For the last couple of weeks I haven't been able to open my hotmail email attachments. I can through outlook express though. Whenever I try to open an attachment, it goes through the process and all, says no viruses found then when I click on open,(the attachment) it takes me back to login at hotmail. I then type in my password and it brings me to hotmail again where I have to reopen the message and start the process all over again, still with no luck on opening up the attachment. Any ideas? I am using Windows 98, IE 6, and have a hewlett packard computer. Thanks.

Have you tried saving the attached file, instead of trying to open it from Hotmail? If not, right click on the attachment and choose "Save Target As". Then save it to your system and try opening it from there.

Dwight

Hi Dwight, that didn't work either

What happens when you try to save the attachment instead of opening it?

Hotmail automatically scans all attachments using McAfee.

Name of File Virus Scan Result example: xxxxxxxfile.jpg
No Virus Found

Yes, but I mean when you right click on the file attachment and click "Save Target As", do you see the "Save As" window where you can select your save location?

Dwight

Hi Dwight, that's what it says when I click save as. It won't let me open the file attachment even then. I was copying what it says after I saved it to my desktop. I just changed the file name.

OK, so as I understand it, you click the "Save Target As" option, then select a save location (your desktop) and click the "Save" button. The file is saved to your desktop but when you try to open the file, you see a note about scanning the file for a virus instead of seeing the contents of the file. Is that correct?

Additionally, this is happening with all attached files, regardless of the file type. For instance if the file is an image file with a .jpg or .gif extension or even a .txt file?

If you're not sure, please email some file attachments to yourself; a .txt file and a couple of graphic files and see if you have the same result.

Dwight

Becca, I misled you with my previous post and I do apologize. When you "right click" and "Save Target As" what your saving is a "Get Message" Web page (filename getmsg.htm), not the attached file.

What you have to do is click on the attached file. That opens a page that looks like this:


When you see this, note that it has been scanned by McAfee AntiVirus, then click the "Download File" button.

Doing this should result in your seeing the file attachment correctly.

Sorry about the confusion I caused.

Dwight

Hotmail plays all kinds of tricks at times. I couldn't get it to accept my login ID or password for a couple of days recently. Wait a day or so, you my find it "fixed" itself.

Hi Dwight, you didn't confuse me. I'm sure it's hard to try to figure out everyone's computer problems with just words I do get that far where it says download file that's where it brings me back to the log in. It won't let me open the file.

This is what it brings up Dwight after I click download file.

Type Your Password Help




Please re-enter your password.

Sign in with a different e-mail address.



E-mail Address xxxxxxx.com



Password



Sign me in automatically.









Do not remember my e-mail address for future sign-in. (Select this when using a public computer.)






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That "File Download" button is a java script that opens the file in a new web page, or in some instances, opens the file in a conventional "Save As" window.

Would you send yourself a file attachment that will not open in Internet Explorer? That will force the "Save As" window to open. If that works correctly, then I think we will have narrowed the problem down to your I. E. installation. If it doesn't, then I think the problem must be with the Java scripting on your machine.

I tested this theory using a .cdr graphic file, that I sent to my own Hotmail account. If you want, click on my username and send me an email from your Hotmail account. I will reply, with the .cdr file attached. The .cdr image file is fairly small, and unless you have CorelDraw installed, you won't be able to open it, but if it opens the "Save As" window, that is all we need to know.

If you want to just send yourself a file attachment, what you need is a file type that is not listed in the "File" / "Open" / "Files of Type" list.

In I.E., click File/Open. Then click "Browse", then in the "Open" window, go to the bottom and look in the "Files of Type" option box. Choose any file type to send yourself that doesn't appear in that list.

If you do choose to send yourself an attached file, please let me know the results, and the file type that you used for your test.

Here's hoping this is going to help, eventually!

Dwight

Hi Dwight, I sent you an email.

Hi Dwight, I just got a doc. file from someone that I could open. So I tried to open the jpg.file again with no luck. Don't know it that means anything or not?