From Andrew Gould
Andrew Blucher suggests that the Melissa problem can be solved by simply
keeping Word’s Macro Virus Protection switched on (Website Letters, 1 May).
Unfortunately this does not work. Macro Virus Protection only warns you when a
document contains macros. You are then asked whether you want to run the macros
or open the document without running them.
One of the first things any macro virus does is to turn this protection off
(they usually also turn off “Confirm conversion” and “Prompt to save
normal.dot”). This means that you only need to lapse once, or have a situation
where running macros is necessary, and you’ll never get the warning again. Most
computer users do not realise that these options have been modified, nor do they
know how to turn them back on.
Macro Virus Protection is no protection at all.
gould@effect.net.au
