OE 6

[Bill Cunningham]

OE in my home edition XP doesn't let me access email attachments. It
says they are unsafe and I know the source and they are safe. How can I get
to the attachements?

Bill

 

[R. McCarty]

By "Default" (SP2) Outlook Express prevents access. You can turn that
off from within OE - Click Tools, Options, Security. You'll find a check
box that says "Do not allow attach....", just uncheck/untic that option. Be
aware that this is Global setting and has no easy way toggle it on/off.

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

OE in my home edition XP doesn't let me access email attachments.
It says they are unsafe and I know the source and they are safe. How
can I get to the attachements?

Starting with SP1, Outlook Express does this by default, for any file type
which *can* contain a virus. It's not a virus checker, doesn't actually
check the attachments, and this doesn't mean that there actually is a virus
there.

Such attachments *are* very risky. You often see advice not to open
attachments from people you don't know. I think that that's one of the most
dangerous pieces of advice you see around, because it implies that it's safe
to do the opposite--open attachments from friends and relatives. But many
viruses spread by sending themselves to everyone in the infected party's
address book, so attachments received from friends are perhaps the *most*
risky to open.

Personally I think what Outlook Express does is good; I never open
executable attachments at all, except from a *very* few trusted sources, and
then only when I'm expecting them. But if you want to remove this safeguard,
it's easy to do so: go to Tools | Options, and on the security tab, uncheck
"Do not allow attachments..."

 

[ANONYMOUS]

Try this:

In the preview pane, click the paper clip icon in the message header,
and then click the file name.

-or-

At the top of the message window, double-click the file attachment icon
in the message header.

Notes

To save a file attachment, on the File menu, point to Save Attachments,
and then click the file name. To save the attachment from the preview
pane, click the paper clip icon, and then select Save Attachments.
When a message has a file attached to it, a paper clip icon is displayed
next to it in the message list.


hth

 

[Bill Cunningham]

Starting with SP1, Outlook Express does this by default, for any file type
which *can* contain a virus. It's not a virus checker, doesn't actually
check the attachments, and this doesn't mean that there actually is a virus
there.

Such attachments *are* very risky. You often see advice not to open
attachments from people you don't know. I think that that's one of the most
dangerous pieces of advice you see around, because it implies that it's safe
to do the opposite--open attachments from friends and relatives. But many
viruses spread by sending themselves to everyone in the infected party's
address book, so attachments received from friends are perhaps the *most*
risky to open.

Personally I think what Outlook Express does is good; I never open
executable attachments at all, except from a *very* few trusted sources, and
then only when I'm expecting them. But if you want to remove this safeguard,
it's easy to do so: go to Tools | Options, and on the security tab, uncheck
"Do not allow attachments..."

I never open email attachments from anyone I don't know. And never any
executables. I don't use the address book anyway. Does OE have any scanning
ability of attachments?

Bill

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

I never open email attachments from anyone I don't know.

That's exactly the dangerous statement I mentioned above! Viruses are
*likely* to come from people you know.

And never
any executables.

Are you sure? Are you aware that executable fies can masquerade as
non-exectuable file types? Are you aware that .doc files, .xls files, and
..pps files can contain macro viruses? Are you aware of the recent-discovered
Windows Metafile vulnerability, showing that a graphics format could carry a
virus?

I don't use the address book anyway.

That's not the issue. If your E-mail address is in the address book of a
friend or relative of yours and that person gets infected, the virus can
send itself to everyone in that person's address book, including you.

It's your choice. I can't tell you whether or not to open all attachments or
any attachments. All I can do is point out some of the dangers.

Does OE have
any scanning ability of attachments?

No. As I said above. OE is not a virus checkere, and can't do anythinh like
this on its own.

 

[PA Bear]

See http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=329570
--
OE6-specific newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress
OE General newsgroup:
news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.outlookexpress.general

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE, Shell/User, Security), Aumha.org VSOP, DTS-L.org

 

[Talahasee]

Starting with SP1, Outlook Express does this by default, for any file type
which *can* contain a virus. It's not a virus checker, doesn't actually
check the attachments, and this doesn't mean that there actually is a virus
there.

Such attachments *are* very risky. You often see advice not to open
attachments from people you don't know. I think that that's one of the most
dangerous pieces of advice you see around, because it implies that it's safe
to do the opposite--open attachments from friends and relatives. But many
viruses spread by sending themselves to everyone in the infected party's
address book, so attachments received from friends are perhaps the *most*
risky to open.

Personally I think what Outlook Express does is good; I never open
executable attachments at all, except from a *very* few trusted sources, and
then only when I'm expecting them. But if you want to remove this safeguard,
it's easy to do so: go to Tools | Options, and on the security tab, uncheck
"Do not allow attachments..."

For those who have not heard, it is the simplest thing in
the world-- last I heard-- to keep your address book (what
e-mailed viruses USUALLY attack, last I heard) safe, and the
address books of those you know.

Simply put as the first address in your Address Book an
entry that looks something like this.

AAAAAAA, AAAAA
(e-mail address removed)

A totally phony e-mail address.

This accomplishes two things.

1. The virus enters your address book (likely this happens a
dozen times a day, and you aren't even aware of it), hits
the first "address", and comes to a DEAD stop. Since viruses
depend on REAL addresses, don't give it one. It can go no
further,

2. nor can it infect anyone else on your list.

If each person with a computer on the web and e-mail put a
similar "first address" on their e-mail account...

it would significantly cut down on virus threats.


Good luck!


Tallahassee

 

[Talahasee]

I never open email attachments from anyone I don't know. And never any
executables. I don't use the address book anyway. Does OE have any scanning
ability of attachments?

I use Yahoo. It's free. So I have no OE worries.

As for viruses attacking your/your friends' computers via
e-mail


For those who have not heard, it is the simplest thing in
the world-- last I heard-- to keep your address book (what
e-mailed viruses USUALLY attack, last I heard) safe, and the
address books of those you know.

Simply put as the first address in your Address Book an
entry that looks something like this.

AAAAAAA, AAAAA
(e-mail address removed)

A totally phony e-mail address.

This accomplishes two things.

1. The virus enters your address book (likely this happens a
dozen times a day, and you aren't even aware of it), hits
the first "address", and comes to a DEAD stop. Since viruses
depend on REAL addresses, don't give it one. It can go no
further,

2. nor can it infect anyone else on your list.

If each person with a computer on the web and e-mail put a
similar "first address" on their e-mail account...

it would significantly cut down on virus threats.


Good luck!


Tallahassee

 

[Ken Blake, MVP]

For those who have not heard, it is the simplest thing in
the world-- last I heard-- to keep your address book (what
e-mailed viruses USUALLY attack, last I heard) safe, and the
address books of those you know.

For those who have not heard, this is an old and well-known hoax, and
doesn't work.. Read, for example,

http://www.snopes.com/computer/virus/quickfix.htm