Unknown Icon on my Desktop

[meld51]

For my sins I look after 4 PCs. Recently I have repeatedly encountered a wierd icon on various desktops. Can anyone throw some light on what it might be?

I don't like it. When I open it in notepad or something it contains a lot of mush but among it all I see the occasional email address.

I have a strong firewall and fully up to date Norton Virus Protection

[The_real_dj]

are the email addresses people form your address book or are they just random?? If theres nothing personal in the file (and as long as you have definatly virus checked it) why not attach it to a message then someone can have a nosey?

Cheers

[Scrubbs]

well... what are it's properties for a start?

[ian@huth]

It could be a result of applying a patch to Outlook. Check to see if you have Q330994 listed in add/remove programs.

[meld51]

Well I virus checked it and it's OK.

Here are it's properties:

I will check for the patch in a minute

[meld51]

I don't seem to have the patch that you mention..............

[Steve H]

argh! I've had this before too! Found out what it was, can't remember though

Something along the line's of a game outputting some garbage? Debug maybe?

[swoop101]

Don't panic, it is a 'tilde' and it is harmless.
I will find an article about it if I can remember where it is.

IIRC you can just delete it safely.

will post back if I can find said bit.

edit: found it http://filext.com/faq/idx/0/002/article/

[meld51]

Yeah,
Checked the link Swoopy! That looks like it......I'll read the article now!

Thanks folks....on the ball again

[Scrubbs]

Isn't it good when someone knows the answer

[Buzzby]

What you have done is a compaction of your folders, File, Folder, Compact ( or Compact all folders ). Well it does for me.
This will often create this desktop file but it's nothing to worry about.

[MetaWraith]

This file started appearing on people's desktop after the April 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express (330994) update released by Microsoft. If that update is installed and you take any action that changes the Windows Address Book the tilde file will appear on your desktop.

You can find out more about the update itself from the Microsoft page...

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downlo...994/default.asp

When you change the Address Book, what should happen is that a backup called YOURNAME.WA~ would be created in the directory C:\Windows\Application Data\Microsoft\Address Book. This is a backup to the Address Book named YOURNAME.WAB in that same directory. With the update installed, however, the backup does not get installed into the correct directory and the name gets shortened to just the ending tilde (~) character. This file appears on your Desktop instead of where it should appear.