From: "Rod Gasson" 


"Bob Lawrence" 
wrote in message
news:1079624573{at}p12.f610.n712.z3.ftn...
> RG> Personally, I use "Quick view plus". It lets you view zip files
> RG> without having to extract them, and if I do want to extract
> RG> them it allow the option to ignore any stored paths, thus allow
> RG> me to save the files where *I* want them saved.
>
>  The only way you can see what's in the file is to unzip it... unless
> you just read the archive.

So?   I still don't see what your problem is.
You original complaint is/was that winzip (or whatever you use) places files
where *it* wants, and my suggestion was to use QVP which allows you to unzip
files to where *you* want.

Now I'm really not sure what your problem is. :-(

> RG> You also need to keep in mind that viruses spread via zip files
> RG> are actually quite harmless - it is quite safe to unzip them
> RG> without any fear of infection. The infection can only occur by
> RG> running the executables that they may contain.
>
>  I thought that was the problem... that M$ Explorer will run cookies
> and crap like that,

Err, Bob. Methinks you need to do a bit of research on exactly what a cookie
is, and why they are used, because I can assure you that no one has EVER
"run" a cookie file under any circumstances whatsoever.
A cookie is nothing more than a simple plain text file. It isn't an
executable, it can't be executed, therefore it can never ever cause a virus
infection.

Shheesh, next you'll be telling us that viruses can be spread via notepad
files.

> without you even knowing. If you've loaded Java,
> you don't an executable.

There was ONE version of Microsoft Outlook released many years ago that had
a BUG that would allow javascripts (not java) to be executed without user
intervention.  This bug has long been fixed.
All the earlier and later versions of Outlook will NOT run javascripts
unless you have explicitely enabled it to do so (and only a moron would do
that).
No other email client that I know of has ever suffered from this
vulnerability.

> RG> Why haven't I been infected you may ask? Bloody simple. I just
> RG> don't run ANY executable program unless I know for sure that it
> RG> isn't infected. You cannot get a virus simply by reading email
> RG> (unless you happen to be using one of the old versions of
> RG> MSoutlook that foolishly enabled email attachments to be run
> RG> without user intervention).
>
>  I thought M$ had just admitted that you can override that via
> Windows itself.

Yes, this is true (see comments re javascript above) - you CAN set outlook
to run such scripts automatically, but only a moron would do that - in fact
it'd be the very same moron that is likely to unzip an unknown file sent to
them and then proceed to run the executable(s) contained therein.  In other
words, it takes *work* to get a virus infection. It doesn't 'just happen'
all by itself just by reading email.

> RG> The only way to get a virus infection is by actually RUNNING a
> RG> virus infected executable. If people stopped doing this,
> RG> viruses would cease to exist !!!! The fact that there are so
> RG> many virus's around these days is testomony that the majority
> RG> of computer users are basically idiots!!
>
>  The majority of them use Windows, and it's Microsoft that are the
> idiots!

I dissagree. Microsoft are simply making a lot of money by selling their
unstable unreliable software to a lot of people that are too stupid to
realise it. In my books, that makes Microsoft the smart ones, and everyone
else the idiots.
This however has nothing to do with viruses or the way they spread.

If ANYONE gets virus infected these days it is their own stupid fault -
They've actually had to go out of their way in order to get themselves
infected.

Cookies are totally harmless.
Exracting ZIP files is totally harmless.
Reading email is totally harmless.

Executing (not extracting) the contents of a ZIP file can lead to
infections.
Enabling javascript in your email client can lead to infections.
Both of these things requires user intervention.

Cheers
Rod



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