You cannot save attachment with long file names in Outlook 97 (170798)

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SYMPTOMS

When saving an attachment file in Microsoft Outlook, you may receive the following error message:

Can't create file: <Long File Named File -- ONLY LFN> Right-click the folder you want to create the file in, and then click Properties on the Shortcut menu to check your permissions for the folder.

CAUSE

The attachment file has a long file name and the volume, or hard disk on which you have your Temp folder does not support long file names. Even if the attachment does not appear to have a long file name, this problem can occur if you have previously opened a file with the same name. This creates a sequence of files in your Temp folder, each incremented with a higher number at the end of the file name. For example, if you repeatedly open a file named mysheet.xls, in your Temp folder you may see Mysheet.xls, Mysheet1.xls, Mysheet2.xls, and so on. When you open the same named file attachment for 10th time, the number of files in your Temp folder reaches Mysheet19.xls. Because this has 9 digits in the file name it is a long file name, and your volume may not support this.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this problem, either move your Temp folder to a volume that supports long file names or, if your issue is caused by repeatedly opening the same file, delete the sequence of files from your Temp folder, and attempt to open the file attachment again.

MORE INFORMATION

During the save process, Outlook creates a temporary file of the attachment in your Temp folder. This file will have a name at least as long as the attachment name so the Temp folder must support long file names.