This message is not to defame microsoft but just to warn/share with everyone a bad experience I have with its newsgroup forum. I don't know if anyone else has experienced this but here it is. Yesterday, I went to microsoft's newsgroup to post a question about outlook. There it had the option for me to provide my e-mail address, so, I did. Two minutes after posting the message, I started to get infected messages sending in (total 54 message since yesterday and more coming.) Though, the server is well-equiped with anti-virus and have blocked all of the infected messages, the point is that what's up with microsoft? They provide their customers this forum and how could they have let this happen? If you think it's something else or know something I don't know, please let me know. Thanks a million.

"There it had the option for me to provide my e-mail address, so, I did." Well, then there is the lesson. I do not know the specific problem, but I am willing to venture a probable theory. I do not think MS is sending you these things nor that their system is cracked. However, I think there is a function somewhere that returns new members. This function (on some webpage somewhere) allows you to get to the new user's posted email address. This in turn allows a malicious program scripted for this purpose to take the email address and do something like you described with it. Incidentally the same thing could happen with this forum, but no one has bothered. Add in something to your email address like: nobodyIGNORESPAM@hotmail.com

"Add in something to your email address like: nobodyIGNORESPAM@hotmail.com" to the e-mail field on microsoft's website?

nh39 This is taken Microsoft's warning on the the Front page of those NewsGroups... " E-Mail Addresses and Privacy To help avoid receiving unwanted messages (spam) in your regular e-mail account, you may not want to include your regular e-mail address when you post a question or reply to a post in a discussion group. Use a modified email address Use a different version of your e-mail address that others will understand, but that spam tools can't automatically pick up and add to their mailing list For example, if your actual e-mail address is "emailname@account.com", use "emailname(removethis)@account.com" as your modified e-mail address. In this case, the spam tools will send mail to an invalid e-mail address, and others will know to exclude the "(removethis)" when they send you e-mail. " Lesley

thanks lesley. learn something new everyday.

Another way to show your email and not get spam: instead of: myname@myserver.com do this: myname at myserver dot com people will know enough to sub the at for @ and dot for .

Excellent advice; thanks Lesley, blender and nh39. Tommyo