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Get into the Xmas spirit
20/12/2002 11:51 - (SA)
Louis Nel
Cape Town - Christmas is just around the corner and if you haven't started decorating your desktop yet, you'd better get going right away.
Nothing like a dreary and dull desktop this time of year. But not to worry, once we're through with it your PC will have enough Christmas cheer to make your Christmas tree envious.
I also have a little Christmas present for you :-)
Cool sites
Let's jump right in and get some Christmas decorations for your desktop. Cloud Eight will put you on cloud nine as far as Christmas decorations are concerned.
This site has over a hundred goodies for you to download. Some are just for members, but it's easy and free to join (and a good idea for any time of year). There are stationery collections, wallpaper, screen savers and more.
ChristmasGifts.Com is actually a commercial site for Christmas shopping, but you'll also find some free clipart for Christmas there.
At Kate.net Santa Paws himself will welcome you and invite you to "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" with some wallpaper, screen savers and - very nice - printable gift tags to choose from. You can even play some festive music while browsing the site. The Holiday Links section is a large, categorised listing of holiday resources on the web.
Or how about some festive lights to adorn the edge of your screen? Just get Holiday Lights. This shareware programme comes with some cheery background music.
It supports all flavours of Windows and is about 1 MB big. There are also extra Holiday Lights bulbs and background pictures to download from the website.
How about paying Santa himself a visit? He'll be waiting for you in the Santa Claus Office in the Santa Claus Village (near the town of Rovaniemi in the Arctic Circle). Visit the website - it's worth it just to see the beautiful animated picture!
But surely Santa must get going if he wants to deliver all those presents? That's what the guys at the North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD - no joke!) also thought, so they started tracking his movements.
They've been doing the same on Christmas eve for the past half a century and they'll be doing it again this year. Join them this year - it's not to be missed! (You'll need Flash and some other browser add-ons and plug-ins which you can download from the site if you don't already have it).
Or how about a nostalgic trip to yesteryear to experience how those folks celebrated Christmas? At Victoriana.com you're invited to join them for a Victorian Christmas.
Have a look at Victorian Christmas decorations, learn how they entertained (there are even some recipes to try), and see Victorian Christmas cards, gifts and crafts.
But Christmas won't be Christmas without Silent Night. To learn more about the history of this beautiful carol that has been sung all over the world every year for almost two centuries, visit this great South African website. It hosts no less than 155 versions of Silent Night in 106 languages! The site also includes some great links to other sites.
Hot software
Here's a nice Christmas present that you're sure to enjoy for a long time: Chimer.
It's a charming, chiming clock for your desktop with 21 graceful, nostalgic chimes to choose from, as well as three clock faces.
Download size: 503 KB. Quick-start tip: Right-click on the clock face for the menu and help.
Having your own, customised start page for your browser is a good idea. Not only is it convenient, it will also save you time. A simple, free start page creator is @Start. You will need Windows XP/Me/NT4/2000 or Win 98 and Internet Explorer 5 or 6. More info at the website. Size: 633 KB.
Here's a handy little utility: ScreenSaver Toggle sits in your system tray and does what it names says: it allows you to toggle the screen saver on and off with the click of the mouse. It's free, a mere 303 KB and runs under Win 98, 2000, NT4, ME and XP.
Latest updates
SurfSecret Privacy Protector 5.16
Protect your privacy. (Size: 912 KB; shareware; all Windows versions).
Fresh Diagnose 5.30 and Fresh UI 4.80
Fresh Diagnose analyses and benchmarks your computer while Fresh UI will configures and optimise your system. Both are free and run under all versions of Windows.
TurboFTP 3.64 b220
(Size: 799 KB; shareware; all Windows versions).
Netscape 7.01
(245 KB - the installer only; free; all Windows versions).
WebCopier 3.3
Download websites to view offline (1.5 MB; shareware; all Windows versions).
Bug and virus watch
A serious security hole has been discovered in Windows XP. It has to with Windows Shell (the thingamajig responsible for your nice desktop, ability to start programmes and organise files and folders).
In more technical terms: "An unchecked buffer exists in one of the functions used by the Windows Shell to extract custom attribute information from audio files. A security vulnerability results because it is possible for a malicious user to mount a buffer overrun attack and attempt to exploit this flaw.
"An attacker could seek to exploit this vulnerability by creating an .MP3 or .WMA file that contained a corrupt custom attribute and then host it on a website, on a network share, or send it via an HTML email.
"If a user were to hover his or her mouse pointer over the icon for the file (either on a webpage or on the local disk), or open the shared folder where the file was stored, the vulnerable code would be invoked.
"An HTML email could cause the vulnerable code to be invoked when a user opened or previewed the email. A successful attack could have the effect of either causing the Windows Shell to fail, or causing an attacker's code to run on the user's computer in the security context of the user," according to Microsoft.
Don't understand a thing? You don't have to. Just know it's a bad, bad thing and get the patch if you're running Windows XP.
Get more info and the patch here.
Tip of the Week
Having problems playing those ripped music files on another computer? It could be because Windows Media Player created protected WMA files.
Just turn this feature off in Windows Media Player. Go to Tools and select Options. Click on the Copy Music tab and uncheck the box next to Protect music.
Have a wonderful Christmas!
Louis
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