Please-- help needed with microsoft!

[VictoriaL]

I use Outlook Express to manage my e-mail and today it downloaded the messages but will not allow me to send any. The box says "There was an error opening this message. There is not enough memory.". So I opened Word to do some work and an box said "The Assistant is not available. The Assistant might not have been disabled properly, there might be problems with your Office setup, or your computer may be low on memory." and when I clicked the "x" to close this box, another came up and told me "This document could not be registered. It will not be possible to create links from other documents to this document.". I can't seem to get any help on the Micorsoft Web option and am wondering if any of you computer-savvy people out there may have come across this and have any advice.

I wnet to My Computer on the desktop and found that Local Disk (C) still has lots of room, but I'm not sure if I'm in the correct area. I'm so frustrated! And would gratefully accept any advice (except for the "get a nice, cool rum-based drink" suggestion because I've just done that!

Sigh... I hate feeling helpless!

[RGreen]

Hi Victoria,

I hate to tell you this but there is a pretty bad worm computer virus that started hitting Microsoft programs yesterday. The symptoms you mention sound like you have it. I'd go to the Microsoft Website for help or call if your computer has any service on it. Here is the information my company's tech department sent out... it may help. Look at the bottom link under "Virus Fix Information":

Windows 98 users: you do not need to do anything right now about patching.

All Users: please be aware of anything unusual on your computer. You should be especially concerned if you suddenly have a problem cutting & pasting in Word, Excel, Outlook, or PowerPoint. Also, you may see a problem with the “Help” function in Office applications. If you see any suspicious activity on your computer, you should suspect a virus and call the Solution Center immediately.

Please click on this link if you have Windows 2000: www.gsfrep.com/downloads/windows2000-kb823980.exe <http://www.gsfrep.com/downloads/windows2000-kb823980.exe>

If you are running Windows XP, you should use this patch instead: www.gsfrep.com/downloads/WindowsXP-KB823980.exe

Once you click on the link, choose to “Save” the attachment and select your Desktop for the destination. The file is about 900 KB and could take several minutes to download. After the attachment has finished downloading, close any applications you have running, since you will have to re-boot the computer when you are done. With every application closed, double-click the file you downloaded to run the Security Patch. After the Introduction Screen is displayed, click “Next” to continue. You have to click on “Agree” to the licensing question. Finally, press “Finish” to re-boot your computer.

Virus Fix Information

If you suspect that your computer has already been infected, or you are directed by a technician to do so, you should run this program to remove the “worm” from your computer. Please call the Solution Center after you download, save, and run this file and they will make sure that a technician follows up with you to verify that your computer is cleaned.

Please click here to download the Symantec Virus Fix: www.gsfrep.com/downloads/fixblast.exe <http://www.gsfrep.com/downloads/fixblast.exe>

Once you click on the link, choose to “Save” the attachment and select your Desktop for the destination. The file is very small and should take about a minute to download. After the attachment has finished downloading, close any applications you have running. With every application closed, double-click the file you downloaded to run the Worm Fix Tool. After the program has run (it will take about 30 minutes for most people), it will display summary information about any problems it found.

[VictoriaL]

Amazingly enough, all I did was close everything and thrn off the computer then, when I turned it on again all was well! But thanks for the info-- I'll check it out now.