BOAC,
As long at the file opens in notepad it should not be an issue. If the file has a hidden extension it is a problem. Microsoft is supposed to patch WinXP since this is a known exploit. Something else virus writers have been doing is putting the .pif 30 characters away from the last text in the file name as in:
open me.txt .pif
One thing I do is screen all my mail with with Mailwasher Pro which shows me the double extensions before I download the email.
Personally I do not use OL or OLE. I use the old Netscape 4.79 for email. (Since no one writes viruses that target it anymore.)
I did a little test with my email. I sent myself an email with an attached file called:
test.txt .pif
(Which I created in Notepad)
When I received the email back It showed this file data as the attached file:
Name: test.txt .pif
Type: Shortcut to MS-DOS Program (application/x-unknown-content-type-piffile)
Encoding: base64
When I sent the same file as:
test.txt
The file was opened in the body of my email so I could read it.
I would hope OL and OLE do the same, I would appreciate it if one of you repeated the same test with OL and OLE.
Then we will know what happens with those programs.
Take Care,
Richard