Good morning, folks. Mrs. Gormley is absolutely correct. Please be careful! ROOTSWEB REVIEW: RootsWeb's Genealogy News Vol. 4, No. 36, 5 September 2001 KA-CHOO! YOU'RE INFECTED by Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG Viruses are those things that happen to other people's computers, right? Your cousin wouldn't send you one, or would he? Well, you might have an infected computer that is sending out viruses to everyone in your address book. I know, because during a recent trip I received more than 300 copies of the "Snow White" virus, and nearly 100 copies of the "SirCam" virus clogged up my e-mail system. Downloading mail on a hotel line is usually slow at best, but because of the viruses that readers sent me, it took hours to obtain my mail, and then I had to clean up the mess. Unfortunately there are those who create programs designed to be a nuisance or to be destructive. These programs, known as viruses, are then sent out via the Internet, where we help them by passing them along. The virus needs senders. It gets them through unsuspecting individuals, like genealogists, who seemingly open any and all e-mail attachments. It is via these attachments that most viruses are launched. While not all attachments are bad, be extra-cautious about opening any of them. Once you do a click-click, it is too late. Never open any that have double extensions, such as "filename.zip.pif" or "filename.doc.bat" or open anything with a ".vbs" or ".exe" extension -- unless you really know what you are doing. Do not open any file attached to an e-mail unless you know for sure what it is -- even if it appears to come from grandma, a dear cousin, or someone you know. Never open any files attached to an e-mail if the subject line is questionable or unexpected. Remember how fast the "I Love You" virus spread around the world? Many of us fell for that subject line. Take the time to contact the person who has sent you an attachment and ask them what they sent and why. Err on the side of caution. While not all viruses will actually hurt your computer, they can affect the speed of the Internet. The more of these messages that are flying around, the less bandwidth there is for us to get from one Web site to another. They also cause enormous delay in obtaining our e-mail and create tons of unnecessary work. However, there are some viruses that can do serious harm to your computer and the files you have stored on it, including your genealogy material. Create and update backups of all your important files -- especially your genealogy -- including a paper copy. Just as we have had to install locks on our doors to protect our families from unwanted intruders, so too we must make our computers safe. Purchase, install, and keep updated a good anti- virus program. Use it regularly. Two popular ones are: McAfee's Virus Scan http://www.mcafee.com Norton's Anti Virus http://www.symantec.com/ These programs will scan your computer to see if you are presently infected, and they will also scan incoming file attachments and let you know if any is infected. You also can receive a free virus scan of your computer at Trend Micro HouseCall: http://housecall.antivirus.com/ It checks for known viruses and will clean those that are found. Trend Micro's HouseCall is a free option that you can run whenever you fear you might have a virus. However, if you value your genealogy and communications with your friends and family, invest in one of these programs, or the commercial version from Trend Micro-Pc-cillin: http://www.antivirus.com/pc-cillin/download/pcc2000.asp Ignoring this serious problem that threatens the joy of our genealogical exchange won't make the virus problem go away. Many of these viruses are going undetected and are spreading through your computer, unknowingly, to others. Running your computer without a good updated anti-virus software these days is like zipping down the freeway at 100 miles per hour without your seat belt buckled--it's reckless and irresponsible.