In This Issue:

New Sites:

E-Mail Santa!

Lac du Bonnet Airport

Turbocom
Site Design by Patrick O'Connor

Eagle Nest Resort - updated!!

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The Granite Newsletter published December 1, 1999 Christmas Music??

Christmas on the 'Net

Be sure and check out all the wonderful Christmas sites available this holiday season. From recipes to shopping to Christmas games and multimedia, there are sites out there to help surfers of all ages enjoy this holiday season.

Start with Granites' very own portal directly to Santa. For the fourth year in a row, Granite has offered, and Santa has graciously accepted, to use the Granite web pages to send email directly to Santa. Just visit the Santa Page to send Santa your wish list or just to say hello to the jolly old man. All emails will be answered. We have been told Santa has several elves lined up, as well as Mrs. Claus herself, to help him out with this.

Santa also has a very sophisticated database set up so he can enter your wish list, cross reference it with your behavior, and determine the exact right gift for you. My how times have changed. There's no fooling him now, is there?

While still at home (the Granite home, that is), check out our Christmas Specials for this year. Besides gift certificates, consider giving the gift of speed (a new modem, perhaps?)or security (anti-virus software). All this and more is available through Granite this year. Check out our very own on-line shopping site.

Okay, let's hit the rest of the World Wide Web now. Learn about how Christmas is celebrated around the world at http://www.santas.net/aroundtheworld.htm or http://christmas.com/worldview/. Bake something extra special for Santa this year. Check out these great Christmas recipe sites:
http://christmas.com/worldview/
Prepare a traditional Ukrainian Christmas Eve at http://www.veg.on.ca/newsletr/novdec96/ukraine.html
Cookies, cookies and more cookies at http://www.christmas-cookies.com/

Kids - don't miss a visit to The North Pole! This site has been around the Internet as long as I have - and, um, thats quite a while. The kids can find a few jokes to take to school at http://www.webfusion.co.uk/santasgrotto/jokes.shtml.

This is by far an incomplete list. Just type in Christmas into any search engine and start your exploration. You might want to start at our Search Page.

Finally, the Granite technical help-line will be altering their hours during the Holiday Season. Check below for hours to call. Please remember that the help-line is monitored even during off hours. If you experience difficulty, you will get prompter service by e-mailing support@granite.mb.ca, but if you can't log in to send email, leave a message and your call will investigated. A return call will be made if necessary.

Will These People Ever Give Up

Well the virus creators did it again, as reported in the Winnipeg Free Press on Tuesday November 16, 1999 Section A page 16, and by David Strom, in his Web Informant Newsletter at http://www.strom.com/.

First Bubble Boy, then Fun Love were announced this past month. As for the last, its just like the Dr. Hook song Penicillin Penny, you don't want any.

Bubble Boy works through Outlook Express in an email attachment. What is really bad is that you do not have to open the attachment for it to infect your computer and it will send out spam to all the names in your address book. The second is a little more devious, but only works on WinNT Operating System machines. Fun Love will change your file permissions and open your shared directories for all to see.

Bubble Boy and others like it are scripting viruses, and to disable them you must Disable the Windows Scripting Host. The following are step by step instructions to do just that:

1. Start
2. Settings
3. Control Panel
4. Add/Remove Software
5. Windows Setup Tab
6. Highlight Accessories
7. Select Details Button
8. Uncheck Windows Scripting Host
9. Click the OK Button at bottom of Accessories Window
10. Click Apply Button at bottom of Programs Properties Window
11. Click OK to close Programs Properties page
12. Close Control Panel.

Next if you are running IE5.0, download "eyedog" scripting patch from MS at http://www.microsoft.com/security/Bulletins/ms99-032.asp. Change your Internet Security options in Internet Properties, to prevent scripts from running. This will take some experimentation, depending on the version of Browser you are using.

Update your Anti-virus files. The primary commercial sites for virus information, on these viruses, by the two main sellers, are:

http://www.mcaffee.com/viruses/funlove/
http://www.mcaffee.com/viruses/bubbleboy/
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/fun.love.html
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/vbs.bubbleboy.html

And There was More this Month...

From McAfee:
W97M/Prilissa is a new Melissa variant. AVERT has assigned it a risk assessment of MEDIUM--ON WATCH. There has been a serious outbreak in Europe, and it is expected to travel quickly.

W97M/Prilissa infects Word 97 files. It propagates itself by creating an MS Outlook email with the subject line "Message From (Word 97 username)" and the message text: "This document is very Important and you've GOT to read this !!!"

It sends this message, with an attached copy of the infected Word 97 file, to the first 50 entries in any address book it finds. It does this only once.

