Windows does a poor job of protecting us from viruses by hiding file extensions. Maybe Microsoft wanted to make things easy for us so we wouldn't have to worry about file endings. But, those file extensions are important! "Hackers" can trick us into downloading virus files; they hide the endings that show dangerous files and use false labels to make them look safe.

You may have received an e-mail with an attachment called

But, if you've changed your Windows settings to NOT hide file extensions, you would see that it's really named "Sorry_about_yesterday.MP3.pif" and hopefully stay away from any .pif file like the plague!

Same for that famous "I_Love_You.txt.vbs" file; if you don't see the .vbs ending, you won't know it's really a Visual Basic Scripting "Worm" virus instead of a safe text file!

1) Start up Windows Explorer (You can right-click on the "Start" button in the lower left corner of the screen and then click on "Explore.") 2) On the menu bar at the top, click on "Tools," then "Folder Options." (Sometimes it's under "View" instead of "Tools.") 3) Click on the top tab that says "View." 4) Under "Hidden Files," select "Show All files." 5) Also under "Hidden Files," Look for a box that says, "Hide file extension for known file types." If there is a check in that box, REMOVE THE CHECK!!!! (This is the most important part!)

6) Click on the "Apply" button in the lower right corner, then click "OK." Here's how it looks:

Now you can see what type of file you're really receiving. You're less likely to click on a virus just because you think it's safe.

(Note: if you have Windows 2000, go here to see how to set it up.)