Windows Mail says can't find attachment

I have a problem in a newly set up Vista Home Basic computer, attachments are apparently not being found to open or save them.

When I click open or save, it opens Word then tells me it can't find the file. I can't find the file location it says it can't find either, but I can't find a temp file where the attachments are held in the system, nor where to tell the computer where they should be put.

I can forward the email to my husband in the same workgroup, who can open, save and print them, he is also using Vista.

Can anyone throw any light on it please?

Lynne

josordoni said:

I have a problem in a newly set up Vista Home Basic computer, attachments are apparently not being found to open or save them.

When I click open or save, it opens Word then tells me it can't find the file. I can't find the file location it says it can't find either, but I can't find a temp file where the attachments are held in the system, nor where to tell the computer where they should be put.

I can forward the email to my husband in the same workgroup, who can open, save and print them, he is also using Vista.

Can anyone throw any light on it please?

Lynne

Click to expand...

Do you have Internet Explorer 9 ( IE9 ) ?
If yes........
Double click at the e-mail that is supposed to contain an attachment.
The e-mail should now open in its own window.
Do you see the " paper clip " now ?

Yes I have IE9, I opened the email, but there was no paperclip. The attachment showed in the window at the top, but when I clicked it to open or save, I got the open/save pop up, which opened Word, but then an error message saying that the file can't be found. It looks like the path is corrupted - the profile was imported from a computer running XP, but can't see where files are being saved in Vista, nor how to tell Windows Mail where they should be kept

Vista has been very difficult to set up, to get some work done, I have gone back to my old XP computer for a while!

Welcome
It may be the account. Set up a new user account and see if it works there.
Can also be a virus issue
Run a full and updated scan with your anti virus
Download and fun a full and updated scan with the free malwarebytes
http://www.techspot.com/downloads/4716-malwarebytes-anti-malware.html

thank you, I have gone back to my old computer for the moment, will try again at a later date. Need to get some work done!! can't just keep on trying to put a computer together, in this day and age, you would think it would be easy

I think it is easy, once we locate the problem. I think that with the suggestions given you will find the solution. Whatever the outcome, I do wish you the best of luck

josordoni said:

Yes I have IE9, I opened the email, but there was no paperclip. The attachment showed in the window at the top, but when I clicked it to open or save, I got the open/save pop up, which opened Word, but then an error message saying that the file can't be found. It looks like the path is corrupted - the profile was imported from a computer running XP, but can't see where files are being saved in Vista, nor how to tell Windows Mail where they should be kept

Vista has been very difficult to set up, to get some work done, I have gone back to my old XP computer for a while!

Click to expand...

You are using terms that are NOT Windows Mail terminology.....

1. In Windows Mail (WM), when you open an e-mail which has an attachment, there is a " paper clip " symbol at top right. It represents the presence of an attachment.

2. When you righ click at the " paper clip" a drop down box will appear with 2 options...
a. Open.
b. Save Attachments.

If you click Open , the attachment will be opened by a program assigned to open such an attachment......
example: if the attachment has a doc extension at the end, it will be opened by either MS Office Word, or MS Word Viewer.

If you click Save Attachments, a new window will open to allow you to navigate to a folder where the attachment will be saved to.

Your description of your problems do not match with what WM will do when you open an attchment.

You are using terms that are NOT Windows Mail terminology.....

1. In Windows Mail (WM), when you open an e-mail which has an attachment, there is a " paper clip " symbol at top right. It represents the presence of an attachment.

2. When you righ click at the " paper clip" a drop down box will appear with 2 options...
a. Open.
b. Save Attachments.

If you click Open , the attachment will be opened by a program assigned to open such an attachment......
example: if the attachment has a doc extension at the end, it will be opened by either MS Office Word, or MS Word Viewer.

If you click Save Attachments, a new window will open to allow you to navigate to a folder where the attachment will be saved to.

Your description of your problems do not match with what WM will do when you open an attchment.

Click to expand...

In the preview pane, there is a paperclip. If I open the email there is no paperclip, there is the name of the file in the long thin window bar under the addresses at the top.

If I click open, the attachment tries to open, it opens Word, but that stays empty and if I go back to the original email, there is a pop up window on top saying that Windows Mail can't find the file.

If I click on Save Attachments, I just get the pop up saying that the file can't be found.

I am sorry if the terminology is not what you need, but I am sure that you get the gist of the situation. I think that somehow on tranferring the profile, the file locations have got muddled.

My actual question is where does Window Mail hold attachments in a temp file so that I can find the file manually, and is there a facility to amend the location specified in the programme to the place where the files are actually being held.

>>>>In the preview pane, there is a paperclip. If I open the email there is no paperclip, there is the name of the file in the long thin window bar under the addresses at the top.

As mentioned in my first reply..... double click ( 2 left clicks ) at the e-mail which has an attachment > the e-mail will then open in its own window > there, the paper clip should be visible.

If I doubleclick the paperclip nothing happens. If I double click on the message name in the list then it opens in its own pane, then there is no paperclip, but the name of the attachment is in a long window underneath the address bars.

I am more interested to know where Vista stores attached files, i.e. in which file they can be found. And if there is a way to specify the location, as there is in Outlook.

josordoni said:

If I doubleclick the paperclip nothing happens. If I double click on the message name in the list then it opens in its own pane, then there is no paperclip, but the name of the attachment is in a long window underneath the address bars.

I am more interested to know where Vista stores attached files, i.e. in which file they can be found. And if there is a way to specify the location, as there is in Outlook.

Click to expand...

Just a suggestion :

Start > in the search box, type ..... C:\Windows\Temp > Enter

Thanks I'll give that a try when I reattach the new computer. It may also be that the profile is corrupted I suppose.