Outlook keeps converting HTML emails into plain text when they arrivehere - why? (Outlook2003/WinXP

[ship]

Outlook2003 / WinXP SP3 / all the latest ms patches / AVG antivirus.


Hi

My Outlook2003 keeps failing converting HTML emails that arrive into
plain text.
Strangely, it doesnt do it to ALL my HTML emails just some of them.
(About 20% or so of in bound HTML emails get converted).

My I archive regularly and my PST file is about 300KB.
Sometimes Outlook will converts into plain text and sometime is wont.
It does not seem to depend on who the email is from.
e.g. Some email are from FT.com, some from ManagementToday etc

I have been running SCANPST.EXE about regularly (about twice a week)
and
it keeps finding that my .PST file is getting corrupted too.

- Any thoughts?


Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Outlook2003 / WinXP SP3 / all the latest ms patches / AVG antivirus.

My Outlook2003 keeps failing converting HTML emails that arrive into
plain text.
Strangely, it doesnt do it to ALL my HTML emails just some of them.
(About 20% or so of in bound HTML emails get converted).

This often can be caused by scanning mail with your antivirus program. If
you have AVG configured with the Email scanner included, uninstall it
completely, reboot, and reinstall it without the Email scanner. You will be
just as protected.

 

[ship]

This often can be caused by scanning mail with your antivirus program.  If
you have AVG configured with the Email scanner included, uninstall it
completely, reboot, and reinstall it without the Email scanner.  You will be
just as protected.

Bill,

Well, yes, I can set AVG not to scan emails without uninstalling the
thing, but this strikes
me as exceedingly dangerous being as surely email is precisely how 99%
of
our viruses arrive - and not to scan them at all for viruses sounds
downright
irresponsible, no?

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Bill,

Who's Bill?

Well, yes, I can set AVG not to scan emails without uninstalling the
thing, but this strikes me as exceedingly dangerous being as surely
email is precisely how 99% of our viruses arrive - and not to scan
them at all for viruses sounds downright irresponsible, no?

First, it's not irresponsible. As I said, you're just as protected. Before
a virus can infect your PC, you must execute whatever contains the viral
payload and you can't do that on a PC without the application being written
to disk first and when it gets written to disk, your on-access (real-time)
scanner will catch it.

But more importantly, you have a brain, for goodness sake. No sane person
would ever open an attachment s/he wasn't expecting and even then, never
open it without saving it to disk first. It's no different than grabbing
the handle of a cast iron skillet that has been on the stove without first
checking to see if it's hot.

 

[ship]

Who's Bill?


First, it's not irresponsible.  As I said, you're just as protected.  Before
a virus can infect your PC, you must execute whatever contains the viral
payload and you can't do that on a PC without the application being written
to disk first and when it gets written to disk, your on-access (real-time)
scanner will catch it.

But more importantly, you have a brain, for goodness sake.  No sane person
would ever open an attachment s/he wasn't expecting and even then, never
open it without saving it to disk first.  It's no different than grabbing
the handle of a cast iron skillet that has been on the stove without first
checking to see if it's hot.

OK thanks Brian

I'll try that for a while, but if it doesnt fixt the "converting HTML
emails into Plain TXT without my permission" thing
then I'll turn email scanning back on!

cheers


Ship

 

[Consultlkr]

Brian - First off, scanning an email is a good idea and a personal
preference. I get emails with attachments from co-workers all the time and,
yes, I open them from Outlook without saving them to a folder first. (I'm
pretty sure I'm not alone in this habit.) It is my understanding that emails
are downloaded from the server onto the computer when they are received into
Outlook. So doesn't that imply that they are already stored on disk? If so,
that means that opening them from within Outlook could cause them to execute.
So scanning them when they first arrive in your mailbox is probably a good
idea.

Ship - I use AVG and discovered that there is a simple solution to this
problem - Turn off the email certification, NOT email scanning. Email
certification adds "stuff" at the end of the message indicating the message
was scanned by AVG. There appears to be something in that process that
affects some emails, causing them to become plain text.

Here's how to make the changes:
Open AVG and click on Tools/Advanced settings
Select Email Scanner from the pop-up
Look under E-mail scanning and then uncheck Certify e-mail. (Leave the Check
incoming e-mail box checked.)

