# Outlook/Exchange 2003 outgoing attachments missing



## rockyp (May 10, 2007)

This is a real puzzle. We are using Exchange 2003 and Outlook 2003. My boss sends several attachments weekly - mostly .xls, but also, .pdf, .doc, and more. Randomly, it seems, the recipient wil not receive the attachments. It seems to happen only to him - no one else reports lost attachments. This has been happening for at least 5-6 months (since we switched from ISP POP mail to Exchange). The attachments are not large (today, he sent a 77Kb .xls file to 6 people in separate emails - 2 didn't receive the attachments, but got the message body). I can send them successfully, and receive them from him. He can send them successfully on the second or third try. The recipients receive some, but not all attachments he sends. The message text goes through okay. We have switched his PC twice (he is on his third PC since this started), and the problem persists. 

I can eliminate problems at the receiving end, since repeated attempts to send to the same recipient eventually succeeds.

I can eliminate the hardware, since he is on his third PC doing the same thing.

I can eliminate Exchange, since others in the company have reported no problems doing the same thing.

I can elliminate Outlook, since he is on his third install of Outlook, and others in the company use the same version. 

Unfortunately, that about eliminates all of the variables. We are getting frustrated and desperate!

Any ideas?

Thanks,
Rocky


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## reliant_data (Jul 9, 2007)

Did you ever get any resolution to this problem?

We are having a problem where Word attachments from one particular outside address are not opening properly. If the same email is sent to both an external email address and one of our exchange addresses, it can be opened fine at the external address, but not on the exchange address. This problem seems limited to this one outside user (an employee on sick leave working from home), as attachments from other addresses seem to open fine. Trying to determine if we're dealing with an Exchange problem or something on her end and I wonder if your problem and mine are related.


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## rockyp (May 10, 2007)

We were never able to "solve" the problem, but it did go away after installing a new PC for the user. For several months... 

It appeared again this week after we had a severe interruption of our Internet service. I am away from the office for a week, so the user has switched to Outlook Express, which does not have the same problem.

The fact that it stopped happening with a new PC - new Outlook (2003) - suggests that it is an Outlook problem. But now, we are unsure again.

Sorry I can't be of any more help than that...


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## reliant_data (Jul 9, 2007)

No problem. We're stumped with our issue as well. I'll let you know if we come up with some clever solution.


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## msaumure (Apr 8, 2008)

rockyp said:


> We are using Exchange 2003 and Outlook 2003. My boss sends several attachments weekly - mostly .xls, but also, .pdf, .doc, and more. Randomly, it seems, the recipient wil not receive the attachments. Rocky


Hi Rocky
Any updates on this problem? I'm afraid I can't offer a solution -- but I have been experiencing the same problem for a couple of months now. I changed to Outlook 2007 -- did not solve. Once a correspondent starts not receiving the attachments, they don't seem to ever receive them again. My email traffic is about 50 regular correspondents with attachments, and I now have 5 who don't receive the emails. I can use the Internet mail version of my provider and in that case, the messages are not lost, which goes to show I guess that the problem must be local to this machine. One change that I made about the same time this problem started: installed a second computer on my home network.

Any ideas you might have, I'd be grateful for a solution...
msaumure


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## art.gibbens (Apr 21, 2008)

We too would like someone to post a solution to this attachment problem. We suspect it's a problem with the local setup of Outlook 2003. We do NOT use exchange server. We have been able to send the exact same .xls attachment to the same recipient using Outlook 2002, Thunderbird (On Mac OS 10.4) and an external gmail account. The recipient got all three attachments. It's just .xls attachments from the 2003 Outlook that will not show up in this one recipient's in box. The message body comes through fine. The recipient is using XP with Outlook Express - not sure what version. The same machine with 2003 Outlook can send this same .xls attachment to other recipients and it comes through just fine as well. It seems to be a case of one machine to another not being able to send .xls attachments. It's really odd. Thanx for any help anyone has. PS. Outlook hotfix/SP 3 has been applied and is suspect, as the sender was able to send .xls attachments to this recipient last summer.

Art


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## msaumure (Apr 8, 2008)

Art,
I have found a solution to the missing outgoing attachments problem that works for me. It seems this problem may occur in various circumstances, but does occur when the sender uses Outlook with HTML formatted messages, and the recipient uses Outlook Express. The solution, which is not elegant, I grant you, is to format all outgoing messages as plain text, then the attachments will follow. It is peculiar that the problem appeared overnight with some of my correspondents, so I suspect a security update to be the problem, but until now sending mail in plain text every time there is an attachment has solved the issue.
I hope this can be useful for you
M Saumure


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## art.gibbens (Apr 21, 2008)

Thanx msaumure,

Your workaround works for us as well. So now we have to hope someone in Microsoft world becomes aware of the problem and that it's a big enough one for them to rectify.

Art


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## GeraldSwanepoel (May 22, 2009)

Not quite sure where/how to repeat the query "rockpy" send you in 5 Oct 2007 but I have the identical problem. Where do I look for your reply(ies) on his and seems many others similar problem?

Gerald


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## Busgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

This is making me nuts and has been happening ever since I upgraded to MS 2007. 

2 things I'm fairly certain of: attachments "disappear" when sending to those who use Outlook Express, and it must be a result of something on my computer, not theirs.

Anyone find a solution yet???


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## msaumure (Apr 8, 2008)

Yes! whenever you send a message to these correspondents, set your own message option to "plain text" and they will receive the attachment.
M Saumure
[email protected]


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## Busgirl (Jun 5, 2009)

Thank you! That did the trick! ray:


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