Computer Hope

Software => Computer software => Topic started by: eyez4yu on February 21, 2008, 09:55:32 AM

Title: Outlook Attachments
Post by: eyez4yu on February 21, 2008, 09:55:32 AM
I often receive an e-mail with an attachment designated by a yellow envelope icon that won't open in Outlook 2003.  I have to go directly to my hotmail account on line to find it may be simple jpg files which I can open from there.  This happens with only some jpg attachments as well as other types of files.

Can anyone tell me what's happening and how to fix it?

Thanks
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: TheEmperor on February 22, 2008, 08:10:31 AM
Is the file extension correct? Outlook will try to protect you from files with extensions that it thinks are suspicious including things like filename.jpg.exe which can be harmful to your system. To give you any real information I'll need more info about the files that you can't open and what happens when you try to open one in outlook. Do you get any error messages? If you right click on the yellow envelope icon in Outlook and click properties what does that screen say about the file?
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: eyez4yu on February 22, 2008, 10:43:21 PM
thanks for your interest. the text after the yellow envelope is, for instance: "Cat Bath (2.27MB) (3MB)".  Absolutely nothing happens when clicking the envelope or file name, and there is no error message.  Right clicking does not give the usual drop down menu containing properties - just "open" "save as", etc.  The problem occurs when jpg files are sent, but not always and also with ppt files.  The e-mail with the Cat Bath files (8 jpg's and 2 txt's) open just fine when accessed in hotmail directly.  They are:

20b4cd.jpg (132.0 KB), 20b4dd.jpg (70.8 KB), 20b4ec.jpg (121.2 KB), 20b4fc.jpg (144.3 KB), 20b50c.jpg (108.4 KB), 20b51b.jpg (113.8 KB), 20b52b.jpg (131.7 KB), 20b53a.jpg (112.9 KB), 20b54a.jpg (70.0 KB), 20b55a.jpg (152.2 KB), ATT00008.txt (0.0 KB), ATT00001 (1164.0 KB)

I have this problem when the attachment is just jpg's without any other type included.

The problem seems to occur frequently when sent from AOL, but it has also happened from others.

hoping you can figure this out
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: TheEmperor on February 23, 2008, 03:24:50 AM
That sounds like the files are in an Archive file of some kind. If you select Save As and save it to your desktop can you click on it and open it and see the files?
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: eyez4yu on February 23, 2008, 11:58:48 AM
On the desktop it appears with an .msg extension and properties identifies as an Outlook File.  It won't open in Outlook or imaging software; opens in Word as a short line of programming symbols

Any further thoughts?
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: TheEmperor on February 23, 2008, 12:47:57 PM


That seems very strange that you would be getting attachments as .msg files.
Download this tool:http://www.download3k.com/Install-Viewer-for-MS-Outlook-Messages.html (http://www.download3k.com/Install-Viewer-for-MS-Outlook-Messages.html)
And see if you can open the file and extract the attachments with it.
I'll continue looking into this but it's a new one on me....
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: TheEmperor on February 23, 2008, 12:53:24 PM
Ok, after some looking about and a couple of tests on my machine here I think I've figured it out.
Whoever is sending you those attachments is a moron. The .msg file is a complete email message saved to a file and then attached to the email to you. It includes whatever attachments were in that email as well. Whoever is doing that should probably be using the FORWARD button instead. I really don't think this is a problem on your end. It's caused by mild retardation on the part of the sender. The tool I gave you a link to should open the file and extract the attachments though.
Title: Re: Outlook Attachments
Post by: TheEmperor on February 26, 2008, 07:57:06 AM
OK, One of our clients had the exact same issue popup. I was able to sit down at the machine and do some troubleshooting. I was able to open the files by starting Outlook in safe mode by holding down Control and opening the program. So I unchecked the Google Toolbar addins under Tools, Options, Other, ADvanced Options, Add-In Manager, and the Google addins and iTunes addins under COM Add-ins. Once I unchecked those and restarted outlook I was able to open the .msg files with no trouble.
Try that out and let me know how it works for you.