns (for a complete description of what 5.01 fixes, see the Microsoft's support site.). But version 5.01 has a few glitches of its own. Some upgraders have been unable to start Outlook Express or have had problems opening the Outlook Express address book. A Corel. attributes the problems to a damaged or corrupted WAB32.DLL file and describes a fix. A second problem will foil attempts to update to 128-bit security after installing IE 5.01. The solution? Upgrade to 128-bit security before installing IE 5.01. For details, go to Microsoft's support site.

Corel WordPerfect Office 2000 SP2

Corel may have the answer to your gripes about stability and compatibility glitches in WordPerfect Office 2000. Corel's Service Pack 2 features more than 100 updates to WordPerfect 9, Quattro Pro 9, Paradox 9, and the other applications. Highlights of the Service Pack include better Word 97 compatibility, solutions to speller and thesaurus snafus, and better import and export capabilities. You can download the free upgrade from Corel. But get ready for a doozy of a download--Service Pack 2 consumes a whopping 51MB, and you will first need to install the 44MB Service Pack 1 if you haven't already done so. To get both updates on CD for a $10 shipping and handling charge, call 800/772-6735.