Is the "Remove2004pr2.exe" attachment legitimate?

I just received an e-mail with an attachment that said this was necessary to
run in order to remove Pre-Release 2 of SW2004 prior to installing SW2004.
It came from a different domain: [email protected] The file
attachment was called: "Remove2004pr2.exe".

I looked for reference to such a thing on the SW website and found none. Is
this something SolidWorks sent out and that I really should run? Or is this
a virus hoax like the ones being spoofed under Microsoft's name?

Regards,
Brenda

 

I agree - makes me nervous seeing something like that come in right now.

WT

 

"You don't need anything more than
Windows' Add/remove programs tool in the control panel to accomplish this."

Only if you didn't trash the SolidWorksUnzip folder after installing
PR2.....the uninstall routine looks for some files in there. I had
already removed the folder, so had to re-run the downloaded file to
reestablish whatever link was required to uninstall PR2.....

 

I've sent an inquiry to SolidWorks. I guess the fact that you two haven't
received such a thing makes it rather suspect. I'll let you know when I
hear back from SW.

Thanks,
Brenda

 

Brenda,
The email I received did not included an attachment, simply a link to one. I
checked and it's legit. I ran the .exe and sure enough it takes care of PR2.
I had originally tried to remove PR2 the old fashioned way (Windows
add/remove) and it didn't work. I ended up removing it and editing the
registry (thanks Scott. B.) to fully remove it from my computer before
installing the downloaded version of SP0. As it turns out, even those steps
did not completely remove PR2, but lo and behold, the .exe file finished the
job.

Richard Doyle

 

Ok, so maybe it will solve my problem as well. I did the same all the way
through, but I never could get rid of something that's still trying to load.
Post the link, please.

WT

 

Sorry Wayne, I'm reluctant to post the link for several reasons. Check with
your VAR please. Nothing personal, I just don't want to be held accountable
by anyone for passing along something I shouldn't.

Richard

 

Personally, I think it's EXTREMELY bad policy for SW to email executable
patches like that -- especially from a bizarre domain name such as
"00b.net". They should know better. If I had received this it would
have been deleted without hesitation.

Rule #1 for the modern day email user: NEVER trust an unexpected
attachment.

If you were unsure about it enough to post a question then that's a
pretty good sign that it should be deleted. Then afterwards visit
SolidWorks' website or talk to your VAR to find out if it was valid and
if so have someone resend it.

Joel Moore

 

Brenda, it is authentic, but I under your concern.

I have already used the program to fix my install 2 weeks ago when a
SWX AE sent me the program. I believe this only applies if you have
tried to update your PR1 or PR2 to SP0. If you haven't installed SP0
completely uninstall PR before installing SP0.

Mark

 

Absent a signature or a click-thru agreement, a "confidentiality" statement
has no legal validity at all. They could just as well put in a clause that
by reading the message, you agree to send them $50.

 

If you go to the SW website and go to the DL page where SW04 and all the
SW03 SP are located at, you will see that same file located there in RED.

It is only good to you if you have SW04 PR2 installed on your machine. If
you don't, I would dis-regard the message.

Regards,
Scott

 

If you go to the SolidWorks 2004 SP0 download site you'll find a reference
to it in red. It's been there for a few days now.

Dave H

 

Thanks, all. Looks like it's the real thing.
I guess all the recent spoofed spam viruses have made me too jumpy to look
in the most obvious places. Sorry for sounding a false alarm. Thanks for
the reponses.

Brenda

 

Joel Moore quipped:

i would swear that the 00b.net address is spam. I think i got a spam a
little while ago to take a SW survey at surveymonkey and a chance to win a
digital camera. VAR told me it was spam.

so now anything with 00b.net in it, i just delete. anything not coming
directly from solidworks.com i figure has to crap.

--nick e.

 

Nick,

Check the SolidWorks 2004 SP0 download page. The link is there in red on
the SolidWorks Web site and is a legitimate address.

Dave H.

 

'k.

but why in the world are they using a funky address like that. seems rather
stupid.

--nick e.

Dave H quipped:

 

I like it! Here you go - here's my $500 - let me know if you received it.
If not, start looking to see where it got lost, and let me know if you do
find it.

On the other hand, I debated deleting the message below before posting this
so it wouldn't look like I was "using" it. But then, this message would be
irrelevant, and therefore not using it, and therefore using it............I
think I'm stuck.

WT

 

The Remove2004pr2.exe link provided in the support e-mail references a
link to an executable that helps the pre-release customer move to the
production release without uninstalling. We apologize for any
confusion this may have caused you. In the future, we will just list
the support web site page for reference.

This file is available from the SolidWorks Support / Download page
after you have selected SolidWorks 2004 SP0.0.

Uninstalling or Updating a Solidworks 2004 Pre-Release 2 Installation
to SP0
If you no longer have access to the Pre-Release 2 installation folder
(typically unzipped to c:\SolidWorksUnzip) you will not be able to
directly update a Pre-Release 2 installation to SP0 or to un-install
Pre-Release 2. You must un-install Pre-Release 2 by downloading and
running Remove2004pr2.exe. Once you have completed this extra step,
you can then perform a standard New installation of SP0.

Regards,
Greg Jankowski
SolidWorks Corp.

 

To All:

The Remove2004pr2.exe link provided in the support e-mail references a
link to an executable that helps the pre-release customer move to the
production release without uninstalling. We apologize for any
confusion this may have caused you. In the future, we will just list
the support web site page for reference.

This file is available from the SolidWorks Support / Download page
after you have selected SolidWorks 2004 SP0.0.

Uninstalling or Updating a Solidworks 2004 Pre-Release 2 Installation
to SP0
If you no longer have access to the Pre-Release 2 installation folder
(typically unzipped to c:\SolidWorksUnzip) you will not be able to
directly update a Pre-Release 2 installation to SP0 or to un-install
Pre-Release 2. You must un-install Pre-Release 2 by downloading and
running Remove2004pr2.exe. Once you have completed this extra step,
you can then perform a standard New installation of SP0.

Regards,
Greg Jankowski

 

ok, but why the "00b"?

it makes it look like spam.

SolidWorks Corp. quipped: