Outlook 2000 - lost the 'add as shortcut' option

[Darren69]

Hello..

First time on here, hope someone can help cos im practically getting shouted at to resolve this !

One of my users has lost the ability to add an attachment as a shortcut.  The option was previously there, but has now gone.  Ive tried shutting down Outlook and re-opening, no joy.  Removed the users profile from the workstation so he picked up a fresh one from the server. still no joy.  Cant go down the track of 'repairing' using the Outlook CD cos WinInstaller3.1 is missing and i cant add it...these workstations are very old, but i have no replacements so need to resolve this as soon as possible.  Please, someone help....Thanks

Darren69

[soybean]

Exactly how do you add an attachment as a shortcut?  I'm looking at Outlook 2003 and the Insert menu on the message composition panel shows no option to attach a "shortcut".

Why not just add an attachment?  Why the fuss about the "shortcut" issue?  What are you trying to do here?  Indeed, adding a shortcut doesn't make sense.  If you're sending message to someone and the recipient is supposed to be able to open an attachment, they need that file, not a shortcut to it, since a shortcut would refer back to the senders computer, not a file on the recipient's computer.

[Darren69]

Using Outlook 2000.  The reason to send the attachment as a shortcut, is so that any amendments that are made are reflected on the original document.  The attachment is on a shared drive.  Several people are sent the attachment and amend it accordingly, so in real terms, everyone is amending the same document, this stops several versions of the document being circulated.

[soybean]

That doesn't make sense.  The shortcut is not the document; it's just a link to it.  Mail recipients would need the actual file to amend it.  In other words, they must have the actual document open to amend it and they don't have it if all they've received is a shortcut.  Furthermore, if you have, indeed, attached a shortcut, mail recipients would not be able to open the file because they don't have it on their hard drive.

If you're talking about an internal network and you're emailing a shortcut to a file on a server to which everyone is connected, that's a different matter.  But, you said nothing about to that effect. 

I also don't believe Outlook 2000 shows "shortcut" on it's menu of choices for Inserting an attachment. Here's what Outlook 2003 shows:

If Outlook 2000 shows "shortcut" on it's menu of choices for Inserting an attachment, please attach a screen print as proof.

[Darren69]

ok...perhaps i didnt explain it properly....sorry.

as you said -
"If you're talking about an internal network and you're emailing a shortcut to a file on a server to which everyone is connected, that's a different matter.  But, you said nothing about to that effect."

It is a shared document on a shared networked drive. 

Screen shot below -



[Saving disk space -  old attachment deleted by admin]

[soybean]

Ah, the shortcut option is a step deeper.  But, I still don't have it.  I have Insert, Insert as Text, and Insert as Attachment, but not Insert as Shortcut.  I suspect this has to do with the fact that your workstations are networked and I'm using a stand-alone system.  So, Insert as Shortcut wouldn't make sense on my computer.

This Microsoft article might help: OL2000: Unable to Insert Internet Shortcut; it seems related.  I'd try the technique of dragging the shortcut to the message body and see if that works.  I don't know what you'd need to do to get Insert as Shortcut back on that computer.

[Darren69]

thanks anyways, ill check the Microsoft link out tomorrow