email problem - client received attachments as inline text.

[AmyS]

We have email problems with several of our clients and customers.

To these customers, every time when we email out (using Outlook) with
attachments, such as .doc and .pdf and .jpg files. These email was received
with one large garble inline text message, but no attachment, by these
customers.

However, if we send out same email by web based email, such as yahoo or
Gmail, the attachments are received OK by the same customers.

One major customer is always have this same problem with our email with
attachment. They use Gmail by Google. This customer is using web based
Gmail browser to receive our email.

Can you tell me what is the problem we are dealing with?

Thank you.

 

[Brian Tillman]

We have email problems with several of our clients and customers.

To these customers, every time when we email out (using Outlook) with
attachments, such as .doc and .pdf and .jpg files. These email was
received with one large garble inline text message, but no
attachment, by these customers.

In what message format are you sending these messages? What mail client(s)
are the recipients using? (I realize you might not know this.) What
version of Outlook are you using? What type of account?

 

[AmyS]

In what message format are you sending these messages? What mail
client(s) are the recipients using? (I realize you might not know this.)
What version of Outlook are you using? What type of account?

Brian, thank you for your reply.

We use Outlook 2003 in Window XP Pro SP2.
Email sent are either in plain or html formats.
We sent our email out using POP3 servers, both our company email server and
Gmail POP server. Same garble results.

However, if we send this same email out in Gmail web service (instead of
POP3), customer received the attachment fine.

 

[Brian Tillman]

We use Outlook 2003 in Window XP Pro SP2.
Email sent are either in plain or html formats.
We sent our email out using POP3 servers, both our company email
server and Gmail POP server. Same garble results.

Does it matter to whom you send the messages? Do you have any type of
message scanning enabled (like antivirus scanning)?

 

[AmyS]

Does it matter to whom you send the messages? Do you have any type of
message scanning enabled (like antivirus scanning)?

This garble text always happen to a few customers (say a handful). They
always seem to have repeat problems for years.

No, we do not use any type of message scanning programs. Several systems
from our office have same problems, and these systems has different
anti-virus programs, such as McAfee or Norton or Trend Micro.

The problems always has to do with Outlook POP3 outgoing email with
attachments (doc or pdf).

 

[Brian Tillman]

No, we do not use any type of message scanning programs. Several
systems from our office have same problems, and these systems has
different anti-virus programs, such as McAfee or Norton or Trend
Micro.

Um, McAfee, Norton Antivirus, and Trend Micro are ALL message-scanning
programs, if you've configured them that way. Have you?

The problems always has to do with Outlook POP3 outgoing email with
attachments (doc or pdf).

My inclination os to believe that the problem lies on the receiving end or,
at least, not on the sending end. It could be happening at some route point
prior to the sender, but I think it more likely a configuration on the
receiving end, since it doesn't happen to all recipients and it consistently
happens to some.

Can you find out what client is used by one of the recipients having
probelms?

 

[Aaron B]

Um, McAfee, Norton Antivirus, and Trend Micro are ALL message-scanning
programs, if you've configured them that way. Have you?


My inclination os to believe that the problem lies on the receiving end
or, at least, not on the sending end. It could be happening at some route
point prior to the sender, but I think it more likely a configuration on
the receiving end, since it doesn't happen to all recipients and it
consistently happens to some.

Can you find out what client is used by one of the recipients having
probelms?

Brian, you problem right about the receiving end. Because these same exact
identical message were sent to another customer in the same email too. But,
this two major customers do always have the same problem all the time.

This customer used Gmail browser email receiving based in Microsoft Internet
Explorer (not POP). Another customer used Yahoo browser email to receive,
also based in Internet Explorer.

I asked our service tech and they told me our virus scan program are
configured only for incoming messages, not out going messages.

 

[Brian Tillman]

But, this two major customers do always have the same problem all the
time.

Do you send only one message to each of these two customers (i.e., only a
single mail address for each customer), or are there many people at each of
these customer sites to which you send messages? If the former, are the
addresses in your Contacts folder?

This customer used Gmail browser email receiving based in Microsoft
Internet Explorer (not POP). Another customer used Yahoo browser
email to receive, also based in Internet Explorer.

Ordinarily, people using web mail tend to have a better time reading
ill-formed messages than most, since browsers tend to be more forgiving than
mail clients. We may get the the bottom of this yet.

 

[Aaron B]

Do you send only one message to each of these two customers (i.e., only a
single mail address for each customer), or are there many people at each
of these customer sites to which you send messages? If the former, are
the addresses in your Contacts folder?

