Once and for all, please stop e-mailing me to tell me that I have a virus on my computer. I do not. You do! You did not receive a virus from me, you received it from someone who has my name in their address book with the mail spoofed so as to appear from me.
You are a victim of Klez (yes, they are calling it the virus worst ever), which is very similar to the Nimda virus of recent months. It’s all explained very thoughtfully and thoroughly here and here. It is a nasty and persistent virus that can be cleaned with some attention. You can try the Symantec Klez utility, or you can try Trend Micro’s utility to rid yourself of this particular strain of virus. I’m not sure which is best but, as Mordred pointed out, you probably will not be able to rid yourself of it with an easy click. You will have to work at it and expect that it won’t be easy.
Additionally, I’d like to point my Outlook and Outlook Express patronizing readers to update the security of their operating systems as well as the Office 97/2K/XP suites that Outlook is packaged with. Point your browsers to the security update for Outlook Express/Internet Exploiter. When you have finished with that, please send your browser to the Windows Update website and begin the process of updating your entire system with the latest security updates and system updates.
I must add a word about anti-virus software. There is no reason for anyone to have to be susceptible to viruses in the wild. Particularly this type of virus. Outlook has been know for years to be vulnerable to virus’ and will remain to be vulnerable. Armed with that knowledge, please ensure that you protect yourself from the possibility of threat. For those of us that think that virus’ are quite possibly an inside job and that Microsoft is secretly funding development… knock it off and head over to some of the free solutions; F-Prot remains free for individual use, AVG Antivirus offers a very capable free virus scanner, Avast offers a free license for personal use, Antivir also offers another option that is free, Linux users as well as DOS users can also get BitDefender’s antivirus software for free as well.
Finally, none of these measures will ever be able to help you if you do not take the following precautions:
1). Make sure that you have applied every available security update to your Microsoft products. Which means your version of Windows, Outlook, Office, and Internet Explorer. All of this can be accomplished from the Windows Update website.
2). Make sure that you have updated your anti-virus software and the virus definitions that make the software effective. Most companies issue new virus definitions weekly and some do it daily. Your software is useless unless you do this.
3). When seeing an attachment of questionable origin and nature, don’t open it.
4). Reconsider your reliance upon software that continues to cost you time and money over and above the initial expense of the license. There are alternatives to Microsoft products that are perfectly functional and acceptable.