Unable to open or save attachments in Windows Mail

[anhlyss]

I, like many others based on previous posts, am unable to open or save
attachments in windows mail. I have also tried to forward the messages to my
work email, but the attachments seem to be "missing" from the forwarded
messages once I have tried to open them in Windows mail.

As suggested in other threads, I have ensured that I have unchecked the "do
not allow attachments to be opened" box in options, disabled email scanning
in my anti-virus program, and have disabled Windows Defender. None of these
works.

If I click on the attachment to open it, the little hourglass pointer comes
up, and then goes back to the arrow, but nothing else happens. If I try to
save the attachment, I get this message:

"There was an error saving one or more of your attachments, please check
your free disk space and try again"

I have more than enough free disk space.

Any suggestions?

 

[Steve Cochran]

Windows Defender is not the problem. You may need to uninstall your
antivirus software and then remove and re-add your account to get things
working.

steve

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Were the messages sent by someone use MS Outlook?

 

[anhlyss]

No, these were sent from many different people using many different email
programs. I was able to open all attachments 2 weeks ago, but can't now.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Can you open the attachments if you access the message from the inbox on the
account's web-mail page?

 

[anhlyss]

Yes, and if I forward the message to my email program at work, or to my Yahoo
mail, I can open the attachment (as long as I haven't tried to open it in
Windows Mail).

If I had tried to open it in Windows Mail, however, I can forward the
message to other people, but they can't open the attachment. They get a
message that it has been "moved".

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

More questions, I'm afraid:

Are you running Vista, Vista SP1, or perhaps Vista SP2 Beta? Is IE8 Beta
installed?

Does this happen with any attachment or just some attachments?

If you send yourself a message with an attachment, can you open the
attachment in Windows Mail after receiving it? Can you open the attachment
in your copy of the message in Sent Items folder?

What Mail Client are you using at work? (It doesn't make sense that
attempting to open the attachment in Windows Mail would have any affect on
the attachment when Forwarded.)

What Mail Clients are being used to send these message(s) to you (e.g., MS
Outlook; AOL Mail)? Are all of these attachments to messages that have been
forwarded to you?

...I was able to open all attachments 2 weeks ago, but can't now.

What change(s) did you make to your system 2 weeks ago (e.g.,
installed/uninstall something, including Windows Updates; upgraded or
replaced your anti-virus application)?

Speaking of which...

What anti-virus application or security suite is installed and is your
subscription current? What anti-spyware applications (other than Defender)?
What third-party firewall (if any)?

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)?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Point of order: none of the regular responders here has ever advocated
disabling Windows Defender (or the Windows Firewall, for that matter).

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them are not fully compatible
with Windows Mail. For some of those, mere disabling is not sufficient.

 

[anhlyss]

I am running Zone Alarm. However, I have been using this program from day
one, and am only having this issue for the past two weeks or so.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Plain Zone Alarm is just a firewall. Is this part of an Internet Security Suite?
I'm not familiar with Zone Alarm antivirus. Look around in its settings to see
if you can disable its interaction with email. If that doesn't help, do a
trial uninstall. Presumably you can always reinstall it.

Instead of uninstalling your antivirus, consider upgrading to Windows
Live Mail, because it is less prone to suffering bad effects from overly
aggressive antivirus programs.
http://download.live.com/wlmail

 

[anhlyss]

It is the Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite. And the problem isn't with it,
as I spent two days in email with their support trying to figure out the
problem. It was disabled, and settings changed, uninstalled and reinstalled,
and everything else we could think of. The problem started after a Windows
update.

And, I am leery of Upgrading to Windows Live Mail, because other posters in
this forum with the same problem have had the same issues after upgrading.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Sorry, I don't have any other advice except what I've already given you.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

[Guess I'm chopped liver...]

Sorry, I don't have any other advice except what I've already given you.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Yeah, the OP should have answered your questions so we'd have
more to go on. This is like pulling teeth sometimes. :-(

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

[Guess I'm chopped liver...]

Sorry, I don't have any other advice except what I've already given you.

 

[anhlyss]

Gary, I know you are trying to help. I appreciate it, really.

I am getting very frustrated. It seems that every time Microsoft "updates"
something, I have tons of problems. I would go back to XP and Outlook if I
could.

Yeah, the OP should have answered your questions so we'd have
more to go on. This is like pulling teeth sometimes. :-(

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)

[Guess I'm chopped liver...]

Sorry, I don't have any other advice except what I've already given you.


