Command failed to execute for email attachments

[RubberDuckie]

I have attempted numerous attachments ranging from power point to emails
forwarded as attachments and am getting the error message "The command failed
to execute." Was doing fine with all my email attachments until I received
an upgrade for Vista. My upgrades are automatically received and downloaded
from Microsoft.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

How are you attaching the attachment? From inside Windows Mail?

 

[RubberDuckie]

No Gary. These are attachments I am receiving, not sending, that I am having
problems with.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

That wasn't obvious from your original problem statement.
Are you able to save the attachments, then open the saved document
outside of Windows Mail?

Try this:
Open the Default Programs applet, which you can access either from
the Start menu or via the Control Panel, then click the first item:
"Set your default programs."
After a few seconds, a list of programs comes up. Click on "Windows
Mail". If it doesn't respond with "This program has all its defaults"
then fix it by clicking on the option indicated by the first green arrow.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

No Gary. These are attachments I am receiving, not sending, that I am having
problems with.

 

[WildBill]

I am having the same problem. This is a problem that has just started. It
doesn't matter what kind of attachment it is. If I click on the attachment
from the preview plain, nothing at all happens, but if I double click the
original message and then double click the attachment I get the "The command
failed to execute" message.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Some others have reported that this problem started after they
installed IE8.
Try this:
Open the Default Programs applet, which you can access either from
the Start menu or via the Control Panel, then click the first item:
"Set your default programs."
After a few seconds, a list of programs comes up. Click on "Windows
Mail". If it doesn't respond with "This program has all its defaults"
then fix it by clicking on the option indicated by the first green arrow.
Then repeat the above but do it for Internet Explorer.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

I am having the same problem. This is a problem that has just started. It
doesn't matter what kind of attachment it is. If I click on the attachment
from the preview plain, nothing at all happens, but if I double click the
original message and then double click the attachment I get the "The command
failed to execute" message.

 

[Rainald Taesler]

Some others have reported that this problem started after they
installed IE8.
Try this:
Open the Default Programs applet, which you can access either from
the Start menu or via the Control Panel, then click the first item:
"Set your default programs."
After a few seconds, a list of programs comes up. Click on "Windows
Mail". If it doesn't respond with "This program has all its defaults"
then fix it by clicking on the option indicated by the first green
arrow.
Then repeat the above but do it for Internet Explorer.

As I have posted in some other threads some days ago, this does NOT help
on my machines (3 different computers, all running under Vista Business
32, one of them with SP1, the other two with SP2).

It's not at all a problem with file-associations (for which your recipe
would help).
There *definitely* is a problem with the storage place where WinMail
tries to put the temporary files prior to opening the associated
application(s).
The problem appears with all types of files I have tried out (DOC, PPT,
PPS, XLS, JPG, TXT, HTM etc.).

AFAICS IE8 changes settings for storing temporary files and/or disturbs
the handling of the temporary files.

Rainald
P.S. Pls do not react with your usual suggestion of using LiveMail
instead <bg>
The issue is too serious.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Thanks for that clarification.
It is surprising that the IE8 beta testers did not catch this bug.
I haven't noticed this problem myself because I use WLM for email.

 

[PR]

I have started to have the same problem ever since I upgraded to IE8 - I hope
they come out with a fix for it soon

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them are not fully compatible
with the new IE8.

 

[Sideline Viewer]

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them are not fully compatible
with the new IE8.

It's not the AV, at least with Norton. I have identical Vista 64 OS and
Norton 2009 on two networked computers. The one using IE8 has this same
problem, the one with IE7 doesn't. It's something in IE8.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

I had to eliminate the easy possibilities first.
Your AV, Norton Antivirus 2009 is relatively trouble free.

We have been hearing reports about difficulty opening attachments
related to a recent IE8 installation. As yet, there is no fix other than
uninstalling IE8.

 

[Sideline Viewer]

I had to eliminate the easy possibilities first.
Your AV, Norton Antivirus 2009 is relatively trouble free.

We have been hearing reports about difficulty opening attachments
related to a recent IE8 installation. As yet, there is no fix other than
uninstalling IE8.

If I uninstall IE8, how do I get IE 7 back? I assume it doesn't magically
reappear. My HP computer didn't come with the Vista 64 OS on separate disks
but it has the restore file set on the HD and I made a set of restore DVDs as
recommended. Can I peel an fresh install of IE7 out of the restore files on
the HD or the DVDs?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Follow this procedure for the IE8 uninstall:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957700

 

[shoreboy]

I just uninstalled IE8 as per the above link, and it automaticly restored
IE7. All my attachment issues with Windows Mail are gone! Everything is back
to normal. My advice is to do the same. IE8 isn't all that anyway. And if it
is not used, maybe they will work faster on a fix for the bug

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Thanks for that confirmation.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Does this happen with all attachments, or just specific types,
like DOC, or PPS, or PDF?
Also, which antivirus are you running?

 

[Steve Cochran]

Your Temporary Internet Files (TIF) folder may have gotten corrupted. Go to
Tools | Internet Options in IE and choose to delete files. See if that
helps. If not, then click Settings under Browsing History in the Internet
Options and choose Move to move the location of the TIF. Move it to a
location within the user profile such as a new directory under Documents.
Then see if that rectifies the problem. Some attachments you have to save
prior to opening, but that shouldn't apply to gif's and such.

steve

 

[tojorich]

Gary,
Your suggested fix wqorked for me. I did have to close Windows mail and
re-open it. Everything is ggor to go now. Thanx!

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

You're welcome, but it isn't clear to me which suggestion of mine you implemented.