W97M/Prilissa includes a destructive payload! If the date is December 25 of any year, it will modify the AUTOEXEC.BAT file so that the next time the computer is booted, the hard drive will be formatted, causing a loss of all data. In addition, the following message will be displayed in Word 97:

"(C) 1999 - CyberNET Vine... Vide... Vice... Moslem Power Never End... You Dare Rise Against Me... The Human Era is Over, The CyberNET Era Has Come!!! [OK]"

This one, at least, can be prevented by updating your virus software. If you're using McAfee Clinic update from http://clinic.mcafee.com/clinic/virusscan/activeshield.

And, unfortunately, we're pretty sure that won't be the last word on viruses from us.

Marketing Coordinator

La Vérendrye Trail Association

The Marketing Coordinator will be responsible for promoting and marketing the La Vérendrye Trail region, coordinating events and the introduction of tour programs, promoting tourism development, and networking with business partners and stakeholders.

The successful candidate will have demonstrated promotion and marketing skills, and experience coordinating special events. Knowledge of the tourism industry is required. Excellent oral and written communications skills, a commitment to teamwork, and the ability to work independently are essential.

The position is located in Lac du Bonnet and will require some travel. Salary is in the range of $25,000 - $32,000 commensurate with qualifications and experience.

Please forward resume by December 10, 1999 to La Vérendrye Trail Hiring Committee, Box 505, Lac du Bonnet, MB R0E 1A0, Fax (204) 345-6334 or e-mail info@wrbcfdc.mb.ca.

Check Your Login Location... Please!

Changing you telephone number is very easy. Just follow these simple steps.

1. Double-click on the My Computer icon on your desktop
2. Double-click on the Dial-Up Networking icon in My Computer
3. Find the dial-up location you use, likely called Granite Internet or Granite in Lac du Bonnet
4. Click your right mouse button on that icon
5. Select Properties in the drop down menu
6. The first thing you will see is the telephone number - erase the old number and replace it with the new
7. Click Okay
8. The next time you login, you will access the new telephone number

Thank you for helping us provide the best possible service to all of our customers.

Granite Nominated for a Tourism Media Award!

• Grand Beach Provincial Park
• Whiteshell Provincial Park
• La Vérendrye Trail Association
• Pinawa
• Pine Falls
• Lac du Bonnet
• Whitemouth
• Beausejour

Entertainment for the evening (besides the award ceremony, of course) included the haunting drum beat of Hinode Taiko - Rising Sun Drums

Javascript Errors and Fixes

Hi there, I have for some time had trouble with error messages if I click on a button which has javascript associated--in IE4---I came across the following today, which you may find interesting and useful to others----

Q. Why do I get a script error in Internet Explorer 4 when I use window.open() to open a new window?
A. This problem has cropped up in Windows 95/NT due to the Registry losing track of one or two .dll files when applications are installed or uninstalled. The following solution from Microsoft was passed onto me by reader Scott Smith:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type the following line: regsvr32 actxprxy.dll
3. Click OK, and then click OK again when you receive the following message:
   DllRegisterServer in actxprxy.dll succeeded.
4. Click Start, and then click Run.
5. In the Open box, type the following line: regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
6. Click OK, then click OK again when you receive the following message:
   
7. DllRegisterServer in shdocvw.dll succeeded.
8. Shut down and restart your computer.

It has worked for me!!

Cheers
Derek Boase

More information can be found at http://www.dannyg.com/javascript/jsminifaq.html

Editor's Note: Derek Boase is one of Granite's longest customer. Derek has had a Granite account since our incorporation in January of 1997. Thanks for going through our growing pains with us, Derek.

by David Hnatiw

Network Manager Report

1. more digital modems
2. larger calling area
3. new authentication server
4. increased bandwidth to the Internet.

November 1999 Changes

LAC DU BONNET - No major changes to report. The authentication software was upgraded to the latest version. The Y2k patches seemed be causing a problem with the software. On November 29, 1999 our web server crashed. This caused problems with authentication. Service was restored at 7:55 AM. On November 30, 1999 network service was disrupted between 2:30 AM and 5:30 AM.

WHITEMOUTH - Nothing to report.

PINE FALLS - The performance problem seems to be fixed. It was fixed on Friday November 19, 1999. Testing on the 19th and 20th indicated better performance. Customers also indicated better response. The problem was found to be in MTS's programming of the circuit.

December Upgrades/Maintenance

LAC DU BONNET - Mail server will be rebooted to complete Y2K patch installation. Date yet to be specified. Maintenance is required on the UPS's. Although it should not create an outage we will be posting the date/time on the homepage.

WHITEMOUTH - No planned maintenance.

PINE FALLS - No maintenance planned; just performance monitoring.