Regarding worms that get active as soon as you click on the title to erase them:

Outlook Express v6 is already protected against scripts embedded in MIME code. It is advisable to download it from Microsoft site. It's free as an upgrade to any existing Outlook Express.

I keep "file downloading" DISABLED. Before O.Express v6, I had found that as soon as I moved the mouse over the title of a message, there was a pop-up message telling me that "your configuration does not allow downloading of this file": surprise, because I was not expecting any download. So, I still keep it disabled (go to I.Explorer, Tools, Security, look for file downloads, disable them, confirm) and enable them temporarily only when I do want to download something.

In order to stop on its tracks any worm that is trying to use my address list, I included an invalid address named !!!000. This gets located alphabetically as the first address on the list. As soon as the worm or virus tries to send itself to the list, Outlook Express pops up an error message "invalid e-mail address" and you then realize what is happening. This will also prevent YOU from sending a message to all in your list, but that is a behaviour unproper for a serious Internet user.:)

Webmailing is much more secure, but slower and cumbersome some times.

Beware of those messages (even from friends) that tell you "oh, sorry, oh, sorry, I was inadvertedly sending a virus to all my list ! Look at your folder C:\Windows\system, if you find a file named (variable name here) with a nasty black icon, then you are infected too! Please delete it immediately and empty your trash bin, and please forgive me for being so naive" IF you delete the file (which is normally a necessary Windows component) you will be in serious trouble and will possibly have to reinstall Windows.

Un abrazo - Andrés