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General discussion

Strange message

Aug 15, 2010 5:12PM PDT

My neighbour sent me an email today, saying ...
... every so often we receive an e-mail (like your "beautiful slide show") which we can't open because our box says: "unknown file type" and then goes on to say: "This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Folder Options control panel."
Can you, or somebody else at your office, advise how I might be able to do that. If you can, then please do it in one-syllable words and very s-l-o-w-l-y....

How can we overcome this please? It has happened with emails I have received from time to time too. I have Vista, but I'm not sure what she has, or the virus programme she has go.

Discussion is locked

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more info
Aug 15, 2010 7:23PM PDT

the neighbour advised me they have ...

Windows XP and windows firewall+virus protection as well as a private one from the states which is called Stop Sign and does everything; Anti - virus/ spyware/threats/firewall and goes through the system everytime we switch on.

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Re: no associated program
Aug 15, 2010 7:48PM PDT

First thing to know: what kind of file is it, so what program should open it? You don't tell, so maybe you don't know.

Things to do to find out:
1. Save the attachment to your hard disk (desktop is OK, any other folder is even better).
2. In Control Panel set the folder options to show (=not hide) file extensions for known file types.
3. Now in Computer or Windows Explorer browse to the folder you saved the attachment in, and tell us the full name. My guess: it ends with .ppt or .pps

Kees

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kees
Aug 16, 2010 8:07AM PDT

thanks for your reply, and you are right, I have NO idea what kind of file it is. What happens is, that I get some 'funnies' from friends, and I forward them on, and our neighbour emailed to say they have this problem and can't open them.
I will send your reply to them to get them to check the file and get back to you.
so if it is .ppt or .pps, what should I do?

Is there any way I can 'fix' something BEFORE I forward it on so this doesn't happen where they receive the forwarded attachment?? It doesn't happen all the time, only sometimes apparently.

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again
Aug 16, 2010 2:29PM PDT

I have just heard back, kees, it is indeed a pps file.
How do we get on top of this one please, for me sending it, or if I receive one from someone else??

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again
Aug 16, 2010 4:19PM PDT

I have just done that exercise on the attachment that I received from someone, that I sent on, and its .eml on mine, whereas neighbour said hers was .pps

how do we get round this please??

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Re: pps
Aug 16, 2010 4:51PM PDT

That's a Powerpoint presentation. You need a Powerpoint-like program to open it. The three common options:
1. Buy MS Office Home and Student. Includes Powerpoint.
2. Download and install the free Powerpoint viewer from http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?familyid=048dc840-14e1-467d-8dca-19d2a8fd7485&displaylang=en
3. Download and install the free OpenOffice suite from http://www.openoffice.org/
It has "replacements", so to say, for the programs in MS Office. One of them is a Powerpoint-like program called Draw, that lets you not only VIEW or PRINT presentations, but MAKE them also.

It's fully your choice.

Kees

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kees
Aug 17, 2010 6:03AM PDT

thank you Kees, you have been very helpful, and I've passed your suggestions on to our neighbour.

Just out of interest, as the attachment on my computer is .eml, how does it go to .pps on our neighbours machine? And is it possible for me to change the file before I forward something on?

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Re: eml
Aug 17, 2010 6:43AM PDT

An eml-attachment is a full email. It's possible to save an email to your hard disk. Then it gets the .eml extension (from Outlook, anyway). And because it's just a file on the hard disk, you can add it as an attachment to another email. Because it's a mail message, it isn't a presentation, so you can't convert it. All you can do: double click it in My Computer and hope you've got a compatible program installed (like MS Outlook).

The usual way to send a mail to other people is to forward the message, and then usualy the email program puts the full content in the body of your mail. But it could be that some email programs has the option to add the forwarded mail as an attachment in stead of putting it into the body of the new mail.

Kees

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kees
Aug 17, 2010 9:06PM PDT

thank you very much kees, you have been very helpful and my neighbour is going to download one of those free programmes you suggested.

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again
Aug 20, 2010 7:16AM PDT

Kees my neighbour emailed last night and said he got an email from me, used your method and found it was a eml file, which I knew, as I got it as an eml file.

so does that mean he will have to download Microsoft Outlook to be able to open it?? Is that a free download that he can download??

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The presentation program at Open Office is..
Aug 24, 2010 11:50PM PDT

...called "Impress".