File Attachments

File Attachments
By: Scott Hendison � Published: June 2000

Many new users are baffled by file Attachments. What are they? How do you attach them? How do you open them? How do you know they aren't virus laden? Well this month I'll talk about those questions.

What are file attachments? Quite simply, they are just files that are attached to and sent via e-mail. Any type of file can be sent via e-mail, from a plain notepad document to a cartoon or picture.

How do I attach a file? Create e-mail, and type in the address of who you want to send it to. Then locate the "attach" option in your e-mail program. From Microsoft Outlook Express, it is a picture of a paper clip, on the toolbar, and also listed as an option under the "insert" pull down menu.

In different versions of Netscape, it is also a paper clip icon on the toolbar, and there is also a paperclip icon under the "To" icon in the body of the e-mail itself.

In AOL, there is actually a button that says, "attach" at the bottom of the e-mail you've created. If I remember correctly though, you can only attach one file per e-mail in AOL, whereas in Outlook or Netscape, you can attach multiple files.

After hitting your "attach" icon, or button, or pull down option, the process is pretty universal no matter what e-mail program you are using. A dialog box will open up, and you just have to click and browse your way to the file, then double click on it to select it, and you're done; it's been attached!

How do I open an attachment? First of all, you want to verify that it doesn't have a virus. With all the catastrophic viruses out there today, just knowing the source does not ensure that it is virus free. An e-mail reply or phone call to the sender, asking if you should open it, is sometimes the only sure way to know if the file is legitimate.

Many of these viruses automatically send copies of themselves out to everyone in your address book, so the sender may not even be aware that they have sent it to you. Antivirus software will not always catch it either, unless you regularly update your software online. Even then, on the first day of a new virus like "I Love You" there is no inoculation available for a few hours.

To open the file attachment, just double click on the icon (usually a paper clip). That's it. If the file is in a format that you can read, like a Microsoft Notepad file or a picture (usually a .jpg or JPEG file) then after you double click, it will open up automatically for your viewing enjoyment (or annoyance).

If you do not have the software that the file was created in, then a window will open asking you "What program do you want to use to open this file?" At that point, you may as well just give up, because usually, no matter what you try, you won't be able to view it. Instead, just send an e-mail reply to the sender that you cannot view their file attachment, and will they please send it in a more universal format.

For example, when I send this Microsoft Word column out each month to our subscribers, I save the document into a different format, called Rich Text Format, or .rtf. That way, it can be opened in nearly any word processor, without the recipient having to own Microsoft Word.

Nearly every high end software program has a way for the user to save the file in a format other than its own so that users of the software may share the information they've created with other users that may not own the program . . . even Microsoft!

Thanks for reading this, and I hope it helps someone you know!