Diagnosing: Windows cannot find ....

[Sam Hobbs]

In the process of trying to get current (I am within 2000 messages) with the
messages in this group, I have seen many requests for help with problems
about attachments. I am interested in helping diagnose the problem if I can.
I don't need help with a workaround; I don't mind saving attachments, which
works for me. I am a developer with Visual Studio 2008 and such and I will
attempt to diagnose the problem if possible.

I had assumed I don't have the problem but I am getting the following when I
try to view a jpeg attachment:

"Windows cannot find 'Photo0192.jpg'. Make sure you typed the name
correctly, and then try again."

Is that the same problem most people are getting when they have a problem
with attachments?

The only thing I am aware of that might have caused a problem is that I
installed IE 8 when it was still very buggy, and then I uninstalled it.
Later at some point Windows Update re-installed IE 8 (I assume that happened
when IE 8 was released). I assume that since most people encountering the
problem are non-technical, they would not have installed a beta version of
IE 8.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to diagnose the problem? You can
contact me offline from the group using the instructions I have for a reply
email address, which is gate at my web site. Or you can use an email address
from my other web site, SimpleSamples.info. My MSDN user name is "Simple
Samples" (with the space).

Could the problem be a security problem? If so, could it might help to audit
security failures? I am not sure of the details of doing that, but I am
interested in trying things such as that if it helps diagnose the problem
for Microsoft to know what to fix.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

Additional information:

When I get the message from trying to open the attachment, the file
Photo0192.jpg is in c:/users/sam and after I close the message box that file
is not there.

Also, I know that Microsoft is not likely to modify WinMail, but I hope they
can do something if an accurate description of the cause is obtained. Is it
possible?

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

WinMail: Tools | Options | Security | Block images... <=if you
disable/uncheck this option, does the behavior persist?

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed, is your
subscription current, and is it supported in IE8? What anti-spyware
applications (other than Defender)? What third-party firewall (if any)?
Were any of these applications running in the background when you installed
IE8?

Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this machine
(e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought it)?

Just asking for now!! Do NOT use such a Restore Point yet!! => Do you have
an available Restore Point which predates the install of IE8?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Rainald and I believe that the IE8 install somehow makes a
change in the pointer or path to Temporary Internet Files.
When an attachment is opened in Windows Mail, it is supposed
to write a temporary file in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
Apparently, the program that is supposed to open the temporary
file is given the wrong path.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

Yes, disabling the Block images option does not affect the problem.

My antivirus is the one listed in my message headers; Avast. It should be
current. I assume there is not a problem with IE 8. I don't have any other
anti-spyware or firewall; certainly none that I am aware of and I should
know about those things. As I indicated, Windows Update installed IE 8 and
my system was operating normally when it did, except I was logged in using
the Administrator account but I normally don't use the Administrator
account. I use the Administrator account for Windows Update of course.

Definitely there has never been any antivirus software except Avast in this
system. I formatted the hard drive in about September and installed Vista
fresh into the hard drive.

I am not sure about restore points, but I assume I don't want to do that. I
have made many changes to the system since the upgrade to IE 8, including WU
installation of Vista SP 2.

For diagnostic purposes, I can try opening the attachment using the
Administrator account. If that has an affect I will certainly say so.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

If it is true that the file is supposed to go to the temporary folder(s),
then I think I have already proven that it is not written where it is
supposed to go.

So I need to verify an assumption. Is it safe to assume that the file would
be written in a sub-folder of the c:\user folder (for me, that is
c:\user\sam)? More specifically, are the Temporary Internet Files a
sub-folder of the user folder? I am making that assumption and searching for
the file only in the user folder and sub-folders. The fact that the file
appears when I attempt to open the attachment and disappears when I close
the messagebox is probably adequate evidence that the file is being created
in the top-level user folder (for me, that is c:\user\sam).

This is the only manifestation of the problem, correct? There is no other
known problem with the incorrect use of Temporary Internet Files folder,
correct? So it is probably not an option that specifies the path to the
Temporary Internet Files that is effective for other software. It seems to
be caused by IE 8 (so hopefully it can be fixed as an IE 8 problem) yet
specific to WinMail.


Rainald and I believe that the IE8 install somehow makes a
change in the pointer or path to Temporary Internet Files.
When an attachment is opened in Windows Mail, it is supposed
to write a temporary file in the Temporary Internet Files folder.
Apparently, the program that is supposed to open the temporary
file is given the wrong path.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Yes, it's only a manifestation, not the root cause. A lot of this
is speculative, based on the symptoms that have been reported here.
I'm not a Windows programmer, so I can't go into the nitty gritty
details.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Had you disabled Avast prior to installing IE8, Sam?

I said nothing about using any Restore Points, I simply asked if you had one
available which predated the install of IE8. Do you?

More after I read your reply to this post.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

I am sorry; when I said "Windows Update installed IE 8 and my system was
operating normally when it did", I meant to indicate that Avast and
everything else was executing normally. I did not have a chance to disable
anything; as I said, WU did it automatically. I usually do review the
updates before letting them get installed so I probably did have a chance to
disable Avast but that is not a good solution if you are implying it is.

