PDF Attachments in Outlook Express

[Stretchman]

Hi guys,

I'm using Outlook Express 6. For some reason, I can no longer open up Adobe .pdf files when I receive them as attachments through email.

In order to view them I have to save them, navigate to the folder they are in and double click them from there. Any idea what happened? This just started last week.

[pam123]

Did it start after a security update?
Have you checked to see if "Open Attachments" is still allowed?

[perkster]

get foxit PDF reader loads much quicker as a much smaller and has less issues. but otherwise its a outlook situation probably.

[Stretchman]

Come to think of it, Win XP has been updating lately (mostly security fixes, etc).

If I attempt to open the .pdf file directly from Outlook Express 6, I get a pop up box asking, "Do you want to open this file?"

Underneath this, it lists the file name and file type. Strangely though, it ID's the file type as "unknown file type". When I go ahead and click "open" to proceed, nothing happens.

[pam123]

Go here : http://www.onecomputerguy.com/app_in...6.htm#security

Scroll down till you get to the part about how to tell OE6 to allow specific file attachments to be opened.
If you remember your previous settings in OE check to see what's been changed when you're in Options.

[Stretchman]

Hm. That seems to be what I need but....

I think there may be something wrong with the file association in windows.

In windows explorer, under "File Types" i've got Adobe Reader 8.0 listed as the default program to open .pdf's.

However, beneath the file name, in the details description, it doesn't talk about adobe .pdf files, it describes whatever file extension I happened to previously click upon in the long list of file extensions above. Additionally, when I click on .pdf, the only options I get are "change" or "restore". "Advanced" is missing. Clicking on "restore" brings .pdf files back to open with IE, and changing that option back to Adobe Reader doesn't fix anything.

Edit: Also, I recently switched from Adobe Reader 7 to 8.0.

[pam123]

I love Adobe updates, you can never trace back what went wrong!
First rule of software problems, do not multiply them!
I can't tell what your problem is except for you to uninstall all updates and go back to the last time it all worked.
When ( Where, in timewise) is your last working restore point, and how much back up have you done ?
Check this first before you do anything at all .

[mairving]

Funny I just had Acrobat Reader 8 do the same thing where the person couldn't open a pdf file by clicking on it. It was after an upgrade from 5 to 8.

[mojo]

Originally Posted by perkster get foxit PDF reader loads much quicker as a much smaller and has less issues. but otherwise its a outlook situation probably.

Another vote for foxit reader, i love it.

[Stretchman]

uh-oh, that's not good news. So, is this a Windows issues, or a windows-issue brought about by an Adobe update? Would it do any good to contact Adobe directly for assistance?

I make nightly backups to my maxtor external hard drive, but they are the 'completely reinstall windows in the event of a system crash' kind of backups. Perhaps it might be easier to uninstall and try a lesser version of adobe reader. Hm. Of course, going w/out adobe 8 will strip me of some functionality with my HP Laserjet, which requires the latest version of adobe.

[Stretchman]

Ok. Went ahead and brought Adobe 7 reader back, and now I can access .pdf files directly from Outlook Express 6. Hooray!

However, Adobe 8 was required to access my HP Laserjest 3030's Fax-to-Pc functionality. Does anyone know of a good third party application I can use (free or pay) to receive faxes directly to my Outlook Express 6 inbox?

[pam123]

Email support at both HP and Adobe.
It's possible that each will tell you it's the other's fault but it's also possible that one or the other has a fix or a work around.
Please post the reply you get for all of us to see.

[Stretchman]

Actually, I just wrapped off a month and half long correspondence with HP concerning Fax to PC functionality. They were very helpful, but I learned that the HP software can be very picky when it comes to certain functions. One of those 'nit-picks' was the required upgrade from Adobe 7 to 8, which may have been when my problem started.

I think i'll email Adobe and see what they say. Email is back to normal now, but I'd really like to continue using the fax-to-pc option. I was considering starting another thread on it, but I guess I'll just ask here and see if anyone else uses a program that delivers faxes to their email, or even just to windows.

[glc]

If all you want is faxes to your e-mail, the free eFax service can do that if you receive less than 20 faxes a month and you will accept a non-local fax number.

[Stretchman]

Since all of my business relies on my current fax number, it's pretty important that I keep the one that I have. I was hoping to find a small, program, easy to use, with a small cost (or not cost, ) that would help make managing all the faxes I receive a bit easier.

+ it's easier to sort out the real faxes from the junk mail faxes, without having to use up expensive laser jet ink toner.

[glc]

Why not put a $10 modem in the computer and tie that into your fax line - and set MS Fax to receive all your faxes instead of the multifunction printer? Then you simply print the ones you want. I believe MS Fax saves faxes as simple .tif files which can be viewed in any graphics viewing/editing program of your choice.

[Stretchman]

That might work. Could you explain that a little more in depth? Right now I have a dedicated fax line, with a cord running from the fax line's phone jack to the Laserjet 3030. What would I change in this setup with the addition of a modem card?

Would I still be able to send faxes the through my Laserjet 3030 the old fashioned way (i.e. manually), or would everything go through MS fax from then on?

[glc]

Connect the fax line to the modem input jack and then connect the 3030 to the "phone" jack on the modem. The 3030 will still be fully functional for sending, just turn off auto receive on the 3030 and set the modem/MS Fax to auto receive. MS Fax will be able to send directly from the computer too - just print a document and choose Fax as the printer. The 3030 will still be able to receive faxes if you re-enable auto receive, with less rings than you have MS Fax set up for.

[Stretchman]

That sounds really good. Just a few more questions on that. For the modem card - i'm using an Asus Pundit Bookshelf PC right now. I would need a half-height pci card in this instance?

Also, one of the difficulties that arose with the HP 3030 Toolbox software and its fax to pc function was the issue of profiles. Right now there are four seperate profiles on this PC. Only those profiles with adminstrative rights were allowed to view incoming faxes. In addition, when Windows XP was "idling" at the profile selection page (you know the one, the blue screen with the icons next to every profile's name) any incoming faxes received during that time would be unviewable.

Does MS Fax suffer from any of these peculiarities? I.e. does someone with administrative rights have to be logged in all the time in order for the fax function to work? I imagine that MS Fax might be a bit more robust than HP's software, but I don't have prior experience with MS's fax software.

[glc]

If you are using a tiny case like that, just get an external USB modem.

MS Fax runs as a service, and the received faxes by default go to the "all users" structure.