Aaron Dobbins

DirectX beta testers were notified yesterday that version 8.0 of Microsoft's DirectX graphics rendering program would be avialable to begin testing today. This latest release of DirectX is expected to ship with Windows Millenium later this year, and will feature a new graphical input device control panel in DirectInput along with a multitude of other enhancements to its rendering capabilities. Runtime releases for Windows 9x and 2000 are expected this summer. For more information about DirectX visit the DirectX Web site.

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Microsoft has created a new Web site to help Windows 2000 and NT users solve problems without the need to call tech support. The four-step process lets users explain the problem and any possible error boxes that may have popped up when the error occurred, at which time the Diagnostic Solution Guide provides several general solutions to what problem may have occurred. Further online help is available upon answering more questions. The more questions you answer, the better a response the site will provide. Go to Diagnostic Solutions Guide site for more information and to begin using it.

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Consumers could see computer systems with the Transmeta Crusoe chip as early as next month according to the Cheif Executive at Transmeta, David Ditzel. The first look is expected at the PC Expo in New York next month, although it was not revealed as to what type of system would be seen, whether it be a notebook or Internet appliance-styled device. Look for more information about the much anticipated systems to come in the next few weeks.

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In the next version of MSN software Microsoft will unveil an integrated desktop to collaborate with the extremely popular MSN Internet service. Coming in late May, the preview will give consumers a good idea of the final plans for the software, which will be released in the fall. Much like AOL, MSN Internet Service will feature a client that is built on top of Internet Explorer with an entire army of features and functions.

Since late last year rumors had been circulating about a secret project at the Redmond campus entitled "Mars." After ZDNet's John Dvorak broke the story in one of his columns late February, the software giant was forced to reveal its secret plans for the mystical "integrated desktop" idea.

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IBM has recalled over 22,000 AC adapters for its ThinkPad line of lap-tops and other mobile devices, after reports of overheating and one case of fire. The recall involves the ThinkPad 3100, and i Series notebooks, as well as WorkPad z50 devices. To receive a replacement adapter visit http://www.ibm.com/adapterrecall or call IBM at 800-426-3387.

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Symantec Corporation, maker of the popular suite of utilities to protect and repair computer systems, has announced open beta testing of its new program Norton Personal Firewall 2000. This software provides "maximum defense against hackers and other Internet threats," touts Symantec. Users can choose between predefined security settings or create their own, choose what sites allow ActiveX and Java, and block unwanted cookies. Users can also prevent personal information from being sent to sites without their knowledge, and the software can be controlled in the same window as Norton AntiVirus 2000. Apply to beta test Norton Personal Firewall 2000, and visit Symantec for more information.

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A new virus, apparently based on the ILOVEYOU worm that struck the world a few weeks ago, has been discovered by Symantec. This new virus does not just overwrite .jpg and .mp3 files, it deletes every single file on the infected computer via setting the file length to 0. But it does not stop there, after spreading itself in the same manner as the ILOVEYOU virus, this one also destroys any mapped network drive.

The virus sends itself through e-mail with a subject-line of FW: followed by a random file name. The attached file has the random name and is followed by the .vbs extension.

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Rap music artist Dr. Dre has demanded that Napster, the online company which provides free software that enables users to store and swap MP3-formatted musical recordings, take action to remove or block access to his recorded music.

A published report out today says that Dr. Dre, whose real name is Andrew Young, has sent Napster a list of more than 900,000 recordings of songs which Dr. Dre says were made from pirated copies of his music through the use of Napster's MusicShare software.

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Nullsoft, Inc., maker of the popular MP3 player Winamp, announced today the availability of SHOUTcast 1.6.0 Release Candidate 2. Tom Pepper, Shoutcast developer, touts, "This is easily the most stable, best-performing version of SHOUTcast ever released." SHOUTcast allows users to stream MP3 music from their PC with ease. Release Candidate 2 comes with a host of bug fixes as well as XML-based status queries and on-demand content. Download the latest version of SHOUTcast from FileForum and visit SHOUTcast.com for more information. You can get SHOUTcast for Linux and FreeBSD as well.

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More than 30,000 of the 300,000-plus music fans barred from the Web site of Napster, Inc., the online music sharing software company, want their access restored. Howard King, the attorney for the hard rock group Metallica, whose actions caused these fans to be barred from accessing Napster software, has labeled them liars.

Approximately 330,000 music fans were barred from the Napster Web site recently when Metallica claimed that the fans were infringing on Metallica's copyrights by sharing Metallica recordings among themselves and others without permission or paying royalties.

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IBM has issued a warning about a hoax alert, apparently originating from IBM itself, that advises about a new virus, possibly as virulent as the Melissa virus.

The hoax message, which warns PC and Apple Mac users to be on the lookout for a message entitled "Let's watch TV," first appeared in low numbers in late March, but appears to have resurfaced in the wake of the ILOVEYOU virus.

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A new PC game entitled Waterslide Island is in need of beta testers to make sure everything is working properly. According to the creator, Jeff Boller, Waterslide Island is a "3-D action game where cute, cuddly animals race down dangerous, death-defying waterslides." If this sounds like your type of game, please visit the Waterslide Island Web site, and sign-up to become a beta tester today.

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Microsoft Corp. said today it will issue a patch for its popular Outlook e-mail software that the company hopes will limit the spread of viruses like "I Love You" and "Melissa" over the Internet.

The recent Love Bug virus that shut down many corporate and government e-mail systems around the world was partly spread by automated features in e-mail software, especially in Outlook.

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Rose City Software is looking for people to test another one of its programs entitled ClipCache Plus. Version 2.7 boasts many new additions to the arsenal of "clean-up" utilities available. ClipCache Plus can remove unwanted white space and line breaks from text, as well as monitor all clipboard activity and allow instant editing of any and all text in the clipboard. For more information visit the ClipCache Plus Web site, and sign-up to beta test this program from Rose City Software.

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FotoTime, Inc. has released a new version of its flagship software FotoAlbum, which includes an online community that allows users to share both scanned and digital pictures over the Internet. Version 1.11 of FotoAlbum brings many new features to the table, including support for TIFF images as well as the ability to order the pictures in each album and control which of those pictures are cycled through the optional screensaver. Visit the Fototime Web site for more information, or download FotoAlbum from FileForum now.

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