Just thought I'd give a heads up here. I just got an email from my techie daughter warning of variations of the klez virus circulating today, because it's New Year's Eve. Don't open emails that have the subject lines of: "Happy Humor New Year" or "Have a Humor New Year"

hehe got 5 already but thanks for the warning

kinda stupid but important question... I use Outlook Express... In order to delete an email, you have to right click it, or click on it to highlight it...which then "opens" the email in the lower pane....is this actually opening the email ????

Yes but not nessisarily the attachment. Nortons and zone alarm will either delete it or change the file extension . You really should have one or both .

I always wondered that myself Dave-So. My daughter tells me that it's the attachment that would be infected, but I still wonder.

Hi, you can delete the virus file by NOT clicking on it in Outlook Express. Send yourself an email. Click the file above the virus and the file below, that you sent yourself. Then delete them all. You can always retrieve the one above if you needed to keep it. That way you don't touch the infected file. I always keep at least one mail that I don't care about, though usually more, just for this. If you delete all your mail everyday, you should be able to hit Ctrl A to choose all but that may open it, haven't had to do that. Marque

There's a way of getting rid of the preview pane in OE. If you go to the view menu, and the 'layout' there's an option under there to turn it off, so messages don't open automatically. Hope that helps!

depending upon your current os updates and what your security settings are its possible that a virus can execute itself . Say with java enabled its possible .

If you have Norton, it should automatically find the virus in any email as it scans them as it's downloading them from the server. I've had it quarantine some of my email more than once :o). You can't beat the benefits of a good virus protection program. Laurie

And I check everyday for updates, esp around the 13th and on holidays. Marque

yep i saw a new update today for yet another hole in IE with PNG photos or something like that .

What a PITA :) I've tried other email programs as well.... I still like Outlook Express better than any of them...but of course, virus city

I run live up dates everyday and also Norton scan everyday and still got a nasty virus about a month ago...still don't know how. I'm wondering if people who use those background thingies for their mail might not have a virus and not know it and then pass it on to other people.

Dave-So, I have Outlook Express, too, but I have the lower pane turned off for that very reason. I don't need to peek at the e-mails before opening them, anyway, so turn off your view pane and you can delete them before they open. Rockets, thanks for the heads-up. I had Klez twice last summer and I don't really want it. I bought Norton (because McAfee almost destroyed my computer), but I haven't installed it yet. I keep hearing people say that Norton interferes with a lot of programs, thinking they're viruses. My sister plays on-line games and her Norton interferes with that. Is there an anti-virus out there besides Norton and McAfee that is reliable? Melanie

Attached Link: MailWasher

Attached Link: AVG Anti-Virus

Also in OE...I have the file attachments turned off...they come in, but are grayed out, so you can't open them... I'll have to turn the preview pane off...thanks for that info.

Yep thanks, I just turned off my preview pane too. :-)

Attached Link: http://www.linksys.com/products/

I have both Norton AV and Norton Internet Security and so do both my kids. My son plays lots of online games and Norton AV doesn't interfere with those. Norton Internet Security flashes a warning when you try to communicate with the game server but you can always set Norton IS to allow it without further interruption.

You can always disable the background scan it it's a problem and copy the emails to the desktop before scanning it manually, probably via the right-click menu - I use F-Prot which can't see into OE, at least under XP, so any attached emails get treated that way.

I turned off my preview pane because I wasn't sure if previewing a letter was the same as opening it. If I get a letter and I'm not sure what it is, I right click on it and choose properties and then select the details panel. At the bottom there is a Message Source button. I click on that and then I can look at a text preview of the letter. And then I can delete it or open it. I also update my virus program whenever they have an update. (Usually every week and they notify me automatically.) And ZoneAlarm automatically changes the extention of attachments and web addresses that would run an exe if you clicked on them, like someone else already said. Kevin

I had McAfee last Spring and got the Klez. I updated every Monday. I ended up having to reformat my hard drive. (Good thing I had all those paid and free Poser downloads backed up). I now have Norton's. It scans all e-mail as it loads in. I don't open any new e-mails until Norton's has scanned them all first. So far, so good.

A group of students at my school conducted a test of several different AntiVirus utilities( including McAfee and Norton). They repeatedly infected a computer with 150 viruses and ran scans (a different AV each time) to see which AV did the best. Norton found all of them and eradicated all but three (which it quarantined). McAfee found all but eleven).(and eradicated all of them. They rated Norton as the best of the bunch.

That's great information, martian. Thanks. I'll have to bite the bullet and install my Norton. Melanie

I don't trust Norton at all. One virus attacked it first and Norton never told me it was infected too. I switched to F-Secure which cleaned up the virus that got me and has kept my system squeaky clean since then. I'm pretty sure it was the CIH virus which should have completely wiped my hd out. As for email I've used Eudora for 10 years and I've never gotten infected from email. Then again I never look at attachments unless a friend asks me in advance about sending a file. Those cutesy programs people send you in email I never look at.

Attached Link: http://housecall.antivirus.com/housecall/start_corp.asp

"Housecall" online virus scan works pretty fast if you have broadband, but using dial-up with a couple of large, full hard-drives...

Hmmm.. That could take a LOOOOONG time.