# There It Sits: "Newest Upgrade" From: "Microsoft" **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [September 29, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538 "2003-09-29T19:53:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 7:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/1 "2003-09-29T19:53:44Z")
It appeared in one of my private e-mail-boxes, and it hasn’t appeared anywhere else that I have an e-mail account. I’m afraid even to click on it, but then I though about asking y’all. Maybe it’s legit, but if it is, why hasn’t it also appeared as part of my XP “New upgrades are ready to install” prompt? Did any of y’all get this one? Q ---
**Author:** ![Jpeg\_Jones](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/4bbf92/32.png) [@Jpeg\_Jones](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jpeg_Jones)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/2 "2003-09-29T20:05:10Z")
I haven’t gotten that one, but I would _definitely_ not trust it! Can you right-click and delete? ---
**Author:** ![Captain\_Amazing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6de8d8/32.png) [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/3 "2003-09-29T20:06:41Z")
Microsoft doesn’t send out product upgrades by e-mail. Here is Microsoft’s software distribution policy. > **[Developer tools, technical documentation and coding examples](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/?url=%2Ftechnet%2Fsecurity%2Fpolicy%2Fswdist.asp)** > > The home for Microsoft documentation and learning for developers and technology professionals. Go to [www.microsoft.com](http://www.microsoft.com) for software upgrades. ---
**Author:** ![Hauky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/0ea827/32.png) [@Hauky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hauky)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/4 "2003-09-29T20:46:39Z")
It’s some virus/worm thing. I don’t know what one, but I’ve gotten probably over 50 in the past week or so, all with varying degrees of success in using the English language. ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 9:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/5 "2003-09-29T21:04:24Z")
I purged it from the “Inbox”. What’s hinky is that this is a NOVELL-sponsored free e-mail service called myrealbox. They’re always saying on their introductory page how they use this service to test out new stuff, a “beta”-type thing, I guess. Why didn’t they catch it? Anyway, thanks. Q ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 9:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/6 "2003-09-29T21:28:50Z")
I got one on my rarely-used AOL account that read, “Most latest upgrade”. ---
**Author:** ![viking](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/bc79bd/32.png) [@viking](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/viking)\ **Post date:** [September 29, 2003, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/7 "2003-09-29T22:23:20Z")
I think I’ve gotten about 50 of those, all addressed to ``Dear valued Microsoft customer’’, which makes me laugh as I have _never_ used a MS operating system by choice, and swore off all MS software about 2 years ago 🙂 Delete it, and delete it fast. ---
**Author:** ![Synergist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ed8c4c/32.png) [@Synergist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Synergist)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/8 "2003-09-30T00:36:40Z")
I started getting them about 2 weeks ago. I knew Microsoft announced updates with that annoying pop-up of theirs, so I deleted the e-mails. Two days later I happened to be on snopes looking into something else and they had posted info on similar worm invested e-mails three days before. I had 20 new ones today. A variety of mail rules I set up took care of 18 of them. I hand deleted the other 2. I e-mailed tech support at my ISP to see if they could offer any suggestions. That was last week - no reply yet. ---
**Author:** ![SoozieQ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/dfb087/32.png) [@SoozieQ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoozieQ)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/9 "2003-09-30T00:47:38Z")
My virus program blocked an attachment that was with an email that mentioned a “Microsoft” update. ---
**Author:** ![Doomtrain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/0ea827/32.png) [@Doomtrain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doomtrain)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 2:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/10 "2003-09-30T02:42:18Z")
Yea, the MS update is the latest virus scam. I’ve been getting 3-5 of them a day. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/11 "2003-09-30T04:09:06Z")
See my e-mail ‘virus warning’ in ATMB. I’d link but the boards have suddenly hit the treacle-wall. ---
**Author:** ![Dave\_D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/49beb7/32.png) [@Dave\_D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_D)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 5:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/12 "2003-09-30T05:19:40Z")
Wow you guys are lucky. That’s the swen virus/worm or whatever it’s called. I say you’re lucky because I think I’ve been sent it around 1000 times over the past 2 weeks.(Yes, really that much.) ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/13 "2003-09-30T07:55:37Z")
I’ve been getting HUNDREDS of them. The faster I delete them the more come. I read it was some worm that started on Sept 18th. ---
**Author:** ![Horatio\_Hellpop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e5b9ba/32.png) [@Horatio\_Hellpop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Horatio_Hellpop)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 7:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/14 "2003-09-30T07:59:14Z")
I’ve gotten nearly a thousand of them on my Earthlink account, but none on my Yahoo account. You’re also about to get a bunch of “Message Undeliverable” notes about messages you didn’t send to people you’ve never heard of. Delete those unread, too. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 8:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/15 "2003-09-30T08:15:59Z")
[link](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=213388) ---
**Author:** ![Quasimodem](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/e274bd/32.png) [@Quasimodem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quasimodem)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 10:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/16 "2003-09-30T10:24:23Z")
One other thing, and I don’t know if this is related, but last week I had a pop-up that wouldn’t go away, advising me there was a new version of Messenger available and that I could not continue until I downloaded it. “Download now?” Prompts: Okay and No. Everytime I hit No, the thing would disappear for a second and tghen re-appear. Couldn’t “x” it out either. Finally, I just rebooted. Sound familiar? Thanks Q ---
**Author:** ![Jake](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/f475e1/32.png) [@Jake](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jake)\ **Post date:** [September 30, 2003, 12:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/there-it-sits-newest-upgrade-from-microsoft/204538/17 "2003-09-30T12:53:27Z")
Thanks, Quasimodem, Lobsang. I haven’t gotten the message yet but now I know what to do if and when I do get it. Jake