Some of you might like to see if your computer is playing host to a worm-created file named Explore.exe. (That's EXPLORE, not EXPLORER)

This is a bug which, apart from sending itself out in the form of replies to unread messages, can destroy certain files, including .docs, .xls and .ppt.   Check out the blurb here:

http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/worm.explore.zip.html

......and there's a fix here:

http://securityresponse.symantec.com/avcenter/FixExzip.exe

It just got onto my PC in spite of my fairly comprehensive defense mechanisms.  I wouldn't have known it was there if Zone Alarm Pro hadn't jumped up and asked if it was ok for explore.exe to access the network.

If you run the fix and you're using XP, turn off System Restore first, as per the Symantec instructions.  And you might consider running it in safe mode - I couldn't get it to finish in regular mode - I think the bug itself was somehow affecting the process.
   
Ian Porter
Computer Guys Inc.
Arrowtown
New Zealand
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