Brian, we tried both sending our test email to these several customers,
single receipent and multiple receipents, all email addresses are in our
contact folder. Same attachment becomes garble inline text. Thank you for
your help.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Brian, we tried both sending our test email to these several
customers, single receipent and multiple receipents, all email
addresses are in our contact folder. Same attachment becomes garble
inline text.

Are you using Bcc to send? FOr one of the contacts where the message fails,
open the contact record and double-click the emai laddress. What does the
"Internet format" drop-down say?

 

[Aaron B]

Are you using Bcc to send? FOr one of the contacts where the message
fails, open the contact record and double-click the emai laddress. What
does the "Internet format" drop-down say?

No, we use the addressee field, not cc or bcc.

The received file was too huge to even open. They delete it.

I asked our customer to go to another location (his home) and try to receive
my same exact email with attachment.
This time, it works. So the problem is related to specific computer, not
their account.

 

[Aaron B]

I asked our customer to go to another location (his home) and try to
receive
my same exact email with attachment.
This time, it works. So the problem is related to specific computer, not
their account.

Also, the attachment become inline text problem email always comes from our
Outlook 2003 POP outgoing server, either by gmail pop or other ISP, same.

But if we go to gmail and send out same attachment email, same receiptants
will get the attachments fine.

 

[Brian Tillman]

Also, the attachment become inline text problem email always comes
from our Outlook 2003 POP outgoing server, either by gmail pop or
other ISP, same.

Sorry, but I can't parse what you mean by this.

But if we go to gmail and send out same attachment email, same
receiptants will get the attachments fine.

I don't see how this is relevant.

 

[Anthony B]

Aaron B <[email protected]> wrote:

We have several email server accounts, such as our local AT&T ISP, company
business hosting server, and Gmail.

When we use Outlook 2003 POP to send email with attachment to these few
customers, they will always get the attachment as garbled inline text. All
email messages from all our outgoing POP server have same problems.

 

[Brian Tillman]

When we use Outlook 2003 POP to send email with attachment to these
few customers, they will always get the attachment as garbled inline
text. All email messages from all our outgoing POP server have same
problems.

Does the attachment have a name? Can you post some of the "garbled" data?
If there anything you can read within the data? What operating system? How
are you sending the messages (i.e., one by one, mail merge, addressed via
Bcc, etc.)?

 

[Anthony B]

Does the attachment have a name? Can you post some of the "garbled" data?
If there anything you can read within the data? What operating system?
How are you sending the messages (i.e., one by one, mail merge, addressed
via Bcc, etc.)?

Yes, the attachments are named files such as April-Report.doc or
Invoice2786.jpg or damage22.pdf

No, the text are garbled non-sentences, looks much like a hex dump.

The customer use XP.

We addressing customer in the problem test email, one by one.

We send out these problem mail by Outlook 2003, POP3 server (same problems
with different pop servers).

 

[Brian Tillman]

Yes, the attachments are named files such as April-Report.doc or
Invoice2786.jpg or damage22.pdf

No, the text are garbled non-sentences, looks much like a hex dump.

I'll bet they're seeing the MIME encoding. I'll bet if you were to look,
you _would_ be able to read some of it - the headers specifying the message
parts. ARe you sending these using Bcc? Do your recipients have Windows
Vista and Outlook 2003? What you describe is one of the problems with that
combination.

 

[Anthony B]

I'll bet they're seeing the MIME encoding. I'll bet if you were to look,
you _would_ be able to read some of it - the headers specifying the
message parts. ARe you sending these using Bcc? Do your recipients have
Windows Vista and Outlook 2003? What you describe is one of the problems
with that combination.

OK, I went over their office (across town) and take a look.
Total garble text, like hex dump. Not one word is in much of any English
word.
We just sent one to one single. No cc. No Bcc.

This customer is using Windows XP and Outlook 2003. They have no Vista, nor
any time soon.

So, I think we conclude the problem is at the recipient end, would you
agree?

 

[Brian Tillman]

So, I think we conclude the problem is at the recipient end, would you
agree?

Well, it it happens to only one particular recipient, especially if you send
the message to multiple recipients and only one has the problem, it's
certainly likely, although not guaranteed. You'd have to be able to examine
more of the route the message took to say definitively.

 

[hsimon]

Well, it it happens to only one particular recipient, especially if you send
the message to multiple recipients and only one has the problem, it's
certainly likely, although not guaranteed.  You'd have to be able to examine
more of the route the message took to say definitively.

Hi All,

I am experieng a similar problem with inline pictures, which are
displayed as binaries and the headers are expanded, with Outlook 2003
and Outlook 2007 on Vista only. I don't see this problem with the same
versions of Outlook on Windows-XP, therefore the problem must be
related to Vista. Is there a solution to this problem?

Thanks and Regards,
Horst Simon