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OIT Virus Notification Program
Removing the .SHS File Type
Most files on PC machines have what is called a file extension--a period
(".") followed by three letters--that identifies what type of file it is.
By default, most Windows computers are configured so that the common
file extensions are hidden. This can be a problem because viruses
and other malicious files can appear to be innocent text or document files
when in fact they are not. Fortunately, it is very easy to
make file extensions visible
However, there is one file extension, .SHS, that is never visible in
the filename, so a text file that ends in both the .TXT file extension
and the .SHS file extension (<filename>.TXT.SHS) will appear to be a
harmless text file (<filename>.TXT).
In order to better protect yourself against viruses using the .SHS extension
(such as the Stages
worm of June 20, 2000), you should consider removing the .SHS file extension
from Windows. Once that is done, Windows will not be able to determine
what to do with any .SHS file, so the .SHS file will not execute and will
not work. (NOTE: .SHS files are "Scrap object" files.
They are usually only created when you highlight text in Microsoft Word
or Excel and drag the highlighted text to the desktop, where it becomes
a "scrap" that you can insert anywhere in the current document or another
document mulitple times (see Microsoft's
article on scrap files). Since Office 2000 comes with the ability
to store 12 items in the clipboard, this scrap function is no longer necessary).
The procedure for removing a file type differs slightly depending on
your version of Windows, so please follow the following steps carefully--you
do not want to accidentally remove a different file type. If you
do not feel comfortable making these changes, ask your local tech support
for assistance.
- Click on the Start button, and choose
Run from the menu that appears. In the Run window
that appears, type "explorer" (without the quotation marks) in the
Open box and hit the Enter or Return key.
- Bring up the Options window:
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Windows 95/98/NT: From the menu bar of Windows
Explorer, click on View, and from the menu that appears,
click on Folder Options.
-
Windows 2000/XP: From the menu bar of Windows
Explorer,click
on Tools, and from the menu that appears, click on
Folder Options.
- In the window that appears, click on the tab marked File Types.
- You should now see a list of file types recognized by Windows.
Scroll down until you see a file type listed as Scrap
Object. Click once on Scrap Object so that it is
highlighted.
- Remove the file type:
-
Windows 95/98/NT: Click on the
Remove button. When you are asked if you really
want to do this, click on Yes.
-
Windows 2000/XP: Click on the Delete
button. When you are asked if you really want to do this, click on
Yes.
- Click OK at the bottom of the window.
To learn how to sign up to receive alerts via e-mail about any new viruses
that threaten the university, click on the Virus Notification Page.
To return to the main VNP web page, click on the Virus
Notification Program FAQ.
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