I have Vista installed on an HP computer and I can’t seem to open most attachments. I went into Outlook Express/tools/options/security and followed the help suggestions. I am changing from Outlook to MSN but now I can’t seem to open anything. Help?

Opening Email Attachments

So, are you having trouble with attachments in your MSN account too? Or only in the Outlook Express account? The most likely explanation is that your security settings are too high to allow most or all of your attachments through.

Back Up and Review your Antivirus Program Settings

Most, if not all, email programs are equipped with security settings to stop contaminated files from gaining access to your computer system. It is common practice to transmit infected files as email attachments, so these protections are important. Before you make any changes to your Outlook Express settings you should be sure that your antivirus software is up-to-date. Lowering your email security will increase the risk of corrupt or infected files accessing your computer, so make sure that you are covered by another program.

Change Security Settings in Outlook Express

1. Open Outlook Express and choose Tools from the menu
2. Scroll to Options and click the Security tab
3. Click to remove the check from Do Not Allow Attachments to be Saved or Opened that could Potentially be a Virus
4. Click Apply, then OK

Change Security Settings in Windows Live Mail

Outlook Express’s successor, Windows Live Mail, is programmed to block some file types. Certain file extensions, such as .exe, .pif, .scr are commonly used for viruses and pose a real threat to your computer. Since Windows Live Mail is a pretty new program, it is up-to-date in its definitions, and you might think about trusting its judgment. But, if you decide to override the Windows Live Mail security settings, here’s how you can do it. Before you do, make sure your antivirus security software is up-to-date with definitions and enabled.

1. Click Start, then All Programs, then Windows Mail to open the program
2. Choose the Tools menu, then Options
3. Choose the Security tab, and then find the listing for Do Not Allow Attachments to be Saved or Opened that could potentially be a Virus
4. Click to Remove the check from the box to disable this function
5. Click OK
6. Close and quit Windows Live Mail and then reopen the program to allow the changes to take effect

Kate Dubensky | June 9th, 2009
Tags: cannot open attachments, file extension, open attachments, opening attachments
Categories: Email

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