This took care of the problem for me. I hope it does for you, Ship.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]]

Brian - First off, scanning an email is a good idea and a personal
preference. I get emails with attachments from co-workers all the time
and,
yes, I open them from Outlook without saving them to a folder first. (I'm
pretty sure I'm not alone in this habit.)

Just because it's your habit doesn't make it any less foolish.

It is my understanding that emails
are downloaded from the server onto the computer when they are received
into
Outlook. So doesn't that imply that they are already stored on disk?

Not as separate files.

If so,
that means that opening them from within Outlook could cause them to
execute.
So scanning them when they first arrive in your mailbox is probably a good
idea.

Outlook does not allow active content to execute when you view messages in
the Reading Pane.

 

[Dan Jason]

I resolved this issue by going to Outlook, Options, Preferences, E-mail Options, and under message handling, uncheck the box that reads "Read all standard mail in plain text" This resolved the issue for me.

This often can be caused by scanning mail with your antivirus program. If
you have AVG configured with the Email scanner included, uninstall it
completely, reboot, and reinstall it without the Email scanner. You will be
just as protected.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

On Wednesday, October 22, 2008 1:41 PM Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook] wrote:


Who's Bill?


First, it's not irresponsible. As I said, you're just as protected. Before
a virus can infect your PC, you must execute whatever contains the viral
payload and you can't do that on a PC without the application being written
to disk first and when it gets written to disk, your on-access (real-time)
scanner will catch it.

But more importantly, you have a brain, for goodness sake. No sane person
would ever open an attachment s/he wasn't expecting and even then, never
open it without saving it to disk first. It's no different than grabbing
the handle of a cast iron skillet that has been on the stove without first
checking to see if it's hot.

22=A0pm, "Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]"
=A0If
ll be

Bill,

Well, yes, I can set AVG not to scan emails without uninstalling the
thing, but this strikes
me as exceedingly dangerous being as surely email is precisely how 99%
of
our viruses arrive - and not to scan them at all for viruses sounds
downright
irresponsible, no?

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

41=A0pm, "Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]"
=A0Before
en
)
son
ng
t

OK thanks Brian

I'll try that for a while, but if it doesnt fixt the "converting HTML
emails into Plain TXT without my permission" thing
then I'll turn email scanning back on!

cheers


Ship

On Thursday, November 13, 2008 10:54 AM Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook] wrote:
Just because it is your habit does not make it any less foolish.


Not as separate files.


Outlook does not allow active content to execute when you view messages in
the Reading Pane.

 

[Dan Jason]

I resolved this issue by going to Outlook, Options, Preferences, E-mail Options, and under message handling, uncheck the box that reads "Read all standard mail in plain text" This resolved the issue for me.

This often can be caused by scanning mail with your antivirus program. If
you have AVG configured with the Email scanner included, uninstall it
completely, reboot, and reinstall it without the Email scanner. You will be
just as protected.
--
Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]

On Wednesday, October 22, 2008 1:41 PM Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook] wrote:


Who's Bill?


First, it's not irresponsible. As I said, you're just as protected. Before
a virus can infect your PC, you must execute whatever contains the viral
payload and you can't do that on a PC without the application being written
to disk first and when it gets written to disk, your on-access (real-time)
scanner will catch it.

But more importantly, you have a brain, for goodness sake. No sane person
would ever open an attachment s/he wasn't expecting and even then, never
open it without saving it to disk first. It's no different than grabbing
the handle of a cast iron skillet that has been on the stove without first
checking to see if it's hot.

22=A0pm, "Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]"
=A0If
ll be

Bill,

Well, yes, I can set AVG not to scan emails without uninstalling the
thing, but this strikes
me as exceedingly dangerous being as surely email is precisely how 99%
of
our viruses arrive - and not to scan them at all for viruses sounds
downright
irresponsible, no?

Ship
Shiperton Henethe

41=A0pm, "Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook]"
=A0Before
en
)
son
ng
t

OK thanks Brian

I'll try that for a while, but if it doesnt fixt the "converting HTML
emails into Plain TXT without my permission" thing
then I'll turn email scanning back on!

cheers


Ship

On Thursday, November 13, 2008 10:54 AM Brian Tillman [MVP - Outlook] wrote:
Just because it is your habit does not make it any less foolish.


Not as separate files.


Outlook does not allow active content to execute when you view messages in
the Reading Pane.