Aborted Download Problem (SAV Version 9 and 10 and Eudora)

There are now two problems in the way that Norton/Symantec AntiVirus works with Eudora and other email programs. The first, disappearing mailboxes, is independent of email programs -- Eudora and several others -- version and NAV or SAV version. The second, having your email downloads crash with an error message complaining that the Eudora spool directory doesn't exist; this is a problem with Eudora for Windows with SAV version 9 and 10 . The mailbox problem is explained and a workaround is given in Restoring Quarantined Mailboxes. The download problem is explained here.

In both cases, the workarounds involve partially turning off the NAV/SAV's real time file scanning feature. That is not a particularly satisfying solution.

This problem is unique to Symantec AntiVirus Version 9/Norton AntiVirus 2004 and higher, which checks message attachments (if you have File System RealTime Protection/Auto-Protect turned on, which you should) and also the message body text for virus and worms code. This is a very good idea if you are using MS Outlook, but could be a bit less necessary if you're using Eudora. However, if you have -- the default! -- "use Microsoft viewer" checked in Eudora, Eudora isn't terribly secure either and can very well execute things in message bodies without asking you first. (See Safe Email Viewing for instructions on how to turn it off and more information on safe email viewing with Eudora. And, incidentally, with MS Outlook.)

In theory, checking your incoming email before it gets to you is a good thing. If your email program could execute malicious code before you tell it to, your antivirus program should get a crack at scanning the email before it gets to you -- while it's being downloaded from the server, but before it's been added into your incoming mailbox.

In Eudora, that means it must be scanned while it is the spool file. Here is where SAV and Eudora get into trouble. Apparently Eudora lacks any sort of ability to hand off incoming email messages to a filter program to do mail verification before further processing. So when SAV grabs a message Eudora can't find it. Hence the error message:

Could not open C:\Program Files\Qualcomm\Eudora\Spool\5954F6DB.RCV for reading.
 Cause: No such file or directory exists.

The only solution to this now is turn off SAV scanning of the spool file. You probably won't miss any viruses this way -- viruses almost always come as attachments. But you might miss a worm or two, in which case, you might get problem #1, missing mailboxes.

The only solution to this now is turn off SAV scanning of the spool directory. You probably won't miss any viruses this way -- viruses almost always come as attachments. But you might miss a worm or two, in which case, you might get problem #1, missing mailboxes. Hopefully, Symantec will fix both of these problems soon.

Excluding Directories in SAV File System Auto-Protect (File System Realtime Protection)

You don't have to do this for Custom or Startup Scans because the Eudora and Spool directory probably won't be involved with each other then. If you will be doing email when your Custom or Startup Scans are running, see the instructions in Restoring Quarantined Mailboxes (SAV and Eudora), but click the File/Folders button rather then the Extensions button, and continue as in step 6 below.

1. Open SAV.
2. Click on Configure from the list of items in the left side of the SAV window.
3. Click on File System Realtime Protection SAV 8 or File System Auto-Protect SAV 9.
4. Check Exclude selected files and folders in the Options section, then click the Exclusions button.
5. In the Exclusions dialog box, check Check file for exclusion before scanning (SAV 8) and click the File/Folders button.
6. In the Select Items box, click on the plus signs (+) in the boxes beside the folder names to expand your folder listing until you find your .../Eudora/spool/... directory. Click in the empty box beside that folder to select it for exclusion. A check and a plus sign will appear in the box.
7. Click OK three times to return to the main NAV/SAV screen, then click Exit to close NAV/SAV.