Opening Your Email Attachments Safely!
You should be very careful when opening any file
attached to an e-mail. This is one of the most common ways for viruses to
travel on the Internet and if you are not careful your PC may become
infected. I used to take Computer Related Help Questions by Email but
because I was intercepting so many Viruses I went to the Online Form.
There are some simple rules to follow to keep yourself safe:
- don't open any e-mail attachments you're not expecting
especially if you don't recognize the sender's address.
- don't assume that because it's from a friend's address
it will be safe.
- always download the file to your computer first then
virus check it before opening it.
Hotmail automatically scans all attachments for viruses
although it is still possible some infected files will come through. When you
click on an e-mail with an attachment, if it is a picture file it may
automatically open and appear along with the message.
If you want to save any type of attached file on to your
computer, click on the name of the attachment under the Subject heading at the
top then click Download File.
If it is a picture file it may be opened in a new
window, if so right-click the image and select Save Image As to save to
your computer. For other types of files, after you click Download File, choose
Save To Disk to save to your computer.
Once saved, you should scan the file with your virus
checker before opening it.
