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Unable to receive attachments

14K views 12 replies 4 participants last post by  terry1930 
#1 ·
I'm investigating a problem where attachments are not being received.

My client uses quickbooks to email out invoices to his customers.
Quickbooks converts the invoice to a pdf and then attaches it to a email.

This has worked consistently in the past and now client claims that people who had received his electonic invoice do not get the attachments.

Investigation so far.
1) Trying to determine if problem is sender or receiver issue.
- have been successful on sending to known users (myself) and hotmail and various other accounts.
- Assume the issue is with the receiver

2) Have told the sender to ask the receive to check his Outlook Express security setting... tools / security and turn off "do not allow attachments that could potentially be a virus" (this usually covers 90% of the receivers).

3) I think I need to check out each receiver individuallly.

Looking for any other direction as to why attachments cannot be recived.
(Space available to receive is always an issue...)
 
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#3 ·
Follow-up (2 months later).
I still have not got an answer to this but have investigated further with my client.

We have confirmed that some users are not receiving emailed (pdf) invoices when initiated directly from Quickbooks version 2004 using Outlook.

I have tested with a particular user who when was sent an invoice from Quickbooks receives an email but does not see any attachment.
Note: Our email is seen in the outlook sent folder with attachment.

I have also confirmed that the recipient can receive (via Outlook Express) and view attachment .. any attachments. (So there is no issue with the option to view attachments being turned off to avoid viruses as is the default with Outlook express).

We can also confirm that the recipient does receive the email and attachment if the email is forwarded again. Meaning that we access the original email in our Outlook sent folder and forward the same email with attachment.

I'm following up with Quickbooks support on behalf of my client.
If anyone has any suggestions or ideas of there own.. I would appreciate a post.

Thanks in advance. ;)
 
#4 ·
Hi Ucurl: I have a similar problem with a friend who always uses Outlook. In Outlook Express I can receive attachments from all my other friends, but from him I get the email but no attachment, even if they are zipped. He can receive things I send using OE. He insists it is my ISP blocking the attachments, I insist it is his, so we are at a stalemate. My guess is it is probably something in his settings for Outlook or his ISP because I have no problems with anyone else.

I have given up arguing with him. He is a computer technician and thinks I'm the one who is stupid.
I have had to ask him always to let me know before he sends me an attachment so I can be sure to open Outlook to receive it.

I don't have your version of Quickbooks, but if you can use Outlook Express instead of Outlook, then I would try that. Also I would try sending an item from Quickbooks to yourself to see if you can receive the attachment using your version of Outlook and O.E. (That's a trick I use to test my outgoing email). Hope this helps.
 
#6 ·
Thanks for the reply guys... but this one is pretty stright forward (I think)

Sending an email with an attachment from within "QuickBooks" appears to be the issues.

Quickbook (clients version is 2004) generates an email with attachment invoice pdf file and interfaces it to Outlook to send. (Note: emails go to individuals not a cc: - Some individual users get one, some users appear not to)

I re-send the same email AGAIN using Outlook directly and the user who didn't get it the first time now receives it. (go figure)

I've checked into the preferences at both ends and suspect/focusing in on an issue within Quickbooks email interface.
 
#7 ·
Hi Ucurl, this explains your problem better, but I agree with you that its seems mighty weird.

However, I just checked my copy of the 2003 Quickbooks. I don't see anywhere in Preferences or the invoicing help where you can specify which email program Quickbooks must use, so I reckon it must use the 'default'.

If that is the case, could you try changing the default to Outlook Express outside of Quickbooks, then try sending a dummy invoice to yourself to see if Quickbooks will then use OE and get around the problem that way. Or, is there some reason you must use Outlook? Just a thought, as I can understand how annoying this quirk is for you.
 
#8 ·
You are right... it uses the default as specified in your ie
Tools / internet Options / Programs tab - email.

You can switch it from OUtlook to Outlook express or whatever.

Outlook is what the client uses for everything. (calendar/contacts etc.) no point going backwards.

