Received attachment converted from .pdf .xls to winmail.dat?

[simoncbaines]

I have received from one sender separate emails with individual .pdf
and .xls files as attachments via my Hotmail account.

If I open the messages via a web browser interface or Outlook 2003 on
my PC the attachments are as expected in the .pdf or .xls format,
however on my Mac using Entourage 2004, which is up to date with
software updates, they appear all as winmail.dat.

I have tried saving the files and changing the file type to .pdf
or .xls manually and then opening with the correct program but the
files are corrupt.

Ideas, as I am hoping to ditch the PC in the near future and don't
really won't to have to switch to a browser in such cases and of
course this does not happen with all senders.

 

[Jolly Roger]

I have received from one sender separate emails with individual .pdf
and .xls files as attachments via my Hotmail account.

If I open the messages via a web browser interface or Outlook 2003 on
my PC the attachments are as expected in the .pdf or .xls format,
however on my Mac using Entourage 2004, which is up to date with
software updates, they appear all as winmail.dat.

I have tried saving the files and changing the file type to .pdf
or .xls manually and then opening with the correct program but the
files are corrupt.

Ideas, as I am hoping to ditch the PC in the near future and don't
really won't to have to switch to a browser in such cases and of
course this does not happen with all senders.

You need to do a Google search for "winmail.dat".

 

[Allen Watson]

Rather than a Google search, read this specific information on the Entourage
Help pages:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/attachments.html#att7>

It will tell you how to decode the winmail.dat files, and also what you can
do to stop people from sending them to you, and to send readable
attachments.

 

[Allen Watson]

Rather than a Google search, read this specific information on the Entourage
Help pages:

<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/faq_topic/attachments.html#att7>

It will tell you how to decode the winmail.dat files, and also what you can
do to stop people from sending them to you, and to send readable
attachments.

 

[Scott Whittaker]

Here is a free app that will convert the .DAT file to the appropriate .doc
or .xls file.

http://www.joshjacob.com/macdev/tnef/

 

[Jolly Roger]

Rather than a Google search

A google search would have led him to that page. Duh.

 

[Diane Ross]

A google search would have led him to that page. Duh.

People come to the newsgroup for help. Telling them to google it is not an
answer. IMHO

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

 

[Keysaw]

People come to the newsgroup for help. Telling them to google it is not an
answer. IMHO

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

If Microsoft would just get the message and fix this problem INSIDE of
Entourage, we wouldn't have to. People have been perplexed by this
same issue for over 5 years and the answer is always to make the
person on the other end change their ways. Microsoft certainly has the
code to do this, they wrote the winmail.dat format.

Keith

 

[Jolly Roger]

People come to the newsgroup for help. Telling them to google it is not an
answer. IMHO

You're kidding me, right? You'd actually prefer if nobody ever
searched to see if their question has already been answered before
asking?

 

[William Smith]

You're kidding me, right? You'd actually prefer if nobody ever
searched to see if their question has already been answered before
asking?

JR, you're assuming that people don't search first. That's not always
the case. Some try and fail and then find their ways here. We simply
don't know.

Yes, good netiquette is to try to help yourself first before asking
others to help you. But good netiquette is also about responding with
patience to others who genuinely ask for help too. That doesn't always
mean spoon-feeding answers but helping guide folks in the right
direction if necessary. Telling folks to simply use Google isn't
guidance. And using "Duh!" in your response shows condescension and
arrogance.

If you feel the OP of a thread hasn't researched enough then Google for
the answer yourself, provide the link to the OP and say something to the
effect of "A similar message was recently posted in this group. You'll
find it here <link>. Be sure to search this group before posting a
question. You'll get your answers faster." This gives guidance and and
incentive.

Keep in mind that your good answers here -do- help others who search and
find them. Your time's not being wasted by repeatedly answering similar
questions.

Remember the human. ;-)

bill

 

[Jolly Roger]

JR, you're assuming that people don't search first. That's not always
the case. Some try and fail and then find their ways here. We simply
don't know.

Sure, I'll admit to not being psychic, but just the same, a lot of
times a search isn't even needed, and a simple scan down the list of
recent thread subjects shows the same question being asked over and
over.

Yes, good netiquette is to try to help yourself first before asking
others to help you. But good netiquette is also about responding with
patience to others who genuinely ask for help too. That doesn't always
mean spoon-feeding answers

The tendency in this news group appears to be spoon feeding by default,
and that bothers me. Call me silly, but I think if someone really
wants a solution to a problem they are having, they should at least
verify that the question they have wasn't answered in the past week on
the very same news group. I've lost track of the number of times I've
seen a question answered, only to see someone ask the exact same
question a day or two later here!

but helping guide folks in the right
direction if necessary. Telling folks to simply use Google isn't
guidance.

Okay then maybe I'll start including a URL to the relevant Google
search results page. : )

And using "Duh!" in your response shows condescension and
arrogance.

You're right. Diplomacy has never been a strong suit for me. : )

If you feel the OP of a thread hasn't researched enough then Google for
the answer yourself, provide the link to the OP and say something to the
effect of "A similar message was recently posted in this group. You'll
find it here <link>. Be sure to search this group before posting a
question. You'll get your answers faster." This gives guidance and and
incentive.

