There’s an evil e-mail going around about registering your software, one wound up in my mailbox, and I see no warnings anywhere. Being suspicious by nature (as you should know by now), I didn’t open the attachments, although I do have to register programs I have recently bought. I explored the email instead, at “file” and “properties”
Its subject was “Registration Confirmation”, its message was “Account and Password Information attached”, and it contained 2 attachments that needed to be opened to obtain the information. It purported to be referring to a Symantec (Norton) update file.
I attempted to contact Symantec to ask whether they had sent it, and wouldn’t you know, they don’t care enough to provide a place to contact them, unless, of course, you wish to pay for their Support. But the sender I.D. didn’t quite make sense.
After a couple of hours of investigation, like we have time to kill, I discovered that the files were a ruse, and to open the attachment would release one of the Sober worms. Which would enter your email address list, and spread the poison throughout the world, and make enemies out of your friends. I deleted it immediately without opening the attachments.
Yes, the power of the needs of Advertisers for recipients’ e-mail addresses for spam purposes, and the willingness of small fry to help out for a handout. First Amendment rights trumping Fourth Amendment Privacy rights. It’s at times like this one wishes for a dictatorship, like Castro’s, find ’em and lock ’em up for good, and throw away the key. And earn their release by working on the Bird Flu virus.
Anyway, it is necessary to turn off “system restore”, so that upon eliminating the virus, if you’re infected, you won’t restore it from an earlier version of your settings where it may still be residing.
It is not the purpose of this site to give you answers to computer problems.
Much more important is knowing what the questions are and where to get the answers. As usual, the software manufacturers are not the best places to find answers to their own weaknesses (hello, Microsoft).
Public forums where users share their experiences are much the best, and you can find your own expert to help you.
Check this one out, I have found it usually able to provide answers, and not assume you are a trained software programmer. You don’t pay for the advice, instead you award “points” to the helper, who gets rewarded in other ways.
Experts Exchange
They do charge a small annual membership fee.
[saved in Links to computer problems]