word cannot locate the server application foroutlook.file attach objects

[Joe_Langford]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.4 (Tiger)
Processor: intel

The message in my subject line is what I get when trying to open apparently embedded word, excel and pdf files in a word 97/2004 document sent to me.
Two other embedded word documents in the same source document did open ok.
When I right click on the (non-working) embedded documents, I get some options including one to convert the 'unknown' object to an outlook file attachment - but this doesn't work - says application not found/missing.
Any ideas what is going on here and how to fix?
Thanks
Joe

 

[CyberTaz]

I can't be sure, but it sounds as though the sender simply copied
attachments or attachment icons directly from an Outlook email message on a
PC & pasted them into a Word doc, in which case there really isn't anything
you can do. If that's the case they really didn't copy *anything* of value -
the content they "thought" they were copying is actually stored on their
email server until they save it to their local HD.

 

[Joe_Langford]

Thanks Bob
I have since spoken to a colleague who uses PC (XP I think) who was able to open all the embedded stuff in the same document.
So, I wonder if this is a Word Mac issue.
Sounds like I can't do anything about it, but thought it was worth posting this so the Microsoft people know about it.
Joe

 

[CyberTaz]

If my guess was right there isn't anything MS can do - it's an OS issue. OS
X & Windows handle clipboard content differently & the 2 methods are not
compatible. It comes as no surprise that another Windows version of Word has
no problem with the objects since *that's* what created them. The problem
stems from the simplicity & convenience of the copy/paste shortcut
technique that people are lulled into using rather than using the
appropriate method for inserting objects in the first place. If you can get
your colleague redo the embedded objects correctly I doubt there would be a
problem. It's just that when stuff goes cross-platform the receiving end
needs to know what it's getting - the copy/paste method leaves out all that
necessary detail.

Just to expand on the matter a bit further, it could also be that even if
the objects themselves were embedded correctly they could contain other
matter that doesn't move over well. Without a closer look it's hard to say.

 

[John McGhie]

Any computer that has Outlook installed on it will be able to open the
attachments.

Any computer that does not have Outlook installed will not be able to.

If you had Outlook installed in Windows in Parallels, and if you have
Parallels set up to allow windowed mode, your double-click would work.

But that's a lot of money to spend to solve the problem when walking over
and whacking the colleague with a clue-stick will produce the original files
that you will be able to open

Cheers

Thanks Bob
I have since spoken to a colleague who uses PC (XP I think) who was able to
open all the embedded stuff in the same document.
So, I wonder if this is a Word Mac issue.
Sounds like I can't do anything about it, but thought it was worth posting
this so the Microsoft people know about it.
Joe

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John McGhie, Microsoft MVP, Word and Word:Mac
Nhulunbuy, NT, Australia. mailto:[email protected]