Sending email attachments - can't open them!

[lucycoulter]

Please can somebody help! This has been happening intermittently over the past few months and I have no idea why..

When I save a document into my documents folder, either as a doc or docx or pdf and then try to send it as an attachment via hotmail, it comes up as a blank piece of paper to signify the attachment, but the recipient can't open the folder. The same happens when I send something to myself to access on my ipad - it just says that it is unable to open the attachment, as it doesn't seem to have sent it through as a doc/docx/pdf!

When I highlight the document in finder and click on more info, it comes up as showing it is locked on the bottom right screen, so I press unlock before I open the document to attach it, but this still doesn't seem to work...

Any suggestions??

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hello and welcome.

A few questions:

-How are you accessing your Hotmail - Safari, Firefox, Apple Mail?
-Which Mac model and OS version are you running?
-Do you have Microsoft Silverlight installed?

C

 

[lucycoulter]

thanks for getting back to me so quickly...

I'm accessing hotmail through safari
Model is MacBook 4.1 Mac OS X, version 10.5.8
And no I don't have silverlight installed

L

 

[Cory Cooper]

Unfortunately, Hotmail is notorious for small issues popping up.

I would try using Firefox to see if the issue is persistent. Some people have trouble using Safari with Hotmail.

-Do the attachments have the correct file type/extension when received?
-Have you tried saving and sending from a different folder on your Mac?
-Are all the documents in your Documents folder locked?

C

 

[lucycoulter]

Same problem when using firefox...

I've tried saving and sending from a different folder and that makes no difference.
All my documents seem to be locked in all folders.
With regards to what the file type/extension is when sent - I don't know how to find that out. I tried sending it to myself at hotmail and it opens, but I assume that's because it's on the same computer? When I try and open it from my ipad it still won't let me...

L

 

[Cory Cooper]

Hmmm

I have heard of this issue/similar issues before, and the majority of the time it is due to Silverlight. Silverlight does get installed by other software at times, not necessarily by downloading it and installing it manually.

Could we check, just to make sure?

Close all your browsers and go to Macintosh HD/Library/Internet Plug-Ins/ and see if there is anything with Silverlight in the name. If so, drag it to the trash and restart browser to test.

It's strange that all of your documents are locked in your User folder. Has this always been this way? Do you have any other issues using your Mac?

To find out the extension on a file, click on the file to highlight it and then select File > Get Info from menu bar. In the section Name & Extension, it will list it. It will also tell you what kind of file it is under Kind in the General section (where the Locked checkbox is).

We'll keep trying to narrow this down,

C

 

[lucycoulter]

Ok, turns out there was something with silverlight in my internet plug-ins so i've deleted it and restarted the computer - no change unfortunately.
Incidentally I hadn't emptied the trash when i restarted - could that have made a difference?

No other issues with my mac up until now - and i'm not sure whether the documents have always been locked, but sending email attachments only became a problem a few months ago

When the files are received they come up as plain text documents. on the file/extension part of the "get info" it just says the name of the file which I chose, with no .doc or .docx or anything like that after it

L

 

[Cory Cooper]

OK. I will keep researching this. I have a feeling it is a setting on Hotmail, but I am not sure.

In the Internet Plug-Ins folder, is there a file called WPFe.plugin. If so, trash it also.

Hang in there,

C

 

[lucycoulter]

No WPFe.plugin

Thanks, I eagerly await your reply!

 

[Cory Cooper]

Still looking into this...

 

[Cory Cooper]

I still haven't found a solution unfortunately.

C