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  • Contributing Editor Scott Spanbauer offers incisive tips, tricks, and commentary on a broad range of online issues.
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Internet Tips: Stop Those Sneaky E-Mail Viruses in Their Tracks

Scott Spanbauer

Whether you use antivirus software or take your chances without it, you can save yourself grief by knowing how to spot viruses attached to incoming e-mail and how to prevent them from infecting your system. >>TIP Unless you were notified in advance about an e-mail attachment, assume that it's a virus if it ends with .vbs, .scr, or .exe. Delete the e-mail message without opening it or its attachment.

Unfortunately, by default, most versions of Windows hide file name extensions, allowing a potentially lethal script file named 'picture.jpg.vbs', for example, to appear in your e-mail program as 'picture.jpg'. To display the full file name, open Windows Explorer, select Tools, Folder Options, View, uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types (the exact wording varies, depending on your version of Windows), and click OK.

It's possible but uncommon for viruses embedded in HTML-format messages to launch automatically when they're displayed in a message window or a preview pane. You can minimize the risk by disabling your e-mail program's preview pane. In Outlook Express, choose View, Layout and uncheck Show preview pane. In Outlook, click View and deselect Preview Pane. To close the preview pane in Eudora, select Tools, Options, choose Viewing Mail in the Category list, and uncheck Show message preview pane.

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