(May be I missed something you are referring to.. The client uses Outlook (only) and some of the recipients uses OUtlook express... The sending vehicle is always the same "Outlook"... I may have referred to Outlook Express in an earlier thread in error, if so sorry about that.)

The big issue for my client and is one of professionalism... he sends out an email with the invoice and when he gets a call to say the attachment didn't arrive... he looks like an idiot... (he doesn't want to call each of his clients to see if it worked.)
The client would like to know under what criteria it fails so he can prevent it.
 
#9 ·
I understand what you are saying. But my own experience is that when my friend who uses Outlook sends me an attachment, if I open the email using Outlook Express I don't get the attachment. I have to get him to send it to me again and then make sure I use Outlook to open it. (I don't normally use Outlook because I am retired and it is overkill for my needs. ) I think it must be something to do with the settings in the options on either his Outlook or my Outlook Express, but I have tried all variations without success.

Have you checked to see if the people who are not receiving the attachments are using Outlook Express? Have you reviewed your client's settings in Outlook. Worth a try.
 
#10 ·
Gotcha... My customer is sending from Outlook and the receipient IS using Outlook express. I'll check to see what the other problem recipients are using.

FYI, In Outlook Express "Security" there is a setting, when set (by default is on) does not allow attachments.

This is overkill if you have a reputable antivirus software that checks emails.

Found in "Outlook Express - > Tools / Options / Security Tab - check box "Do not allow attchaments to be saved or opened that could potenially be a virus."
 
#11 ·
Follow-up

Ok... It's taken a lot of round about effort but I think I've nailed this one down.

I had my user send me the email (from QB via their Outlook) with attachment to my webmaster account that I pickup via "Outlook Express".
Results: I got the email but with no attachment.

I then accessed my mail server and added a forward email (hotmail) address to my webmaster email address. Just to see if it was the receiver or an Outlook issue.

I had them resend... Results: the webmaster email via Outlook Express was as before ...email.. no attachment.
The hotmail account however, received the email and an attachment.. but not the "PDF" as expected... it showed an attachment of "winmail.dat".

I did some investigation on the winmail.dat file (googled on winmail.dat) and found that it is used specifically by Outlook for Outlook and allows fonts, formats to be preserved. Outlook allows you to send in "plain text" Html or "Rich Text Format".

It's these formats that cause the problems.
Most other mail programs (including eudora and Outlook express) cannot receive the saved format... if it is in "Rich Text Format". So it convert it to a winmail.dat file.
Outlook Express appears to drop this (winmail.dat) attachment.

See this link: as an example of the winmail.dat issue... there are others.
http://www.gpc.edu/~jbenson/resource/winmail.htm

So next I sent an invoice email to myself via QB (I have been able to receive the email and see the attachment in MY Outlook Express).

QB presents the email (outlook mail) and before I pressed the send button, I checked the "Format" and changed it from "plain text" to "Rich Text Format". I sent and checked my email (via Outlook Express).. I got the email and no attachment, my hotmail got the email with the winmail.dat file.

I then re did this and changed the format from "Rich Text" back to "Plain Text". I get the email and pdf attachments in both my email account and my hotmail account.

Bottom line is if you are sending (with attachment) to an Outlook Express users make sure you are using "Plain Text" or "HTML" format and not "Rich Text Format".

So.. I suspect that my client has the default format set to "Rich Text Format". I haven't gotten hold of them as yet to really confirm but this looks like the answer.

Terry1930 - you might want to confirm this as well.

I'll post a confirmation when I get one.
 
#13 ·
Hi Ucurl

My friend sent me various emails to-day in different formats. I was surprised because they all came through OK in my Outlook Express. Then he told me that since we last had problems he has upgraded to the 2003 version of Outlook, which he says is very much improved. I suspect that the settings on that version are different from his old one. Anyway, that's my problem solved.

I have bookmarked the site you found which explains the how and why, so I can look it up again if the problem surfaces with any others.

Thanks for your help. Hope you have success with your client.
 
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