Deleteing undeletable files

on 03 Jan 2007, something possessed Bobt to write:

> Thanks .. unfortunately I deleted and removed Thunderbird a while ago
> as I have not used it for over a year ... what wasn't deleted was the
> profile which contained the emails ... so Thunderbird is no longer on
> my computer ...
> bobt
>
> On Jan 3, 10:07 am, Art <n....TakeThisOut@zilch.com> wrote:
>> On 3 Jan 2007 06:24:59 -0800, "Bobt" <Infore....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >Hi .. I use gmail for the past 16 months for email. Prior to that
>> >Thunderbird. In an old profile in Thunderbird there was a back of
>> >my old email that contained some virus files, win32.bagle type ..
>> >they are dormant, never executed but I cannot delete them. I was
>> >unaware they were there until I switched to Bitdefender and were
>> >discovered then. When I try and delete them it says they cannot be
>> >deleted as they are being used by another program. How do I delete
>> >them?You delete all unwanted email and email attackments while in
>> >T-Bird.
>> One way to go about it is to Save messages you want to keep in
>> folders you create on your hard drive. T-Bird has provisions for you
>> to do the Saves to whatever folder(s) you specify. When done with
>> that, you delete everything that's left from your T-Bird "folders".
>>
>> It's not a good idea to retain mail and attachments you want to keep
>> in T-Bird folders, since the program is a bit buggy and it has a bad
>> habit of losing folders you create. It's just not a reliable
>> archiving method. Creating separate folders for archive purposes is a
>> much better approach. Then T-Bird's folders are just temporary
>> filtering folders used only to sort email but not archive it.
>>
>> Ths approach fits in with "safe hex" as well. You immediately delete
>> all unsolicted attackments as soon as they are received. Then you
>> never wind up in the situation you're in with old previously
>> undetected malware in your T-Bird folders.
>>
>> Arthttp://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
>
>
Well, in that case, try reinstalling thunderbird. Don't worry about
setting up e-mail accounts (although if you wanted to, you could use TB
to check gmail through POP3), but since the profile is still there, you
should have access to these messages. Another alternative, if you're
dumping thunderbird and never looking back, would be to delete the
thunderbird folder in your user account's application data folder (c:
\documents and settings\%user%\application data\thunderbird. This should
delete your entire profile, including the messages.

Cheers,

William
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

On 3 Jan 2007 06:24:59 -0800, "Bobt" <Inforebco RemoveThis @gmail.com> wrote:

>Hi .. I use gmail for the past 16 months for email. Prior to that
>Thunderbird. In an old profile in Thunderbird there was a back of my
>old email that contained some virus files, win32.bagle type .. they are
>dormant, never executed but I cannot delete them. I was unaware they
>were there until I switched to Bitdefender and were discovered then.
>When I try and delete them it says they cannot be deleted as they are
>being used by another program. How do I delete them?

You delete all unwanted email and email attackments while in T-Bird.
One way to go about it is to Save messages you want to keep in
folders you create on your hard drive. T-Bird has provisions for you
to do the Saves to whatever folder(s) you specify. When done with
that, you delete everything that's left from your T-Bird "folders".

It's not a good idea to retain mail and attachments you want to keep
in T-Bird folders, since the program is a bit buggy and it has a bad
habit of losing folders you create. It's just not a reliable archiving
method. Creating separate folders for archive purposes is a much
better approach. Then T-Bird's folders are just temporary filtering
folders used only to sort email but not archive it.

Ths approach fits in with "safe hex" as well. You immediately delete
all unsolicted attackments as soon as they are received. Then you
never wind up in the situation you're in with old previously
undetected malware in your T-Bird folders.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

In article <BmPmh.633869$QZ1.262219@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
a.nony.mous DeleteThis @example.invalid says...
>You will want to open Thunderbird, find the particular messages with the
>virus attachment, and delete those specific messages. Otherwise, you
>take the chance an ill-behaved a-v program could delete the entire mail
>file, taking all of your email with it. Empty the Trash when finished
>deleting the messages.
>
>While viewing the mail, click on the column heading with the paperclip
>symbol; this will sort by messages with and without attachments so you
>can more easily find them.
>
********** SEPARATER ***********
One of the reasons I still use Eudora 3.06 is that it stores attachments as
files instead of embedding them into one large mail file. That feature makes it
very easy to dump the contents of the attachment directory. 3.06 also has the
added advantage that it only supports text in HTML, which has always been a
major source of malware. Unfortunately, the newer versions of Eudora do none of
that.

I do realize however, that one of these days an email feature will come along
that will necessitate me upgrading my email client program. Is there any modern
email program out there that still stores attachments as files?

J.A. Coutts
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

What? You are mistaken. All versions of Eudora has those features.

