Outlook 2003 changes file extensions

[petrohawk]

While sending large text files between various office locations. Both outlook
2003 and outlook express 6 changes a .txt file extension to both .tmp and
..dat.
..tmp are blockrd by outlooks built in security and the .dat files are useless.
If we use Hotmail there is no problem and the file extensions are not changed.
How do we stop this from happening? We have Outlook 2003 installed at all of
our locations, and it is not timely to have to access a different mail system
constantly.
Thanking you in advance for your help in this matter

 

[Brian Tillman]

While sending large text files between various office locations. Both
outlook 2003 and outlook express 6 changes a .txt file extension to
both .tmp and .dat.

Certainly the .tmp extension is not being created by either Outlook or
Outlook Express. I can conceive of .dat attachments if you're sending Rich
Text mesages in Outlook, but Outlook Express won't make that change either.

My guess would be that you have some kind of addin or scanner running that
is doing the deed.

 

[petrohawk]

Mr. Tillman

Can you explain further? The original is coming from our Yuma office.
Recieved by our San DIego office. At that point it is a .txt. When it is
transmitted to our customer it becomes either a .tmp or a .dat.
Mailing it directly to my home office from San DIego it again becomes either
a .tmp or .dat. More frequently a .tmp. (blocked by outlook security)
If I recieve it on my Hotmail account it remains a .txt. I then send it back
to San Diego for verification. It stays a .txt if sent from either my
Adelphia account or my Hotmail account.
However if I send it to the customer from my adelphia (Outlook 2003) account
its a .tmp.
If I send it from my Hotmail account to the customer it remains a .txt. You
can see my confusion. Nothing makes any logical sense. You mentioned "Rich
Text Format", if it is originally sent that way, it could become a .dat?
Neither myself or the San Diego operation has any special readers / decoders
or Scanners (save anti-virus, San Diego has Norton and I have Freedom thru
Adelphia) on the Outlook system that we know of.
Is there anyway to check for this? Obviously we could just use Hotmail and
eliminate the problem. But if there is something wrong with our Outlook
operation we need to fix it before something else comes up.
This may not be relevant, however I was sent an animated .gif from a friend
who uses hotmail. Upon reciept I watched as the extension was changed to a
..dat by outlook before I could even open it.
If I can get to the .tmp file (I have once) I can change the extension to a
..txt then all is well. However the new Outlook Security will not let it in
and cannot be modified to do so.
Thank you for your time in this matter.

Signed
Extremely Frustrated

 

[Brian Tillman]

Can you explain further?

How can I be more explicit? Check to make sure you don't have any mail
scanners that process the messages either inbound or outbound and/or Add-ins
installed in Outlook.

You mentioned "Rich Text Format", if it is originally sent that way, it
could become a .dat?

If you send an Outlook message in Rich Text format, any non-Outlook client
will see a .dat attachment which is a TNEF-encoded Rich Text message that
only Outlook can read.

This may not be relevant, however I was sent an animated .gif from a
friend who uses hotmail. Upon reciept I watched as the extension was
changed to a .dat by outlook before I could even open it.

Describe this, please. When did you see it as .gif and when did it change
to .dat? Did you click anything between those two moments?

 

[petrohawk]

I opened outlook 2003, it automatically started a download operation, the
message came up, I looked to the reading pane and saw that "Outlook had
blocked" a file download, the dfile was shown as a ggreayed out .tmp file.
WHile I watched the pane the greyed out .tmp changed to a colored (not greyed
out) .dat file. the original was an animated .gif.
So, I appreciate your patience with this situation. Obviously there is a
problem with Outlook somewhere, someplace. To be quite frank we don't have
the time to play around with it. Therefore we will find another means to
transmit data between our offices. Thank you for your trouble in explaining
the intricacies of Microsofts wonderous program.

Respectfully
William Howes
Texaco Worldwide Lubricants Co.
Southern California
Coastal division.