Can't read some attachments

I use Netscape 7.2. I received an email with what I was told was a Word document as an attachment. I have successfully received Word documents from this person before. This time the attachment was named Part 1.2. I saved it and tried to open it with Word but received a file conversion dialog box asking me to select the encoding that makes the document readable. I'm told that it is a large file with graphics. The ones I received before were several pages of all text. He also sent it as a zipped file but that didn't help.

I can't check what email program he used until the business day tomorrow.

I read the similar question that was posted here several years ago but the replies didn't solve my problem.

Any suggestions?

 

rusty2,

Open Windows Explorer
Click on: Tools | Folder Options | File Types

Scroll down to Microsoft Word Document
Is the "Content (MIME):" application/x-msword ?

If not you will need to click on the "Edit" button
Then in the field for: Content (MIME): Enter application/x-msword

 

First a simple question: check in mail, View|Attachments inline
Do that You should be be able to read the attachment, without trying to open it, if there is a check mark. The "Part1.2" attachment displayed in NS7.2 is actually the Rich-Text format content of Outlook, you can just neglect it.
You should be able to download the file, and, especially if zipped, it should work, if you have a program which reads such files. You can tell which program was used by the sender through View|Message Source.
But, most important, you must have a program which can open Word (.doc) files. But, you, probably, got a HTML message. And, if you get a .doc attachment, and have a Helper application (Navigator preferense of the type application/msword, with extention .doc, you should be able to see the attachment, having the proper program. But, if you do not get a .doc file, they sent you the wrong thing.
Let's start with this.

Ramona,
wouldn't you need a program for the helper application to work. I will have to test by sending a .doc file. I open my files with OpenOffice2.0, and I don't have the x-

 

update

I will tell you what I did to prove my point, and were the results.
I sent myself a 480Kb .doc attachment. Honestly, I had downloaded it, and never read it, but I could not be choosy. I sent the attacment from one address to another, and, it did not show up inline. I had two attachments. One is the usual virus scan pt.1.3 message, which was visible inline, and the .doc attachment. I can open the document either with OpenOffice or Microsoft Works6.0, and, in Open office one line looks like this:Welcome, folks, to The Open Source Cookbook. This is my first attempt at compiling an entire book of recipes and cuisine ideas where I am a proud member, and where many , except that several words run together. Somehow my copy/paste belies what I see. Microsoft Works looks ok. I don't have to download the document, but I must activate an outside program.
I had v.0.2, from quite a while ago, but I got also v.0.4, which is available in several formats . I downloaded the doc.gzip file, but I don't recommend it, since you may not be able to unzip it.

 

Thank you. I got as far as the dotted lines. It gives details for DOC extension and says it opens with Microsoft Word. There is no mention of MIME. I don't see a field for Content (MIME) here or after advanced/edit.

 

First a simple question: check in mail, View|Attachments inline
Do that You should be be able to read the attachment, without trying to open it, if there is a check mark.

I see a very long rectangle of gibberish. I cannot read it.

I can download the files but if I try to open the Word file I get the file conversion dialog box. Winzip can't open the zipped file.

You can tell which program was used by the sender through View|Message Source.

The view|Message source says:
Content type: Application/ MS-tnef
Content-transfer-encoding: base 64

It also includes:
This message is in MIME format. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be readable.

But, most important, you must have a program which can open Word (.doc) files.

I have Word 2002.

Thanks for your help in this.

 

I think that I gave a pretty good description of what happened to me, in the update. I, even, bolded that part about viewing inline.
Regardless of your settings you should be able to read the messages by selecting Open, or download. Downloading is not that bad, because it allows an antivirus program to scan the file. But, most important is the fact that you indicate that there is no .doc file. Such files are true Word files.
But, your View|message source tells something , although you did not have any information about the X-mailer, which comes below the contents. I got an e-mail from: X-Mailer: Microsoft Outlook, Build 10.0.2627.
Anyway, it looks to me that someone sent you an e-mail from Outlook, being unaware that it would not be readable by someone who does not have Outlook (read the brief link information). MS Word would not help.

 

It occurred to me that I have mail forwarded to me from my web site. That way I can change ISPs without having to change email addresses, business cards, and the like. I asked the sender to resend the files directly to me at my ISP account. He did so both with the default attachment format and with MIME attachment format. They both worked. So now I have to contact my web host to solve the problem, but at least I have a way of getting documents until I have the time for that. By the way, the sender used Microsoft Office 2003 to send the document and Word 2003 to produce it.

I really appreciate your help. Also, thank for the link. I will download tnef.

p.s. I just checked tnef and it appears to be for UNIX systems rather than Windows.

 

I just checked tnef and it appears to be for UNIX systems rather than Windows.
The Inbox and all files, with no extention are UNIX format. I don't even know what an Unix machine would be, but having never experienced your problem, I can't comment. I would mention TNEF to your web hosting.
It is obvious that something was lost in translation, going from the sender to web hosting and then to you. If you could not see, In View Message, any info about the X-mailer, then they did change the format.