After my description last week of the tribulations I went through with my crashed computer I received a message from a reader in Bermuda alarmed at the possibility that there was a problem with ZoneAlarm, which I had mentioned as the start of the saga.

"I have just read one of your articles in which you lament the crashing of your computer without having backed-up your system and files," the reader wrote.

"In the article you state that the problem first manifested itself with a glitch with ZoneAlarm. I also use ZoneAlarm as my anti-virus protector (you recommended it in an earlier article) and I wondered if there was a problem with ZoneAlarm that we, (and they) should be aware of? Can you give me any more information on the ZoneAlarm problem ? why it started and how you fixed it?"

Good question, in part because it deals with the issue of Microsoft's level of support for its software as it brings in newer versions. For businesses it is essential to keep track of the critical dates, after which your software is no longer supported.

In answer to the first part of the question I can definitely state the problem was not with Zone Alarm but with the usual suspect: Microsoft. The second part of the question involves how to recover data from an apparently dead machine, a procedure I will leave to a later column.

Zone Alarm is a great piece of anti-virus and firewall software, whether you use the free version (in conjunction with the free version of AVG anti virus) or the full paid version.

My computer problem was instead caused by a recent Microsoft security update called KB891711.exe, which has caused massive problems for Windows 98, 98SE and ME users, including a loss of access to the Internet, the failure of some programs (including Zone Alarm and Norton Anti Virus) and for some users the "blue screen of death".

Go to Google and type in "KB891711" and you will see what I mean about a new reason to hate Microsoft. Some Microsoft conspiracy theorists have even suggested that the fault was planned in an effort to get the many Windows 98 users to finally switch to Windows XP.

Microsoft has had a problem getting users to switch to the newer versions of Windows, so much so that when the company announced last year it was ending support for Windows 98 editions on January 16, 2004, its clients made a big stink.

The company was forced to extend security and technical support for the Windows 98 and Windows Millennium for critical security issues until June 30, 2006. Users can also request non-critical security fixes for Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, Windows Me, and the most current version of their components until the deadline.

No-charge incident support and extended hotfix (for businesses running their own internal software) 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.

Here is the microspeak on the topic: "The continual evaluation of the support lifecycle policy revealed, however, that customers in the smaller and the emerging markets needed additional time to upgrade their product."

Microsoft issued the Windows 98 update on January 11, 2005 and, after the glitches were found, revised it on April 12. But that was too late for me. When I belatedly updated my software in early April (I was away, hence the delay!) the problems started. I made them worse by trying to fix it until my computer failed.

The update, meant to fix a security issue dealing cursor and icons, particularly hit systems using ZoneAlarm and Norton Anti Virus. If you installed it before April 12 and use Windows 98 or ME get rid of it.

First go the Startup up menu and in the "Run" section type in "msconfig". Go to the Startup list tab and uncheck the reference to KB891711. If you are brave also run "Regedit", export a registry file to the desktop as a backup, go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/Software/Microsoft/Windows/Current Version/. Go to "Run-" folder and "RunServices-" folders and delete the references to KB891711. This will take it out of the Task Manager.

You can skip this step and simply go to the Windows Update site at www.microsoft.com and apply the new patch. While you are on the site go to the support section (http://support.microsoft.com) and click on the link for "Microsoft Support Services". There you will find a huge table of all Microsoft software and their support expiry dates.

Print this list out and keep it before your computer if you are in charge of a network. It will help you know when you have to tell those in charge of the cash it is time to shell out more money for the newer Microsoft products.

As an aside: I hooked up my hard drive to my girlfriend's computer as advised by GeekGirl at www.techsupportforum.com. I was able to recover all of my files and burn them on to DVD-RW disks. I then completely reformated my hard drive and reloaded Windows and all the drivers needed to run my motherboard and video cards. I now have a speedy machine, like new and am a lot wiser.

To repeat ? if I had backed up my files on schedule I would simply have skipped the four days of attempting to recover the data and simply formated the disk and reloaded Windows. Yes I still use Windows 98 because I have got it figured out and working the way I want it to.

I do have a copy of Windows XP, but I will only load that on to a partitioned hard drive when I need to use it. By then perhaps Longhorn, the new version of Windows in the works, will have been released by the time I start working on Windows XP. Perhaps you can't teach an old dog new tricks? Woof.

For the latest security updates go to www.SecureBermuda.com.