<snip> >> Tell you what. I think you'd be smart to send a message to everyone on >the >> Farris Family net, advising of this virus and how it came to me. If you >> want to forward this message as the means of notifying all, be my guest. >I >> may notify a few more of my friends who are looking for other names, in >case > >DO NOT OPEN ANY ATTACHMENTS others send. If they cant send it in regular >email. I trash them. > >Hope Farris > > This virus is the one that can be passed along by someone completely UNKNOWINGLY, so don't necessarily blame the sender. Here is some information that was posted recently on the Listowners list regarding this virus (it has made the rounds on the Rootsweb lists). HAPPY99CLEANER 2.0 File size: 716K License: freeware Minimum requirements: Windows 95/98/NT There's a pesky little virus going around the Net these days called Happy99.exe. It doesn't damage your system or corrupt any data, but it can spread like wildfire if unchecked because it attaches itself to every email you send and every newsgroup message you post. Happy99Cleaner won't protect you from the virus, but it can get rid of it if you've been infected. After you clean out your system, you can check the LISTE.SKA file to see a list of email addresses you have sent the virus to and start writing those apologies. Get ready to be happy: http://www.download.com/DD/dl/0,302,0-0309-1-017,00.html ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ There is a new virus spreading around the Internet. It is most commonly called "Happy99." It first started showing up in January 1999. Normally, it arrives as a file named "Happy99.exe" attached to an e-mail, or it is downloaded from a news group. When first executed, this program displays fireworks on the user's screen while it deploys its payload. SO FAR NO DESTRUCTIVE PAYLOAD HAS BEEN FOUND. What the virus does is copy itself into the \windows\system directory where it copies and modifies a windows file called wsock32.dll. This allows it to attach itself to all outgoing e-mail and news group posts. It will even compile a list of addresses that it will spam from your e-mail in a file called "liste.ska." WHAT TO DO... If you receive this file via e-mail or news group, delete it immediately. If you have already opened the file and seen the "Happy 1999" and fireworks, you have already been infected. If you received the virus on your home computer, or you are just not sure, finding and removal instructions are provided below by Otis Waskey. Antivirus software? So far the software manufacturers are slow adding the recognition of this virus to their products. Until then, we will have to remove it ourselves. Instructions for finding and removing of Happy99 virus. 1. Using the Find Files utility on the Start button menu, do a search for the file extension "*.SKA" on your computer and you'll find 4 files in the \windows\system directory: SKA.EXE, SKA.DLL, LISTE.SKA and WSOCK32.SKA. 2. Delete the first 3 (SKA.EXE, SKA.DLL, LISTE.SKA) DO NOT DELETE WSOCK32.SKA. 3. Restart PC in DOS mode. 4. Go to C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM (cd\windows\system). 5. Delete WSOCK32.DLL (del wsock32.dll) 6. Rename WSOCK32.SKA to WSOCK32.DLL (ren wsock32.ska wsock32.dll). 7. Reboot your system.