IECLEAN:  GUID and XP

Does anyone know if IECLEAN's problem with masqeurading the GUID under XP is fixed yet?

MTIA

 

Hi Checkout,

Sorry, I don't know, but on my W98SE it is also not working with IEClean version 6.0 while it was working with IEClean version 5.5.

BTW: off topic: I believe (but am not sure) that I read somewhere that Kevin wrote that he had lots of work with a problem between IEClean and the new ZAP; and IIRC you are using the new ZAP.

Well, anyway I'll send Nancy an IM to ask her to have a look at your question.

 

Fanj, thanks.   Yes, I'm using ZAP 3.0.91 and there are no signs of any problem.    In fact, I ran a load of stealth tests against it this morning (from the "Free Services" page here at Wilders) and it passed every one of them.  

 

OK, well then I was wrong with that IEClean and the new ZAP, sorry.

I have just send Nancy a IM about your question.

 

Hiya,

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you on this, took a sick day yesterday and I'm still not quite up to it all today, but I can't afford to stay away for too long.

The "GUID problem" is actually Microsoft's weirdness. Back in Outlook Express 5.0 and 5.5, Microsoft began storing account data in a registry key called

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities\{0689BB40-903A-11D2-B833-001EF8C09A21}\Software\Microsoft\Internet Account Manager

where the numerical value between the { and } above would be unique to a specific individual. Along with the GUID (Globally Unique ID) in the registry where your account information was kept, Microsoft Outlook Express would ALSO use that same GUID to setup a folder for your Outlook Express inbox and other folders in a corresponding GUID-based folder name as in:

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Identities\{0689BB40-903A-11D2-B833-001EF8C09A21}\Microsoft\Outlook Express

Needless to say, to anyone who noticed this, it resulted in GREAT concern. Since IEClean 5.00, a capability has been provided to allow you to routinely CHANGE the GUID to another set of numbers whereupon IEClean would ensure that the "tracking numbers" which were randomly generated and routinely changed would track between the registry information and the folder information in order to make this GUID "tracking" useless. Microsoft was doing a similar thing with their Microsoft Office 2000 version of "MS Word" which they abandoned after an outcry. Meanwhile, this GUID functionality remained in Outlook Express and remains in Outlook Express 6.

However, there is a BUG in Microsoft's "Account setup Wizard" which more often than not FAILS to create this GUID "chain" and instead uses the earlier setup components for "Outlook Express 4" which placed the account information into registry keys that did NOT contain the GUID numbering and placed the Outlook Express folders into the older original

C:\WINDOWS\Application Data\Microsoft\Outlook Express folder instead of a GUID-based one.

When the GUID is not present, IEClean will automatically disable the GUID control features (since it's not required in this case) and that has resulted in confusion when IEClean refuses to enable the GUID since it isn't needed when the "bug" in Microsoft's Account Wizard sets up Outlook Express in the older "Outlook 4" mode. When you examine your accounts in IEClean's SETTINGS tab, it will tell you right away which "mode" your Outlook Express is setup in - if you see your accounts listed as "(Outlook 4)" then it means that no GUIDs are or ever were in effect, if it shows them as "(Outlook 5)" then the GUIDs *are* in effect and IEClean will protect you by "diddling" them for you. Attempting to diddle the GUID information when it doesn't exist can result in loss of your email folders as well as your account information and in the past, a number of vendors (McAfee in particular) were burned by this problem as were we in earlier versions of IEClean.

IEClean now carefully checks for this and will invoke the GUID *only* if GUID was setup by Outlook Express or if the bug should trigger itself and suddenly begin invoking the GUID capabilities. So what we really have here is the usual "maybe it will, maybe it won't bug in Microsoft's code" and IEClean *WILL* respond properly no matter what Microsoft throws on any particular computer.

But it's important to note that this "issue" is NOT a bug in IEClean at all ... it's just another of the "clairvoyance features" in our products necessary because of Microsoft's problems.

 

I fully accept that IEClean is not at fault here.  Further, since my accounts show as OE4, there's obviously no problem.  Phew.  But I can't believe there are bugs in Microsoft's code...  

Thanks, Nancy!