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"John Coutts" <administrator DeleteThis @spam.yellowhead.com> wrote in message
news:n2Ymh.118040$hn.21549@edtnps82...
> In article <BmPmh.633869$QZ1.262219@bgtnsc04-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>,
> a.nony.mous DeleteThis @example.invalid says...
>>You will want to open Thunderbird, find the particular messages with the
>>virus attachment, and delete those specific messages. Otherwise, you
>>take the chance an ill-behaved a-v program could delete the entire mail
>>file, taking all of your email with it. Empty the Trash when finished
>>deleting the messages.
>>
>>While viewing the mail, click on the column heading with the paperclip
>>symbol; this will sort by messages with and without attachments so you
>>can more easily find them.
>>
> ********** SEPARATER ***********
> One of the reasons I still use Eudora 3.06 is that it stores attachments
> as
> files instead of embedding them into one large mail file. That feature
> makes it
> very easy to dump the contents of the attachment directory. 3.06 also has
> the
> added advantage that it only supports text in HTML, which has always been
> a
> major source of malware. Unfortunately, the newer versions of Eudora do
> none of
> that.
>
> I do realize however, that one of these days an email feature will come
> along
> that will necessitate me upgrading my email client program. Is there any
> modern
> email program out there that still stores attachments as files?
>
> J.A. Coutts
>
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

administrator.DeleteThis@spam.yellowhead.com (John Coutts) wrote:

>One of the reasons I still use Eudora 3.06 is that it stores attachments as
>files instead of embedding them into one large mail file. That feature makes it
>very easy to dump the contents of the attachment directory. 3.06 also has the
>added advantage that it only supports text in HTML, which has always been a
>major source of malware. Unfortunately, the newer versions of Eudora do none of
>that.
>
>I do realize however, that one of these days an email feature will come along
>that will necessitate me upgrading my email client program. Is there any modern
>email program out there that still stores attachments as files?
>
>J.A. Coutts

Eudora 7 still stores attachments in the "Attach" directory on my
system.
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

Try renaming the file you want to delete and then deleting it. Also, right
click on the file and see if it is a "read only" file. If it is, unchecking
the read only box will allow it to be deleted.
"Bobt" <Inforebco.TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1167837251.185405.243070@a3g2000cwd.googlegroups.com...
> Thanks .. unfortunately I deleted and removed Thunderbird a while ago
> as I have not used it for over a year ... what wasn't deleted was the
> profile which contained the emails ... so Thunderbird is no longer on
> my computer ...
> bobt
>
> On Jan 3, 10:07 am, Art <n....TakeThisOut@zilch.com> wrote:
>> On 3 Jan 2007 06:24:59 -0800, "Bobt" <Infore....TakeThisOut@gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>> >Hi .. I use gmail for the past 16 months for email. Prior to that
>> >Thunderbird. In an old profile in Thunderbird there was a back of my
>> >old email that contained some virus files, win32.bagle type .. they are
>> >dormant, never executed but I cannot delete them. I was unaware they
>> >were there until I switched to Bitdefender and were discovered then.
>> >When I try and delete them it says they cannot be deleted as they are
>> >being used by another program. How do I delete them?You delete all
>> >unwanted email and email attackments while in T-Bird.
>> One way to go about it is to Save messages you want to keep in
>> folders you create on your hard drive. T-Bird has provisions for you
>> to do the Saves to whatever folder(s) you specify. When done with
>> that, you delete everything that's left from your T-Bird "folders".
>>
>> It's not a good idea to retain mail and attachments you want to keep
>> in T-Bird folders, since the program is a bit buggy and it has a bad
>> habit of losing folders you create. It's just not a reliable archiving
>> method. Creating separate folders for archive purposes is a much
>> better approach. Then T-Bird's folders are just temporary filtering
>> folders used only to sort email but not archive it.
>>
>> Ths approach fits in with "safe hex" as well. You immediately delete
>> all unsolicted attackments as soon as they are received. Then you
>> never wind up in the situation you're in with old previously
>> undetected malware in your T-Bird folders.
>>
>> Arthttp://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
>
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

In article <br-dnUybCqooygHYnZ2dnUVZ_smonZ2d.TakeThisOut@giganews.com>,
pcbutts1.TakeThisOut@leythosthestalker.com says...
>
>What? You are mistaken. All versions of Eudora has those features.
>
*************** REPLY SEPARATER ***************
Perhaps, but I did try a newer version and gave up in disgust because it looked
too much like Outlook/Outlook Express (which I abhore because of its HTML
support), and it lacked the simplicity of the old lite version. I am a firm
believer in the KISS principle (Keep It Simple Stupid). and software that
leaves a small footprint.

