OE rule help:

I want to setup a rule in my outlook-express 6 to delete and messages with certain file extensions;

ex; *.EXE, *.COM, *.BAT, *.JS, *.VBS, *.SCR

step by step instructions please !!

Thx
Ossa

 

OE6 will allow a rule to deal with messages containing attachments but it is an "all or none" sort of thing. I can't see any option to fine-tune it for certain extensions.

I'm not sure about all AV programs but I have Norton as part of System Works 2001 and it doesn't have such a setting either.

A good firewall will allow what you want to do. It can be set to just strip any attachments with those extensions so you never receive them - you can get the text of the post w/o the attachment.

 

Mail File Extensions to exclude

I don't have a specific answer to your question, but if you go to http://www.langa.com you'll see the current Plus! Edition Item 11 has an article on this. 59 file extensions to exclude are mentioned. The Plus! Edition is not free; I have no financial interest in it but read it all the time as a happy subscriber.

 

If you are trying to avoid opening virus laden attachments,
Open them with NOTEPAD.
Notepad does not have the capability of executing EXE (etc) files. If the Attachment is text, you will be able to read it. If it is an executable file you will just see garbage.
Don

 

Thanks Dmorse03, good idea.........

and thx Leo, it's that news letter that prompted me into action about doing the rules thing...BUT he failed to mention exactly how to do it and i've messed with OE rules before but i can't figure out how to do the ext's....Dah!!!!!

Thx Anyway, and really like the new forum.....CU

Ossa

 

Hiya

I have 5.5, but the basics are still there. Here we go:

Tools | Message Rules | Mail

Click New.

In the first box, tick the one you want. eg: Where the subject Lines Contain, or Has an attachemnt.

In the second, choose, say Delete From Server, Do Not download...

In the third, assuming that you have chosen the Words option and not the attachemnt one, click the blue highlighted that says Contains Specific words.

In the box, type the ones you want. .exe ADD
.scr ADD

and so on. OK Name Rule #2 OK. OK

Regards

eddie

 

Thanks eddie5659:
Thats exactly what i was looking for. I didn't understand it had to be the "subject line contains" was the one to use.

In other words, if someone was trying to send attachment, the Subject line contains would get the attachment ???

I didn't know what to use in that first box.....Thx.

Ossa

 

I amsuming so. I use the Rules in Newsgroups, and I have exe and many others blocked. They just get filtered out.

eddie

 

Have a look here:

Using Virus Protection Features in Outlook Express 6 (Q291387)

 

Thanks Kevin;
I sure didn't know IE6 had all these features, very good article.

Thx
Ossa

 

You're welcome. Hope it helps.

 

ossa--Maybe I am just a little more curious than you, but I like to see who is emailing me things and what they contain, even attachments. But I do not just open the attachments
I right click on all attachments and Save. Then I run an antivirus scan on the saved attachment. If it checks out OK and I think I want it, I open it. Of course, I keep my antivirus definitions up to date.
I also run Zone Alarm all the time. ZA, the Pro version for sure, and sometimes the free version, has MailSafe which will flag email attachments with all the extensions you name. Zone Alarm does not know whether there actually is a virus in those attachments (anymore than IE6 does). ZA and IE6 are only telling you that an attachment with a certain extension is potentially a virus carrier. But the flag makes me doubly alert and reminds me to not to just open the attachment.
I then go through the same Save/Scan with AV procedure. If the attachment checks out OK, I change the extension from the ZA system and rename it to what it originally was and open it.
As I said, this way I do not miss messages that I might want, but I still do have control over what I open and do not open.

 

Hi Welshjim !!!
Thats basically what i do and is the best common sense approach for anyone this day and time.......

Good advice for sure

Thx
Ossa