How to turn off Windows Scripting Host

By Robert Vamosi, ZD-NET Help & How-To
This default feature in Windows may be an open invitation to VBS worms.

Recent virus outbreaks have exploited known vulnerabilities in Visual Basic Scripting under Windows. For example, NewLove and ILOVEYOU both contain attachments ending in .vbs which the user must click on to become infected. In order to limit the risk of infection, users of Windows should turn off Windows Scripting Host. Doing so will prevent you from executing .vbs scripts by double-clicking. For a complete discussion of the pros and cons of removing Windows Scripting Host, see To script or not to script.

How To Remove
Choose the instructions below appropriate for your version of Microsoft Windows.

Windows 95
Note: Not all users of Windows 95 will have Windows Scripting Host installed. It is available on editions of Windows 95 SR-2 and later. It might also have been installed separately or along with Internet Explorer 5.0 or later.

• Open "My Computer"
• Select "View/Options"
• Click on File Types tab
• Find VBScript Script File
• Select Remove
• Click OK

Windows 98

• Click on Start (the button on lower left of your Windows desktop).
• Click on Settings
• Chose Control Panel
• Click on Add/Remove
• Chose the Windows Setup tab
• Click on Accessories to obtain details
• Uncheck Windows Scripting Host if it is checked.
• Click on OK to save any changes

Windows NT

• Open "My Computer"
• Select "View/Options"
• Click on File Types tab
• Find VBScript Script File
• Select Remove
• Click OK

Windows 2000

• Open "My Computer"
• Select "Tools/Folder Options"
• Click on File Types tab
• Find VBScript Script File
• Select Delete
• Click OK