PC Hell: JDBGMGR.EXE Hoax and how to recover file

JDBGMGR.EXE Hoax
and How to Recover the file

What is the JDBGMGR.EXE Hoax?

This email hoax urges users to delete this necessary file from their computer. It may be preceded with the dire sounding "National Virus Alert". It may also make reference to a Teddy Bear icon, which is the standard icon for that file. The file is actually the Microsoft Debugger Registrar for Java, and should not be deleted.

The email is similar to the following one:

Hi, everybody:
I just received a message today from one of my friends in my Address Book. Their Address Book had been infected by a virus and it was passed on to my computer. My Address Book, in turn, has been infected. The virus is called jdbgmgr.exe and it propagates automatically through Messenger and through the address book. The virus is not detected by McAfee or Norton and it stays dormant for 14 days before wipe out the whole system. It can be deleted before it erase your computer files. To delete it, you just have to do the following:

1) Go to Start, click on "Find"
2) At "files or folders" write the name jdbgmgr.exe
3) Be sure to search drive "C"
4) Click on "find now"
5) If you find the virus (the icon is a little bear with the name jdbgmgr.exe) DO NOT OPEN IT FOR ANY REASON
6) Right click on it and delete the file (it will go to the recycle bin)
7) Go to the recycle bin and delete the file definitivelly or empty the recycle bin.

How to Repair the file if I deleted it?

Unless you are a Java developer, the absence of the file should not create any problems, however if do encounter problems with Java applications, you'll need to reinstall it. Unfortunately because of a lawsuit between Microsoft and Sun, the Microsoft Virtual Machine is no longer available for download. It was available for a short time in the Windows XP Service Pack 1, however in February 2003 Microsoft released Windows XP Service Pack 1A, which does not include the Microsoft VM. Regardless of the Windows version you are running, you can download the Sun Java Virtual Machine to regain functionality.

You can also the Microsoft Knowledge Base article on how to recover this file.

Visit Symantec's page for more information on the jdbgmgr.exe hoax.