Q. Lately, I’ve been getting email notices that certain emails I supposedly sent were undeliverable, but I know I didn’t send them because I don’t recognize the addresses. What’s causing that and how can I stop it? I love your weekly newsletter, Mr. M. Keep up the good work!

A. First, rest assured that the notices are not the result of anything you did, nor are they anything you can control. Here’s how that generally happens: Your name and email address appear in other address books. That’s true for all of us and of course we cannot control who decides to include us in an address book.

Certain forms of virus (worms) will hijack an address book and use its contents to send out infected files, making it appear as if the people in the hijacked address book sent the files. If your information happens to be in an infected computer’s address book, that worm may send out a bunch of email showing your name and email address as the sender. If the delivery address on one or more of those emails is no longer valid, it will bounce back to you (because you’re shown as the sender). Your reaction will typically be, “Whoa, Nellie! I don’t know this person and I never sent this message,” and you would be correct

The bottom line is that the “undeliverable” notices you receive are nothing to be concerned about because they have nothing to do with you. These things tend to run in cycles, so it will probably die down after a few days, then it may flair up again at some point, and so it goes. Whenever you get any of those messages that bounce back to you, just delete them and don’t give ‘em a second thought.

Q. My Outlook Express keeps blocking attachments that people try to send me. I know there are no viruses in the files, but what can I do to instruct OE to let them through?

A. Outlook Express has a tendency to block attachments in a well-intentioned (though occasionally misguided) effort to protect you from files that it thinks may be harmful. While that’s very thoughtful and makes me feel all warm and fuzzy, the downside is that attachments you may want to receive are occasionally unavailable because OE prevents you from opening them.

To override this quasi feature, open Outlook Express and click Tools > Options > Security and clear the box next to "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially be a virus," then click OK. Close, then reopen Outlook Express for this change to take effect. (Note: This option does not exist in older versions of Outlook Express.)

Mr. Modem's Sites of the Week:

Happy News
If today’s news gets you down, visit this Web site for the brighter side of current events. All the stories are real, but unlike other news media, this one presents stories that deliver a positive message or a happy ending.
http://tinyurl.com/5pw4uu

Women of Protest
Hosted by the U.S. Library of Congress, this site offers a photographic peek into the origins of the American Women's Movement. Lots of historical photos and compelling essays about the Suffrage Campaign and the women who fought and protested for their right to vote in the United States. Most of the photographs in the online exhibition were taken between 1875 and 1938.
http://tinyurl.com/7thg5

For plain-English answers to your questions by email, plus useful PC tips, subscribe to Mr. Modem’s Weekly Newsletter. For information, visit www.MrModem.com.