Re: How to overcome "Windows has blocked access to these files to help protect your computer"

Fishman wrote:

I get this all the time from my technicians. This has nothing to do
with your email client, (Outlook, Outlook Express).


Not true.


It has to do with
the Security Center for XP, Service pack 2.


Not true.


You cannot turn off this
option for good,


Not true. See below.

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.

Even if the attachment legitimately comes from a friend, it can contain a
virus. I'm not suggesting that a friend is likely to send you a virus on
purpose, but if the friend is infected without realizing it, any attachment
he sends you is likely to also be infected.

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..."

--
Ken Blake - Microsoft MVP Windows: Shell/User
Please reply to the newsgroup


but you can open blocked items one at a time. Here is
how.


.

Relevant Pages

  • Re: Problems with Outlook - help!
    ... >I was 'attacked' by a virus last week which has disabled Outlook ... The attachment usually contains a virus or worm or trojan that infects the system when it is opened. ... Because of this tendency of attachments to infect, Microsoft has now set OE to block all attachments. ... If you choose to adjust OE to allow attachments, make sure you save the attachment to disk first and then scan it with your antivirus software. ...
    (microsoft.public.windows.inetexplorer.ie6_outlookexpress)
  • Re: Access to e-mail attachments
    ... Outlook Express' default security settings are simply trying to ... protect you. ... types that could potentially contain a virus. ... Cannot Open E-Mail Attachments in OE After You Install SP1 ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.help_and_support)
  • Re: attachments
    ... Outlook Express' default security settings are simply trying to ... types that could potentially contain a virus. ... would be to modify your list of unsafe files, ... Cannot Open E-Mail Attachments in OE After You Install SP1 ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: View/Open OE attachments
    ... protect you. ... potentially contain a virus. ... In Outlook Express, Tools> Options> ... Cannot Open E-Mail Attachments in OE After You Install SP1 ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.general)
  • Re: removal of attachments by oes program
    ... Outlook Express' default security settings are simply trying to ... protect you. ... types that could potentially contain a virus. ... Cannot Open E-Mail Attachments in OE After You Install SP1 ...
    (microsoft.public.windowsxp.security_admin)