IE woes (?)

[PelicanPete]

We have a website which offers download of our demo program, and sample charts and maps (

http://www.globenav,com).

Recently we have been getting emails that our downloads have viruses. We have checked all the downloads, and our ISP has checked them. All checks have come up clean. Our theory is that the latest IE pops up a virus warning message box when it encounters an executable file (.exe).

Since we don't use IE, we would be curious to know if anyone can confirm our hypothesis, and if there are some words of consolation we can offer to these people that get the warning (they seem to get scared and issue hostile words at us, but we know it is not our software).

All the downloads are self extracting zip files with the .exe extension. You may suggest that we make all the downloads .zip instead. We tried that in 1994, and we were deluged with questions about what is a zip file, and what do you do with it? (we spend most of our time jumping through hoops in reference to other's software). So we elected to pack them in a self-extracting zip file (.exe).

Is the mass populace ready to handle a zip file without a million questions?

Thanks for your patience; one other thing: the files that were uploaded years ago are the ones to trigger the virus warnings. The files we uploaded recently do not trigger the warning. The mysterious thing about this situation is that all the files were made with the same copy of the PKzip self-extractor utility.

Any words of enlightenment into this tangled web would be much appreciated.
Regards
Pete Palmer / Karen Ward
Global Navigation Software Co.

http://www.globenav.com

 

[popeydotcom]

Zip files are much more pervasive than they were in 1994. I would've expected you to get "what's that?" type messages back then. Remember now that OSs like Linux, and Windows XP have built in support for the zip file format. I realise a lot of people are on Win9x, and maybe even *shudder* Macs but zips are now pretty much the norm..

Just my 2p

Cheers,
Al.

 

[2ffat]

I've seen alot of sites offer both self extracting files and zip files for the reason (IE pop-up warning) you've listed above. Also, because some firewalls don't permit exe files but will allow zip files. How much work is it to offer both?
James P. Cottingham

When a man sits with a pretty girl for an hour, it seems like a minute. But let him sit on a hot stove for a minute and it's longer than any hour. That's relativity.
[tab][tab]Albert Einstein explaining his Theory of Relativity to a group of journalists.

 

[PelicanPete]

Thanks Al and James. Thanks for your input on the IE woes thread, we appreciated very much your responses. We're probably going to do what you both suggested.
Best regards, and thanks again to both.
Pete Palmer / Karen Ward
GNSC -

http://www.globenav.com