Strange file on desktop

  • Thread starter Thread starter Accylad
  • Start date Start date
A

Accylad

Every now and then I get a strange file appearing on my desktop. The name is
simply '~' and properties show its 177 kb in size and a 'file'.

I've got AVG, Zonealarm, AdAware and Spybot and run Symantec and McAfee
online scans every couple of days (with so many virus's flying about its
prudent). As far as I can tell I'm clean.

Could this be a virus of some kind or is it something to do with Windows XP
? The last one appeared shortly after I'd downloaded a file from Overnet,
but I've seen the same file in other folders before.

Thanks in advance

Accylad


--
====================================================

Lord Flash Heart : "Treat your 'planes like you treat your women !"

Leut George : "What ? You mean take them home at weekend to meet your mother
?"

Lord Flash Heart : "No, I mean climb inside them 3 times a day and take them
to heaven and back !"

============================================================================
===
 
Quoth the raven named Accylad:
Every now and then I get a strange file appearing on my desktop. The name is
simply '~' and properties show its 177 kb in size and a 'file'.
Click to expand...

It's caused by another Microsoft bug. One of the OE updates... when
you edit your address book, it saves a temporary copy to the desktop
named only with the tilde.

Rename the file to test.wab and see. Then, delete it. When it comes
back next time, just delete again.
 
Accylad said:
Every now and then I get a strange file appearing on my desktop. The name is
simply '~' and properties show its 177 kb in size and a 'file'.
Click to expand...

Don't worry about it :)

Basically, it's a work / backup file that is created when you change
something in your Outlook Express address book...

It is the result of the April 2003 Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express
(330994).

There is a bug in the patch so whenever a change is made to the Windows
Address Book file (*.wab file) and Windows makes a backup of the file
instead of it being called username.wa~ it becomes just '~' and is placed in
the directory where OE was launched - in your case the Desktop.

You can rename it to something .WAB and keep it as a backup, or just delete
it.

Cheers,

..\/.artin
 
Cheers everyone. Put my mind to rest. I thought it was virus of some
description.

Accylad
 
Basically, it's a work / backup file that is created when you change
something in your Outlook Express address book...
Click to expand...

Couldn't he just put something like:

DEL ~.wab

in the autoexec.bat file to delete it every time the computer is started?
Perhaps he could start OE from a BAT file that deletes the file every time
OE exits? (a patch to patch the patch!).

BR HH
 
Highdy high said:
Couldn't he just put something like:

DEL ~.wab

in the autoexec.bat file to delete it every time the computer is started?
Perhaps he could start OE from a BAT file that deletes the file every time
OE exits? (a patch to patch the patch!).
Click to expand...

Anything is possible, and its down to the individual how this is handled.

Some may consider it to be a benefit due to it being a backup copy in an
obvious place (even though its due to a bug!), and keep it.

Others may as you suggest just want rid of it.

Personally I would (if I were using OE for email) not worry too much about
automating it... Its not going to be too regular an occurance, as the file
will only appear when changing the Address Book. I would not have the option
set for when I reply to people to add them to the Address Book so it will
only occur when I made specific changes to the address book which would be
reasonably rarely.
 
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