Outlook Express users, do not despair...... Someone has mentioned here on this list that one can get a virus (or worm, or trojan) just by opening e-mail. This is, I believe, one of the many unfounded, slightly paranoid, rumors about viruses. (Virii?) Email comes through to a Microsoft O/S system (such as Windows) as the file extension, .eml, ONLY. Windows does nothing with .eml extensions except designate them as words for you to look at. There is nothing that tells it, "there is code here for the O/S to execute and do something with". The same holds true for .jpg extensions, which are designated as pictures for you to only look at. On the other hand, .exe extensions are very dangerous (as are some others), as when opened they tell the Windows O/S that this is an operating program and you should do what it says... (There is a vast difference, within not only Microsoft but all computer O/S's, between simple readable or viewable data, and operational code.) In Outlook Express (version 5.0) there is an excellent option available. Whenever you dbl-click on an email extension a pop-up says, "All email extensions have the potential for danger" (or something similar to this) "-do you want to open this now or load it to disk?" (And when this question is asked, at this time, and only at this time, OE/5.0 then shows what the actual file extension is...) Always answering this question with "load it to disk" takes but an extra few seconds and allows any of the various virus killer programs (the good ones, anyway) to check out the file. If it is not a clean file, you should (depending upon which virus killer program you are using) get immediate (and pronounced ) bells, whistles, warnings, not to proceed with opening this extension, and sometimes even automatic deletions. If the file is judged clean, you get no further messages and can then open it in relative safety. (Nothing is ever perfect however; on very very rare occasions a new type virus comes along that the killer programs are not prepared for. (There was even a virus killer once, a Norton program I think it was, that was released with a virus in it!) But again, this kind of stuff is extremely rare. Also, most good virus killers have constant online update options to catch up with these occasional new things.) I sometimes think there are more computer problems caused by virus rumors than there are by viruses... (And definitely more problems caused by knocked over coffee containers!) Wishing you (and me) a virus free environment. (Which is a nice way of saying ,"down with these immature computer creeps!") Skip (An ex-systems programmer) - This message is from the Pentax-Discuss Mail List. To unsubscribe, go to http://www.pdml.net and follow the directions. Don't forget to visit the Pentax Users' Gallery at http://pug.komkon.org .
