No one can open my attachments...

[Tara]

My computer is now 68 days old. Since I got it when I email and add an
attachment ANY ATTACHMENT it comes through on the recipients computer as a
..dat file. Big long numbers and all heiroglyphics. Which nobody can open.
Why?? Help?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Which email program?
That problem is typically caused when using Microsoft Outlook, which is
more suited to a business-to-business environment. Either switch to
Windows Mail, or else read up on the Outlook WinMail.dat file problem:
http://www.howto-outlook.com/faq/richtext.htm

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP-P/I]]

Sounds very much like you're using Microsoft Outlook and you have your
default message format set to Outlook Rich Text Format. This format is only
understood by Outlook. ALL other email clients will either get an
attachment named "Winmail.DAT" which cannot be opened, or they get no
attachment at all. Change the default message format to either HTML or
Plain Text and that problem dissappears.

http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=287720
OL2002: Attachments Are Not Visible to Some Recipients When You Use TNEF
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290809
OL2002: How Message Formats Affect Internet Mail
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=197064
OL2000: (CW) Winmail.dat Attachments Included in Received Messages
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=224817
OL2000: Transport Neutral Encapsulation Format (TNEF) Basics

Decoder programs to read a WINMAIL.DAT file are here:

http://www.slipstick.com/addins/decoders.htm
Decoder Tools

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
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