OL98: Can't Open Word Attachments with Custom Extensions (191237)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook 98
This article was previously published under Q191237

SYMPTOMS

When opening an attached Microsoft Word document that uses a custom file name extension, you receive the following error message:
The file, <TEMP directory path to the attached file>, does not have a program associated with it. For this action. To create an association, double-click My Computer on your desktop. On the View menu, click Options, and then Click File Types.

CAUSE

The custom extension is not registered with the operating system.

RESOLUTION

There are two methods you can use to successfully open the Word files with custom extensions:

  • Save the documents to a location on the hard drive and then open then in Word.
  • Create an association for the custom extension on the computer that receives the Word document..)

MORE INFORMATION

Although the Word documents with the custom extension will open directly on the system where they were created and saved, attempts to open them as an attachment will result in the error message. Use the following steps to open the file:

To save an attachment from a mail message, follow these steps:

  1. Right-click the attachment icon in the mail message and then click Save As on the shortcut menu.
  2. In the Save Attachment dialog box, select a location to save the file and then click Save.

To Create a File Association

To create a file association for the custom file extension, follow these steps:

  1. On the Windows desktop, double-click My Computer. On the View menu, click Options.
  2. On the File Types tab, click New Type.
  3. In the Description of Type box type a short description of the new association. This may describe your use for the custom extension, such as a special project you wish to have identified by the file extension.
  4. In Associated Extension, enter the new extension label using the three character convention. For example, if the extension is for Word documents used in a sales proposal, you might use the extension, ".spr" for this document type.
  5. In Content Type (MIME) click to select "application/msword" to associate Word with the custom extension. In Default Extension for Content Type, click to select the extension entered in Step 4.
  6. Click New. In the Action box, type Opens. Click Browse to select Word as the "Application used to perform action." Navigate to the folder where Word is installed. The default is: 
    C:\Program Files\Microsoft Office\Office\winword.exe
    Click Winword.exe and then click Open.
  7. You must now restart your computer to have the new association recognized.
Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:1/14/2000
Keywords:kbinterop kbprb KB191237
©2002 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.