If this new Worm virus is a Visual Basic script files, as many recent ones are, it will only work if Scripting is enabled in Outlook.

Script files are lists of computer instructions that were developed to work with the internet, recently Microsoft extended scripting to work in Outlook, and you can see the effect. Outlook 98 and 2000 are generally installed with Scripting enabled. The older versions of Outlook do not allow script files to execute and are safe from such viruses.

To disable scripting; open Outlook; Click Tools on the menu bar at the top of the screen; click Options, click the Security tab on the window that appears; click the Zone Settings button on the lower half of the window; click the OK button on the warning that shows up; Click the Custom Level button at the bottom of the window (don't click the internet icon or any of the other icons); then go down the drop down list of settings to the Scripting section and set the "Active Scripting" option to disable, click the Reset button and click OK. You can only reset one option at a time, if you wish to disable "Allow paste operation via script" and "Scripting of Java applets" as I did. You will need to the repeat the steps beginning with clicking the Custom Level button for each option.

To see if the scripting options are permanently disabled check the Scripting the next time you start Outlook.

I disabled Outlook scripting and have noticed no adverse effects. There doesn't seem to be a practical reason to allow script files to execute in Outlook, at least any that I can think of. However if need be the option can be reset or set to prompt in the same manner as it was disabled.

PJ