Good point. I'll consider doing this in the future.

Keep in mind that your good answers here -do- help others who search and
find them. Your time's not being wasted by repeatedly answering similar
questions.

Remember the human. ;-)

I just put a "Remember the human." sticky on my desktop. ; ) Thanks.

 

[Diane Ross]

If Microsoft would just get the message and fix this problem INSIDE of
Entourage, we wouldn't have to. People have been perplexed by this
same issue for over 5 years and the answer is always to make the
person on the other end change their ways. Microsoft certainly has the
code to do this, they wrote the winmail.dat format.

Other than write Microsoft there isn't much we can do on this list to change
the behavior. We can offer workarounds and solutions. Would I like to see
Microsoft change a lot of the problems discussed here. You bet! I don't get
paid for answering questions. MVPs are not Microsoft employees.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

 

[Allen Watson]

You say, "they" referring to Microsoft as if everyone at Microsoft knows
everything everyone else does. The MacBU and Windows Office crew are in
separate cities, separate states for the most part. Your assumption that
just because "winmail.dat" files originate with Microsoft that the MacBu
should know how to decode them is about as naïve as thinking that anyone who
lives in New York must know how to get to The Strand bookstore. Microsoft is
too huge.

Mac users for years have found it necessary to give special treatment to
every attachment sent to Windows users, making sure they have visible file
extensions so that Windows will know how to open them. That includes PDF
files and Word documents. Never mind that the file format is easily
recognizable by a computer without its ".pdf" or ".doc" extension (Macs can
do it); Windows insists on the extension and refuses to open the file. It's
a very small thing to ask of a Windows user that he or she make a ONE-TIME
CHANGE so that they send files in HTML format to their Mac friends.

These kind of cross-platform problems will exist in one way or another from
now to the end of time, probably. If it were "fixed" now in Entourage, the
winmail.dat format might change next year. But if the Windows user sets
things up so that that format just does not get sent to their Mac friends,
the problem goes away permanently. In my mind, that's a better solution.

 

[Keysaw]

Other than write Microsoft there isn't much we can do on this list to change
the behavior. We can offer workarounds and solutions. Would I like to see
Microsoft change a lot of the problems discussed here. You bet! I don't get
paid for answering questions. MVPs are not Microsoft employees.

--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>

Yes, I know. Thank you very much for all the work the MVP's do.

I also realize that to a small extent, Microsoft monitors this board
for things they need to address. The more times it comes up, the more
likely they are to eventually do something about it. I've also sent
feedback on this subject from the Entourage menu.

Keith

 

[Keysaw]

You say, "they" referring to Microsoft as if everyone at Microsoft knows
everything everyone else does. The MacBU and Windows Office crew are in
separate cities, separate states for the most part. Your assumption that
just because "winmail.dat" files originate with Microsoft that the MacBu
should know how to decode them is about as naïve as thinking that anyone who
lives in New York must know how to get to The Strand bookstore. Microsoftis
too huge.

No, I assume anyone in Microsoft has a way to get needed information
from other people at Microsoft. In particular, the file formats for
Excel and Word are shared, why not the file formats for Outlook/
Entourage (winmail.dat is a file format)?

Mac users for years have found it necessary to give special treatment to
every attachment sent to Windows users, making sure they have visible file
extensions so that Windows will know how to open them. That includes PDF
files and Word documents. Never mind that the file format is easily
recognizable by a computer without its ".pdf" or ".doc" extension (Macs can
do it); Windows insists on the extension and refuses to open the file. It's
a very small thing to ask of a Windows user that he or she make a ONE-TIME
CHANGE so that they send files in HTML format to their Mac friends.

I have one PC that I occassionaly must use to send email. I mself got
caught with the winmail.dat problem on a calendar appointment (no real
attachment). I fixed the sending format, sent again, and it sent a
winmail.dat again! (BTW, outlook does not have the Resend option. I
didn't realize how useful that was in Entourage until I couldn't use
it.)

The other problem is that many PC users simply aren't savvy enough to
figure out how to make the change. It doesn't affecty THEM, so they
have no real incentive to do it.

These kind of cross-platform problems will exist in one way or another from
now to the end of time, probably. If it were "fixed" now in Entourage, the
winmail.dat format might change next year. But if the Windows user sets
things up so that that format just does not get sent to their Mac friends,
the problem goes away permanently. In my mind, that's a better solution.

The format has been around for well over 7 years, I doubt it will
change again. It's bugged me ever since Office 2000 that it is the
default when so few people want it. The problem is, most people don't
know or care what format their files are transported in.

Maybe someone could write a virus that goes and changes it for people
on PC's everywhere... (j/k)

Keith

 

[Diane Ross]

Maybe someone could write a virus that goes and changes it for people
on PC's everywhere... (j/k)

LOL Now that's the ticket! <Big grin>
--
Diane Ross, Microsoft Mac MVP
Entourage Help Page
<http://www.entourage.mvps.org/>
Entourage Help Blog
<http://blog.entourage.mvps.org/>