I have Outlook Express set as such:
Security tab.
Virus Protection
==> Restricted sites zone (More secure)
==> Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could
potentially be a virus.

Read tab.
==> Read all messages in plain text

Outpost firewall set to rename all types of dangerous files.
How can anything be installed or run?

Preview pane turned off.

If I ever receive an email from someone I don’t know with a unrequested attachment, I would be a fool to rename the attachment, and then open it.

If I receive an email from a friend and it has an attachment they will tell me what it is. I’ll save it, scan it, and track what it does to my PC with software. If it changes my PC in a way I don’t like I’ll restore my PC from an image backup that I keep updated…that would take 6 minutes.

I have two email accounts, one only my friends have. The other account is for a web site I have…this is the only one that I would get a virus sent to if any.

I have been downloading programs for years to test and so far never had one with a virus or trojan. Could be I’m more careful that most people.

I sometimes think people have a false sense of security just because they have an antivirus program running. I get the impression that if the antivirus program doesn’t show that an attachment has a virus they will think nothing of running the attachment.

Johanna