"~" file keeps showing up on desktop

[gcadidas133]

I am having a slight problem with a file on the desktop. The file is named "~", with no visible extention on either the desktop or in a command prompt when i type "dir c:desktop" to veiw the contents of the desktop. The file is about 180 to 186 KB. This has shown up seven times since April 29. When opened in Notepad, it shows lots of symbols and numbers, each separated by one to three spaces. If I scroll down, I see many of the contacts in my address book for Outlook Express. This may only be a file for Outlook Express, i don't know. If posting the contents of the file or the file itself would help, do not hesitiate to ask.

I am led to believe that this is a virus or something of the like because:
- it shows up randomly
- recently, someone has hacked my Ebay password from Canada

This may not be a virus, etc.:
- I have a firewall built in to my router
- I have scanned my system with virus definitions as of this afternoon with Norton 2003

Boy, would I feel stupid if this turned out to be some Outlook Express thing.

Thanks

[AllGamer]

have you tried running those AD remove softwares?

[Wonder]

I have the same problem. Just started a couple of days ago. Haven't been able to find out a thing about it.

Out of curiosity, do you run a firewall? If so, which one? I just installed Norton Personal Firewall a few days ago also.

[germanjulian]

****! I GOT IT TOO!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

lol i only just saw it cause i never enable to view my desktop

[germanjulian]

anyone using kazza lite? or samurize?
thats the only things which seem to start up in my startup managed

got firewall and latest service packs for xp

[germanjulian]

? I went though all my processes in my task managed can cant find any files which shouldnt be there

anyone using messenger plus cause that another thing i am using

[AllGamer]

i bet it will not show, if you use Opera or Mozilla instead

[germanjulian]

do you know something and arent telling us??

doesnt seem to be a virus or spyware. so must be a program creating it. the weird thing is that it has contatcs in it which is worrying! I dont have any in mine but still dam scary.

does anyone know?

[AllGamer]

Does it goes away if you close IE?

[2penguins]

It's posible it may be this:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com...fizzer@mm.html


Or it could be this:
http://securityresponse.symantec.com...gate.i@mm.html

There are better than a dozen of these types of worms out. They try to disable your AV.
It wouldn't hurt to give these a read.

[rangeral]

So is everybody using kazaa?

This file is familiar but I can't put my finger on it.

None of those links mention a tilde file.

[gcadidas133]

Wonder, yes, I have a firewall, i think, built into my router.

2penguins, those sites only make me worry. Nothing mentioned about the ~, though... and i'm positive that i havent opened any attachments that are suspicous, as i havent opened any emails at all.

AllGamer, yes, i have AdShield... I think that's what you mean. No, it doesn't go away when I close IE.

germanjulian, I'm using Kazaa Lite, but all downloads that I know of (not sure about my sister's downloads) were music files.

And to everyone, when I started looking at what times the ~ shows up, once it happened when my computer was idle, and once during the time i was writing my first post to this thread. So I doubt that the file is made/shown/whatever when i execute a program. If anyone knows what's going on here... we need help.

Rangeral, I use Kazaa Lite.

Thanks to all, i hope we figure this one out.

[Wonder]

No, I don't use Kazaa. Not even sure what it's for.

Originally posted by rangeral
So is everybody using kazaa?

This file is familiar but I can't put my finger on it.

None of those links mention a tilde file.

[gcadidas133]

And germanjulian, do you use Outlook Express? If so, do you have people in your Contact List?

I've noticed something on my ~ file...

The first bit of actual words in the last block of characters has
"(myemail)'s Contacts"

...which is exactly the same as the folder I have in Outlook Express in Addresses that i keep all of my email addresses in. And every email that is in the address book is in the ~ file.

I'm So Confused!

[gcadidas133]

Getting closer...

I added a folder, "AAAAAAAA", to my Addresses on Outlook Express. A few minutes later, ~ showed up, i did a search for "A A A A A A A A" (with spaces between each A), and sure enough, found "A A A A A A A A" in the file. After "A A A A A A A A", it said "(myemail)'s Contacts" and then listed the email addresses in that folder.

I then deleted ~, moved all of my contacts from (myemail)'s contacts to AAAAAAAA, and a few minutes later, ~ shows up again. And, after doing my search, i find all of the contacts after "A A A A A A A A" and "(myemail)'s Contacts was not found in the file at all.

One other thing, the file contains contacts from my old and deleted email addresses, even from up to three months ago, from deleted accounts. Scary!

I'm fine with deleting the ~ every time, but what if it slowly eats away at my computer's performance? And what if this is a hacker's doings? I do much business on this computer with Ebay, and recently was hacked to sell a $4,200 lot of cellphones... Coincidence? ...or conspiracy?