12-24-2007, 12:26 PM

This is probably a simple fix but I can't figure it out.

After recent Microsoft updates to my Powerbook's Microsoft software on my G4 Powerbook, 2003 Word doc attachments are no longer recognized by my OS (10.4.11) as Word docs. The Word doc files are renamed winmail.dat and Graphics Converter tries to read them and of course can't.

How do I get my OS to recognize Word docs for what they are?

Thanks,

LundJ

12-24-2007, 12:47 PM

winmail.dat files are not Word files. They are Microsoft Outlook email files, and you can ignore them.

12-24-2007, 12:52 PM

*Moved thread to proper forum - Question has nothing to do with OS X but third-party software*

12-24-2007, 01:04 PM

what email client are you using

12-24-2007, 01:45 PM

If anyone sends me a Word doc attachment it arrives as a winmail.dat file when I open it from our ShawMail server.

So what I am thinking is that something happens when it goes through the server that changes it and it is then not recognized by my Powerbook's OS or onboard Word software.

I don't know why because all was working fine a week ago before Word and other software was automatically updated.

Is there a way to instruct my software to recognize is as a Word doc?

Thanks,

lundj

12-24-2007, 02:03 PM

the file appears as a winmail.dat because outlook has encoded it in an odd way.

If the sender formats their message as RTF rather than HTML or plain text, the mail is encoded in that outlook only format

http://mac.softpedia.com/get/Utiliti...s-Enough.shtml

The above utility claims to be able to extract the info out of that format

12-24-2007, 02:09 PM

Thanks louishen....I will take a look at that.

Cheers,

lundj

12-24-2007, 05:07 PM

louishen,

That is a sweet bit of software you referred me to. Thanks for taking the time.

As a writer I need to send and receive lots of Word docs so this will relieve some anxiety.

Cheers and thanks again,

John Lund