If I cannot use a Restore Point how is it relevant whether I have one? I can
understand that you want me to cooperate with you and answer your questions;
I have been in your position many times when I have tried to help people in
the MSDN and CodeGuru forums but I don't understand the relevance of Restore
Points.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Repost:
Please don't read anything into my question, Sam, just answer them. Thanks.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

Repost:
Please don't read anything into my question, Sam, just answer them.
Thanks.

I am not a non-technical person that can't understand the explanation. I
don't need a detailed explanation but if you could at least verify that a
restore point is useful even if I don't restore my system back to prior
state then that would help. As I said, I understand the need to get
cooperation but I think I am being reasonable. I am not asking you to help
me fix the problem; I am offering to help diagnose the problem. Therefore I
need to understand what I am doing.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

I am not a non-technical person that can't understand the explanation. I
don't need a detailed explanation

I haven't offered an explanation that needs to be understood, that's my
point.

...but if you could at least verify that a
restore point is useful even if I don't restore my system back to prior
state then that would help. As I said, I understand the need to get
cooperation but I think I am being reasonable. I am not asking you to help
me fix the problem; I am offering to help diagnose the problem. Therefore
I
need to understand what I am doing.

All you're doing is checking to see if System Restore lists a Restore Point
which predates the install of IE8.

Such a Restore Point MAY come in handy later on but it should NOT be used to
remove IE8.

I really do not appreciate you trying to second-guess why I ask any
question, Sam, especially when I'm volunteering my time here. If you find
my methods distasteful, please ignore my posts (including this one).

Good day.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

I tend to agree with you. Disabling one's antivirus so IE8 can install
properly is at best a band-aid, and is something the average user
will not do. If the IE8 install procedure really is that fragile, it should
refuse to proceed until any interfering security software is disabled.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Tell that to the IE team via an [MS ESC] post in the MVP IE newsgroup and
via EWS at Connect.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Good point, I just added it to my existing EWS report:
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=444529&SiteID=470

That report has been sitting there without any Microsoft comment for
some 31 days already. Obviously this issue has no MS priority.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

Tell that to the IE team via an [MS ESC] post in the MVP IE newsgroup and
via EWS at Connect.

I tend to agree with you. Disabling one's antivirus so IE8 can install
properly is at best a band-aid, and is something the average user
will not do. If the IE8 install procedure really is that fragile, it
should
refuse to proceed until any interfering security software is disabled.

 

[Rainald Taesler]

Der PA Bear,
What Sam reports is the *CLASSICAL* error message which appears when a
system is affected by the the IE-WinMail bug.

We've been through that numerous times. But for weeks you did never
reply to any of my postings directed to you. As you keep asking your
standard questions on Anti-Virus it seems that you do not even read what
I'm posting {siiiigh}.

Often enough I explained that Anti-Virus software is *NOT* part of the
game as far as the said attachment problem is concerned.

You did spread your theories and asked on AV issues dozens of times,
IIRC. And so far there was not a single reply from the side of the users
telling that AV issues would have caused the problem or even added to
it.
OTH I told you several times that on my test-system which has never been
touched by any AV-thing except the built-in firewall and the Defender
the problem exists and can not be cured.

What you did in this very thread IMO is your almost classical approach
of asking questions which per se can not contribute to getting closer to
the reasons of the problems. To the contrary: This thread shows that
unnecessary questions were distracting from what is *relevant* and
thereby were misleading.

Pls be so kind as to not further disturb the necessary concentration on
the relevant points.

TIA
Rainald

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

The closest MS ever came to pointing a finger at third-party security
applications was in this IE Team blog entry dating from the release of IE7
in Oct-06:
http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/10/11/IE7-Installation-and-Anti_2D00_Malware-Applications.aspx

PS: We had similar "conversations" with the IE and Windows teams about this
when IE7 went RTW. (This was long before EWS or [MS ESC] posts in MVP NGs.)
IIRC, we never gained any traction then either, other than the above.

Good point, I just added it to my existing EWS report:
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=444529&SiteID=470

That report has been sitting there without any Microsoft comment for
some 31 days already. Obviously this issue has no MS priority.

Tell that to the IE team via an [MS ESC] post in the MVP IE newsgroup and
via EWS at Connect.

I tend to agree with you. Disabling one's antivirus so IE8 can install
properly is at best a band-aid, and is something the average user
will not do. If the IE8 install procedure really is that fragile, it
should
refuse to proceed until any interfering security software is disabled.


I am sorry; when I said "Windows Update installed IE 8 and my system
was
operating normally when it did", I meant to indicate that Avast and
everything else was executing normally. I did not have a chance to
disable
anything; as I said, WU did it automatically. I usually do review the
updates before letting them get installed so I probably did have a
chance
to disable Avast but that is not a good solution if you are implying it
is.

