Re: outlook express virus recovery challenge

From: Michael Santovec (michael_santovec_at_REMOVEprodigy.net)
Date: 07/18/04 

Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 12:42:54 -0700

There is some risk of the virus copying itself to the CF card. BUT, as long as when they
move the CF card to another PC they just copy the TXT files over, it should be OK. To be
extra careful, on the new PC open the TXT files in NOTEPAD (not Word) and then copy/paste
the text from Notepad to where ever it is desired. Notepad doesn't support Macros, so
that eliminates any problem of a hidden Macro virus in the file that Word might run.

Once the virus is cleaned up on the problem PC, all the OE data might be OK. The address
book problem might be an effect of the virus.

Also see:
Backing Up, Recovering and Restoring Outlook Express versions 5 & 6 Files and Settings
http://www.oehelp.com/backup.aspx
http://insideoe.tomsterdam.com/backup/index.htm 

-- 
Mike - http://pages.prodigy.net/michael_santovec/techhelp.htm
"Terry Liittschwager" <terry@epud.net> wrote in message
news:q85lf0l6e0uvcvgjmi4rk2ohfjapkfcccr@4ax.com...
> My son is sitting on Kure Atoll in the Pacific.  His Internet
> connection is via satellite phone and is very restricted.  I am
> attempting to help him with the problem detailed below, but I am not
> an Outlook Express user.  So, does anyone here have any thoughts or
> answers on the questions raised by the following from him:
>
> ------- start of his message -----------------
>
> I did something really dumb I think. A message was received in our
> "Outlook express" inbox. The sender was a known friend of the
> field camp leader. There was an attachment, all that could be
> seen was the file name. Outlook express was set to not allow
> attachments to be opened or saved to disc. Since this was from a
> known person I changed the setting to allow the attachment to be
> saved to disc and then tried to open it. Very shortly after that
> everything went to hell with outlook express. The machine slowed
> down now we can't even open old e-mails of any kind to read them.
> When you try to open a message there is an error notice that says
> the address book is damaged and needs to be reloaded.  Also the
> IP connection through the satellite phone slowed down. All this
> was diagnosed as a virus or worm. The machine has been put aside
> and is awaiting an antivirus scan. A Network Associates - MacFee
> Disc is coming on the next ship August 5th.
>
> The question is. Can the infected machine be used to type drafts
> of e-mails in the text editor and then saved as text files on a
> CF card in the PCMCIA slot and then move the card to the other
> uninfected machine and copy and past the text into outlook
> express. Can the problem (virus or what ever it is) be moved by
> the CF card without us knowing it?
>
> The other question is what are the file names for the files that
> I need to backup the "sent" and "received" e-mail messages so
> that they can be restored later to another machine when I get
> back to SF and find a machine with Outlook express loaded on it.
> There is an error notice in outlook express that says the address
> book is damaged and needs to be reloaded, so the address book
> file is probably a waste of time. What is salvageable?
>
> If I have the right files can I safely transfer them to my Mac
> laptop and have a Mac System 9 version of outlook express use
> them so I can get to the messages? Read them and then copy and
> paste or save as text files so they can be read by word-
> processing programs.
>
> --------- end of his message -------------------
>
> He's working on a book of photographs of endangered and exotic species
> of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands - Kure Atoll is at the end of the
> chain.  This will be the fourth in a series of books on endangered and
> exotic species in various parts of the world.  Do a search on
> Liittschwager at the Barnes & Noble, Amazon, or Borders to see the
> others.
>
> Unfortunately, his problem is complicating completion of the project.
>
> I have, by the way, already given him a stern email lecture on the
> foolishness of connecting to the Internet without being behind a good
> firewall and having a current anti-virus automatically checking all
> incoming email messages and attachments.
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Terry Liittschwager
> 541-896-0033
> terry@epud.net
>

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