It is the Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite. And the problem isn't with
it, as I spent two days in email with their support trying to figure out
the problem. It was disabled, and settings changed, uninstalled and
reinstalled, and everything else we could think of. The problem started
after a Windows update.

And, I am leery of Upgrading to Windows Live Mail, because other posters in
this forum with the same problem have had the same issues after upgrading.


:

Plain Zone Alarm is just a firewall. Is this part of an Internet Security
Suite? I'm not familiar with Zone Alarm antivirus. Look around in its settings
to see if you can disable its interaction with email. If that doesn't help, do a
trial uninstall. Presumably you can always reinstall it.

Instead of uninstalling your antivirus, consider upgrading to Windows
Live Mail, because it is less prone to suffering bad effects from overly
aggressive antivirus programs.
http://download.live.com/wlmail

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


I am running Zone Alarm. However, I have been using this program from
day one, and am only having this issue for the past two weeks or so.

:

Point of order: none of the regular responders here has ever advocated
disabling Windows Defender (or the Windows Firewall, for that matter).

Which antivirus are you running? Some of them are not fully compatible
with Windows Mail. For some of those, mere disabling is not sufficient.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


I, like many others based on previous posts, am unable to open or save
attachments in windows mail. I have also tried to forward the
messages to my work email, but the attachments seem to be "missing"
from the forwarded messages once I have tried to open them in Windows
mail. As suggested in other threads, I have ensured that I have unchecked
the "do not allow attachments to be opened" box in options, disabled
email scanning in my anti-virus program, and have disabled Windows
Defender. None of these works.

If I click on the attachment to open it, the little hourglass pointer
comes up, and then goes back to the arrow, but nothing else happens. If I try to save the attachment, I get this message:

"There was an error saving one or more of your attachments, please
check your free disk space and try again"

I have more than enough free disk space.

Any suggestions?

 

[anhlyss]

Sorry, I didn't see this until now. I am not always getting notifications
of replies. You are not chopped liver

I am running Windows Vista SP1. I don't know what IE8 Beta is, so I don't
know if it is installed.

This happens with every attachment (even pictures, although they are shown
in the body of the email)

No, I can't open an attachment in an email I send myself, nor can I open it
in the "sent" folder.

At work we use Domino (IBM), I have also tried using my Yahoo mail. I know
it doesn't make any sense, but that is what is happening.

I don't know which mail clients are being used, as I am getting email from
several people/sources including Red River College, my friends and family, my
bank, etc. Since I can't open ANY attachments, I don't see that this matters
much.

Two weeks ago there was a Windows Update, and a Zone Alarm Update. I have
already gone through all of the steps with Zone Alarm support, so I don't
think that is the problem.

I am running Zone Alarm Internet Security Suite, (Firewall, Internet
scanning, email scanning, etc.) which I have been using ever since I bought
my computer (in May 2008) with no problems.

I had a Norton Trial installed, but removed it almost immediately, and
checked the registry to ensure there were no bits remaining.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

1. Download the Norton Removal Tool, saving it to your desktop:
http://service1.symantec.com/SUPPORT/tsgeninfo.nsf/docid/2005033108162039

2. After making sure you know where your Product ID or license is, uninstall
ZA Internet Security Suite (ZAISS).

3. IMPORTANT! => Enable the Windows Firewall!

NB: You're "working without a net" now: Don't to ANYTHING else online (e.g.,
browsing; reading email; chatting) except #4 through #6 below until your
anti-virus application has been installed and fully updated!

4a. If anything named "Norton" is listed in Installed Programs, uninstall
it. This includes any Norton Add-ons and something called LiveUpdate.

4b. Right-click on down you saved in #1 above and select "Run as
Administrator" to run the removal tool.

5. Reboot and IMMEDIATELY reinstall ZAISS.

6. Reboot and make certain that the ZA Firewall is enabled and the Windows
Firewall is disabled.

7. Update ZAISS manually & repeatedly until you get a "No more updates"
prompt.

Better now?

 

[anhlyss]

I had used the Norton removal tool when I originally removed Norton. I then
did a search for Norton and Symantic, and checked the Windows Registry for
both as well. I do not believe that I have anything "Norton" left on my
computer.

I could run it again if you think it will help, but I have my doubts.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

As a minimum, you need to turn off email scanning in Zone Alarm.
Antivirus email scanning can cause assorted odd problems, including
difficulties with attachments.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

That's a good start. Go ahead and do the part of PA Bear's recommendations
that you haven't already done. While ZA is uninstalled, test your Windows Mail
to see if that cured the problem.

If all else fails, upgrade to Windows Live Mail:

http://download.live.com/wlmail