If I cannot use a Restore Point how is it relevant whether I have one?
I
can understand that you want me to cooperate with you and answer your
questions; I have been in your position many times when I have tried to
help people in the MSDN and CodeGuru forums but I don't understand the
relevance of Restore Points.


Had you disabled Avast prior to installing IE8, Sam?

I said nothing about using any Restore Points, I simply asked if you
had
one available which predated the install of IE8. Do you?

More after I read your reply to this post.


Sam Hobbs wrote:
Yes, disabling the Block images option does not affect the problem.

My antivirus is the one listed in my message headers; Avast. It
should
be
current. I assume there is not a problem with IE 8. I don't have any
other
anti-spyware or firewall; certainly none that I am aware of and I
should
know about those things. As I indicated, Windows Update installed IE
8
and
my system was operating normally when it did, except I was logged in
using
the Administrator account but I normally don't use the Administrator
account. I use the Administrator account for Windows Update of
course.

Definitely there has never been any antivirus software except Avast
in
this
system. I formatted the hard drive in about September and installed
Vista
fresh into the hard drive.

I am not sure about restore points, but I assume I don't want to do
that.
I
have made many changes to the system since the upgrade to IE 8,
including
WU
installation of Vista SP 2.

For diagnostic purposes, I can try opening the attachment using the
Administrator account. If that has an affect I will certainly say so.


WinMail: Tools | Options | Security | Block images... <=if you
disable/uncheck this option, does the behavior persist?

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed, is your
subscription current, and is it supported in IE8? What
anti-spyware
applications (other than Defender)? What third-party firewall (if
any)?
Were any of these applications running in the background when you
installed IE8?

Has a Norton or McAfee application ever been installed on this
machine
(e.g., a free-trial version that came preinstalled when you bought
it)?

Just asking for now!! Do NOT use such a Restore Point yet!! => Do
you
have an available Restore Point which predates the install of IE8?
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Client - since 2002

Sam Hobbs wrote:
Additional information:

When I get the message from trying to open the attachment, the file
Photo0192.jpg is in c:/users/sam and after I close the message box
that
file
is not there.

Also, I know that Microsoft is not likely to modify WinMail, but I
hope
they
can do something if an accurate description of the cause is
obtained.
Is
it
possible?


In the process of trying to get current (I am within 2000
messages)
with
the messages in this group, I have seen many requests for help
with
problems about attachments. I am interested in helping diagnose
the
problem if I can. I don't need help with a workaround; I don't
mind
saving
attachments, which works for me. I am a developer with Visual
Studio
2008
and such and I will attempt to diagnose the problem if possible.

I had assumed I don't have the problem but I am getting the
following
when
I try to view a jpeg attachment:

"Windows cannot find 'Photo0192.jpg'. Make sure you typed the name
correctly, and then try again."

Is that the same problem most people are getting when they have a
problem
with attachments?

The only thing I am aware of that might have caused a problem is
that
I
installed IE 8 when it was still very buggy, and then I
uninstalled
it.
Later at some point Windows Update re-installed IE 8 (I assume
that
happened when IE 8 was released). I assume that since most people
encountering the problem are non-technical, they would not have
installed
a beta version of IE 8.

Does anyone have suggestions for how to diagnose the problem? You
can
contact me offline from the group using the instructions I have
for
a
reply email address, which is gate at my web site. Or you can use
an
email
address from my other web site, SimpleSamples.info. My MSDN user
name
is
"Simple Samples" (with the space).

Could the problem be a security problem? If so, could it might
help
to
audit security failures? I am not sure of the details of doing
that,
but
I
am interested in trying things such as that if it helps diagnose
the
problem for Microsoft to know what to fix.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

I haven't offered an explanation that needs to be understood, that's my
point.


All you're doing is checking to see if System Restore lists a Restore
Point which predates the install of IE8.

Such a Restore Point MAY come in handy later on but it should NOT be used
to remove IE8.

I really do not appreciate you trying to second-guess why I ask any
question, Sam, especially when I'm volunteering my time here. If you find
my methods distasteful, please ignore my posts (including this one).

Good day.

You still don't get that I am also volunteering, attempting to help. I don't
appreciate the absence of an explanation.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

Good point, I just added it to my existing EWS report:
https://connect.microsoft.com/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=444529&SiteID=470

That report has been sitting there without any Microsoft comment for
some 31 days already. Obviously this issue has no MS priority.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

Tell that to the IE team via an [MS ESC] post in the MVP IE newsgroup and
via EWS at Connect.

I tend to agree with you. Disabling one's antivirus so IE8 can install
properly is at best a band-aid, and is something the average user
will not do. If the IE8 install procedure really is that fragile, it
should
refuse to proceed until any interfering security software is disabled.

 

[Sam Hobbs]

Yes, if antivirus software needs to be disabled during an update then
Microsoft needs to say so and provide a multiple-step procedure that (1)
downloads the update, (2) disconnects from the internet, (3) disables the
antivirus software, (4) does the install, (5) restarts if needed by the
update without allowing a connection to the internet, (6) enables the
antivirus software, (7) reconnects to the internet.