J.A. Coutts
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

on 05 Jan 2007, something possessed Bart Bailey to write:

> In Message-ID:<1167834298.833082.316390.RemoveThis@i12g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
> posted on 3 Jan 2007 06:24:59 -0800, Bobt wrote: Begin
>
>>Hi .. I use gmail for the past 16 months for email. Prior to that
>>Thunderbird. In an old profile in Thunderbird there was a back of my
>>old email that contained some virus files, win32.bagle type .. they are
>>dormant, never executed but I cannot delete them.
>
> They're not as 'dormant' as you think if you can't delete them.
I think what Bob meant was that they were dormant in respect to their main
payload being released. For example, time-bomb viruses that wait for a
specific date or a specific time or a specific signal (if it dials home or
ads itself as a service listening on whatever port) from an IP addie
waiting to mess up the host PC.

Regards,

Will
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

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 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

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 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

On Sat, 06 Jan 2007 00:30:56 GMT, Bart Bailey <me2.RemoveThis@privacy.net> wrote:

>In Message-ID:<1167834298.833082.316390.RemoveThis@i12g2000cwa.googlegroups.com>
>posted on 3 Jan 2007 06:24:59 -0800, Bobt wrote: Begin
>
>>Hi .. I use gmail for the past 16 months for email. Prior to that
>>Thunderbird. In an old profile in Thunderbird there was a back of my
>>old email that contained some virus files, win32.bagle type .. they are
>>dormant, never executed but I cannot delete them.
>
>They're not as 'dormant' as you think if you can't delete them.
>
>>I was unaware they
>>were there until I switched to Bitdefender and were discovered then.
>>When I try and delete them it says they cannot be deleted as they are
>>being used by another program. How do I delete them?
>
>Try this http://www.snapfiles.com/get/removereboot.html
>or this http://www.downloads.subratam.org/KillBox.zip

Hey Bart, long time no see

The links you provided are not appropriate to the problem.
It's the old issue that Chris Quirke used to complain about
where many email apps store email and attachments in such
a way that av can't hardly delete individual items. The av
can detect malware in these so-called "folders". These "folders"
are actually files which may contain many items under
the control of the email app itself. It's somewhat similar to
the issue of av not being able to delete individual items
in a zip or other compressed archive.

Chris used to recommend a old version of Eudora because
it stored email and attachments in a straightforward way
as individual files on the drive. Since he did (does?) service
work he didn't want a customer to be left with malware
attackments in their email "folders". I used to argue that
with Pegasus and Thunderbird (at least) a person really
has to do some work to take a hit from attackments since
these email apps don't allow the user to Run (execute)
them. The user literally has to Save the attackment to
some subdirectory and then exit or minimize the email app
and go run the damn thing But I do understand his
concern from the POV of a service tech.

I suppose, knowing MS, that the problem is far worse
with OE. I'd guess OE allows the user to Run attackments.
If so, therein lies the real problem and issue. Since I've
never used OutBreak I don't know for sure.

In the case of the OP with just a old T-bird profile and
no T-bird app any more, it's actually a non-issue since
there's no way the stored malware can be executed.
The malware isn't even "dormant" in the usual sense
of the word. It's effectively "dead". He should search
the "folders" using a text finder program to see if there's
any old email he wants to try to extract and Save (using a text
editor) and then simply delete the profile so that av quit
alerting when a on-demand scan is done.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

This message is not archived
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files 

On Sat, 06 Jan 2007 13:24:44 GMT, Bart Bailey <me2.DeleteThis@privacy.net> wrote:

>>Hey Bart, long time no see
>
>Back atcha Art
>been distracted so to speak trying to bulletproof this XP-Pro box for
>net usage, finally got MSIE off it, no small chore. Only downside is
>that the neck stretchers and tear jerkers on YouTube won't play.

Hey, eradicating IE without destroying the OS must have been more
than a chore. I'd call it a miracle

I gave up on that way back when Peg started using Win ME on her
Hp Pavilion. Too much of the OS became non-functional. When I
started using Win 2K Pro, I never gave IE eradication a serious
thought. Instead, I play the game of using MS updates on automatic
and let everything MS wants get installed, including sp4, the rollup,
and all the many hotfixes and patches. I keep IE6 on max security
in the Internet zone and I have a small # of sites set in Trusted. In
addition to MS, there are a couple of sites I like that don't work
without IE. I use K-Meleon as my default browser (it's really nice
IMO) and I use FF and Opera as alternates.

I still don't use realtime av and I still have never taken any hits
(and neither has Peg without using any realtime av). I really like the
AOL AVS product based on KAV 6. We use a LinkSys wireless router
to share our DSL service on our two different PCs. The NAT router
fw takes care of unsolicted inbound. But in any event, I've closed
all ports on both machines. I like running without any software
"protection" underfoot. So far so good. I've cleaned all personal
stuff off both PCs just in case, and I rely on a cloned backup
drive to Restore everything if necessary.

I'd be interested in seeing a writeup on what you've done and
the negative effects on XP. Did you follow the lead of others
on this or do it all yourself? I've heard rumors about freeing
the NT based OS from IE (and OE) but I've had serious doubts
about the wisdom (and the reality) of it.

Art
http://home.epix.net/~artnpeg
 >> Stay informed about: Deleteing undeletable files