Windows-Help.NET Newsletter

01. Microsoft Extends Windows 98 Support Lifecycle

by Arie Slob

Hello Windows users,

This week, Microsoft announced it was extending the Support Lifecycle for Windows 98 / 98SE.

Back in 2002, Windows 98 & 98SE were scheduled to enter "End of Life" on June 30, 2004, while Windows Millennium Edition (ME) was scheduled to reach that stage on December 31, 2005. Last June Microsoft extended the "End of Life" date for Windows 98 & 98SE to January 16th, 2005.

On Wednesday, Microsoft posted this on their Web site:

Key Dates:

Paid incident support for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Millennium Edition (Me) is available through June 30, 2006.
Customers can request security fixes for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, and the most current version of their components until June 30, 2006 through normal assisted-support channels.
Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows Me downloads for existing security issues will continue to be available through regular assisted-support channels at no charge until June 30, 2006.
No-charge incident support and extended hotfix support for Windows 98 and Windows 98 Second Edition ended on June 30, 2003.
No-charge incident support and extended hotfix support for Windows Me ended on December 31, 2003.
Online self-help support will be available until at least June 30, 2007.

This doesn't mean the a lot will change for Windows 98/98SE users, hotfix support & No-charge incident support has long been ended, the only difference is that paid incident support will continue to be available, as well as the continued availability of downloads for existing security issues.

According to Microsoft this was brought about by "continual evaluation of the Support Lifecycle policy revealed that customers in the smaller and the emerging markets needed additional time to upgrade their product".

I think it also has a lot to do with the popularity of Linux in these "smaller and the emerging markets". As long as there is competition, Microsoft will "work" for their money, but when the competition fails (Netscape vs Internet Explorer), development stalls (nothing much has changed since IE 4.x).

Full details on this announcement are at the Microsoft Support Web site.

A complete overview of Windows Product Lifecycle Dates can be found on the Microsoft Windows Product Lifecycle Web site.

02. Microsoft Security

Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for January, 2004

Included in this advisory one update describing a newly discovered vulnerability in Microsoft Windows.

Severity Rating: Important

Buffer Overrun in MDAC Function Could Allow Code Execution

More Info

03. Rose City Software

If you are a novice you will appreciate Courier's ease of use, simple installation and fantastic technical support. As a power-user, you'll love Courier's ability to handle just about any e-mail task you throw at it. If you are a network administrator the efficiency of copying just one file to back up all your data makes for stress-free backups. Topped off with superior security features Courier is a 'must have' app.

More Info - Download Trial [4.23 MB]

04. Recent Support BBS Postings

Disk Drefragment Utility? - Windows XP
Favorite Freeware and (Internet) Links - General Discussions
Cable Modem/Networking - Networking
Another hi-jacked browser - Security / Virus / Spyware
Scheduled Tasks - Windows XP

05. Recommended Web sites

Each month we will feature a few Web sites here, ones which sent us the most visitors to our Web site in the previous month. We would encourage you to visit these popular Web sites yourself!

Here are some sites in the Top 15 for December 2003:

Virtual Dr. - Support forums for Windows, Macintosh, BeOS, Unix and more.

Digital Digest - All your digital video news.

Dell Community Forum - Dell's customer support forum.

The Top 15 sites are listed on our Web site.

06. Web Site Updates

These pages were added/updated in the past week. Information on previously updated/added pages is available on the What's New? page for 1 month.

Windows-Help.NET

Added: Microsoft Offers Virtual PC 2004 45-day Free Trial Edition
Added: Microsoft Windows Security Bulletin Summary for January, 2004

Windows 98

Added: Microsoft Extends Windows 98 Support Lifecycle

07. Personal Firewall Day

Personal Firewall Day is dedicated to educating everyone about the threats we face--and pose--when we don't protect our computers with personal firewalls.

Get educated about the threats that face you on the Internet.

Visit Web site

08. Microsoft Executive Circle Webcast: Microsoft's VP of Security and GM of Operations on Securing a Wireless Network

Join Mike Nash, Microsoft's vice president in charge of security, and Gregory Wood, Microsoft's general manager of corporate security, operations and technology for a security Web cast on Tuesday, January 20th at 8:30 am. Mike and Greg will be updating customers on Microsoft's progress in improving security and offering insights into best practices Microsoft uses to secure its own wireless network. Log on to get tips and advice and to ask questions about securing your own wireless networks.

Live Meeting Webcast

09. How to Tell If a Microsoft Security-Related Message Is Genuine

Microsoft regularly sends e-mail to subscribers of our security e-mail notification services when we release a Microsoft Security Bulletin.

Unfortunately, malicious individuals have been known to send bogus bulletins that appear to be coming from Microsoft, a tactic known as spoofing. Some of these messages lure recipients to malicious websites to download malicious code, while others include a file attachment containing a virus.

Read Full Article

10. Microsoft Offers Virtual PC 2004 45-day Free Trial Edition

Virtual PC is a powerful software solution that allows you to run multiple PC-based operating systems simultaneously on one workstation, providing a way to maintain compatibility with legacy applications while you migrate to a new operating system such as Windows XP or Windows 2000 Professional.

Read Full Article

11. FREE Software: Outlook 2003 Add-in: Personal Folders Backup

The Personal Folders Backup download creates backup copies of your .PST files at regular intervals, in Outlook 2000 and later versions, making it easy to keep all of your Outlook folders safely backed up.

Download [160 KB, English]

For more information & other languages, see the Microsoft Download Web site.