BUG Of The Day Tips #5



*1.   DESCENT III DEMO PATCH        
    
Interplay's Descent III Demo will get you hooked on the 3D world 
of Descent. Unfortunately, you may not have the best of 
experiences with the demo version, due to several known bugs. To 
make your experience more enjoyable (and more addictive), 
Interplay has released a patch that brings your Descent III demo 
up to version 1.11, fixing a number of game play bugs. These 
include ATI card problems, mouse problems on fast machines, 
buffer-related multiplayer crashes, and more. For more 
information and to download the patch, go to 

http://www.cnet.com/Resources/Topdownloads/PC 

click Games, then click the Patches & Updates link.


*2.   NETWARE 5 FIXES        
    
Novell recently released an update to its service pack for 
NetWare version 5. This file contains fixes for additional 
problems identified since the previous release, including updates 
for all services contained in NetWare 5. One of the more 
significant fixes--an update to NDS--is also available as a 
separate download. This NDS patch file updates NDS, versions 7.23 
to 7.24, correcting an obscure synchronization issue. You'll find 
both files--nw5sp1a.exe (the newest service pack) and nw5nds1.exe 
(the NDS update) on the Novell Support Web site at  

http://support.novell.com/misc/patlst.htm


*3.   Y2K FIXES FOR NETWARE CLIB        
    
In its efforts to ensure year 2000 compliance, Novell has 
identified and addressed two potential Y2K problems you may face 
with its CLIB.NLM for NetWare 3.12 and 3.2. Available as a 
download in the file lib312b.exe, the updated CLIB files contain 
two fixes for Y2K issues. The problems involve applications that 
use the CTIME API returning the wrong day of the week after 
February 29, 2000, and an application that uses the API STRFTIME 
with the %Y parameter returning the century with a leading 1 
(during 2000, it returns 100 instead of 00). You'll find the 
patch file on the Novell Support Web site at  

http://support.novell.com/misc/patlst.htm


*4.   NETSCAPE MISSION CONTROL UNINSTALL FIX        
    
Netscape has identified a problem you may experience when 
attempting to uninstall a copy of Communicator built with 
Mission Control. To address this issue, Netscape has made 
available a patch file that contains corrected versions of the 
Mission Control files. You can download the appropriate 
version--cd16403.exe for 16-bit versions, cd32403.exe for 32-bit 
versions--from the Netscape Support Web site at

http://help.netscape.com/filelib.html


*5.   MICROSOFT WORKS CONVERSION ERROR        
    
If you attempt to convert your Microsoft Works 4.x document to 
Word format, you may receive the following error message: 

"There was a problem converting the document. Cannot save the 
document C:\Path\file name.doc."  

As a work-around, Microsoft recommends using the Save As command 
to specify a different name or location for your document, saving 
the document in Works format. Then open the document in Word and 
save it again as a Word document.


*6.   AVOIDING PROBLEMS WITH 3D STUDIO        
    
Autodesk, maker of 3D Studio, recently identified a problem you 
may experience when launching, running, or exiting 3D Studio Max 
or 3D Studio Viz. These "transport errors" may occur on systems 
running Windows 95 or Windows 98. To avoid the errors, Autodesk 
recommends that you disable network rendering within 3D Studio 
Max or 3D Studio Viz. Simply add a single space, hyphen, and a 
lowercase N ( -n) to the shortcut command line. With network 
rendering disabled, you can still read from directories on the 
network and write to other network directories. The -n switch 
disables only the program's ability to assign the task of 
rendering to other computers. For more details on this issue, 
visit the Autodesk Web site at 

http://www.autodesk.com/support/techdocs/td80/td805458.htm


*7.   AUTOCAD 14.01 UPDATE        
    
If you're using AutoCAD release 14, you may need the latest patch 
kit, available for download from the Autodesk Web site. This 
update--version 14.01--is a maintenance release that addresses a 
few known problems; it contains no new updates. For more 
information about this update, visit the Support section of the 
Autodesk Web site at 

http://www.autodesk.com


*8.   ORACLE Y2K UPGRADE         
    
Oracle is offering a year 2000 upgrade free of charge to customers 
using unsupported and obsolete versions of its databases and 
tools. Upgrade 2000 allows customers to replace Oracle 7.3.3 or 
earlier unsupported versions with currently supported, fully 
Y2K-compliant software, including Oracle 8i, at no cost. The 
Oracle Upgrade 2000 program will be available until April 30, 
1999. Oracle says it is also offering, for a fee, a full range of 
support services to assist in the migration process. The upgrade 
program enables customers to avoid serious problems, while 
potentially enabling Oracle to maintain thousands of customers. 
Customers can obtain the upgrade by calling 800/833-3536.


*9.   NETSCAPE CALENDAR CLIENT UPDATES FOR UNIX        
    
Netscape recently identified a problem you may experience with 
its Calendar client on a Unix system. The Calendar client bits 
in the Communicator 4.5 release may hang up the Calendar server 
when the end user uses the offline feature. If you're running 
Calendar on a Unix system, visit the following address and 
download the patch file as described on the Netscape site:  

http://help.netscape.com/filelib.html


*10.   PHOTOSHOP FIXES FOR THE MAC        

To address a number of problems identified since the last update 
to PhotoShop 5, Adobe recently released version 5.0.2. This 
update includes a number of fixes, including the following:  

- The Type tool now uses correct kerning values when autokerning 
  text. 
- A new antialiasing algorithm creates text that at small sizes 
  more closely represents proper letterforms and spacing. 
- Illustrator 8.0 files include new features, such as art brushes 
  and gradient meshes, that users can open and rasterize correctly. 
- DCS file output has been modified so spot channels print 
  correctly from QuarkXPress. 

You can download this patch file from the Adobe FTP site at 

ftp://ftp.adobe.com/pub/adobe/photoshop/mac/5.x/updaters/ps502up.sit.hqx
