XFOR: Preventing Winmail.dat From Being Sent Over IMC

Last reviewed: September 30, 1997
Article ID: Q149203

The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Exchange Server, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows 3.x client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows NT client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Exchange Windows 95 client, version 4.0
  • Microsoft Outlook Windows NT client, version 8.00
  • Microsoft Outlook Windows NT client, version 8.01
  • Microsoft Outlook Windows 95 client, version 8.00
  • Microsoft Outlook Windows 95 client, version 8.01

SUMMARY

When you send mail over the Internet from a Microsoft Exchange Windows client or an Outlook client, a file attachment called Winmail.dat may be added to the message. This attachment contains the Microsoft Exchange rich-text information of the message being sent. The Winmail.dat file may not be useful to non-Microsoft Exchange recipients. The information in the Winmail.dat file may appear on the receiving end as binary information at the end of the mail message.

This article describes how to prevent sending the Winmail.dat attachment to Internet users when you are using the Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Connector (IMC).

MORE INFORMATION

You can control whether or not to send rich-text format in any one of the following ways:

  1. Custom Recipients The administrator can modify an existing Microsoft Exchange custom recipient to prevent rich text information from being sent to that custom recipient by clearing the Allow Rich Text in Messages check box on the Advanced property page of the recipient's properties. You can view the custom recipient's properties by selecting the recipient name and then choosing Properties from the File menu.

  2. Addresses in the Personal Address Book The user can modify the Internet addresses in their Personal Address Book (PAB) to not be sent rich-text information by clearing the Always Send to This Recipient in Microsoft Exchange Rich-Text Format check box on the SMTP General property page of the Internet address in the PAB. To obtain the properties of an entry in a PAB, select the entry and choose Properties from the File menu.

  3. Configuring the Internet Mail Connector (IMC) The administrator can configure the IMC to send or not to send rich-text information by following the steps below:

          a. Bring up the properties of the Internet Mail Connector.
          b. Select the Internet Mail property page.
          c. Click on the button labeled Interoperability. This should bring up
    
             the Interoperability dialog.
          d. The Send Microsoft Exchange Rich-Text Formatting list box controls
             the sending of rich-text data. There are three values to choose
             from:
                - If the value is set to User, the recipient's properties are
                  used to determine whether or not to send rich-text
                  information.
                - If the value is set to Always, rich-text information is
                  always sent, regardless of the recipient's properties.
                - If the value is set to Never, rich-text information is never
                  sent.
       You can also configure whether or not to send rich-text information on a
       per-domain basis. To define e-mail domains and the message settings for
       that domain, click the E-Mail Domain button on the Internet Mail page of
       the IMC Properties. This will bring up the Add E-Mail Domain dialog.
       Click on the Add button to specify an e-mail domain. Click on the
       Interoperability button. Select a setting from the Send Microsoft
       Exchange rich text formatting list box.
    
    

  4. One-Off Addressing You can send e-mail to an Internet user from a Microsoft Exchange or Outlook client using One-Off addressing. One-Off addressing allows sending a message to addresses that are not in the PAB, the Global Address List (GAL), or in any recipient containers. Depending on the type of the One-Off address used, rich-text information is or is not sent with the message:

          a. Rich-Text Information Sent:
    
            If the One-Off address has the following format, rich-text
            information is sent with the message:
    
                [SMTP:<SMTP Address>]
    
             where SMTP Address is any valid SMTP address, for example:
    
                user@domain.com
    
             To verify that rich-text information is sent:
    
             1. Select the Check Names command from the Tools menu after typing
                the address in the above format. This should display the SMTP
                address without the SMTP:. The name should be underlined.
             2. Bring up the Properties of the address by double clicking it.
                The option Always Send to This Recipient in Microsoft Exchange
                Rich-Text Format should be checked indicating that rich-text
                information (the Winmail.dat file) will be sent along with the
                message.
    
          NOTE: Even if you address a message to [SMTP:<SMTP Address>], you can
                run the Check Names command, then get the properties of the
                resolved recipient and unselect the Always Send to This
                Recipient in Microsoft Exchange Rich-Text Format checkbox. This
                will prevent rich-text information from being sent along with
                the message.
          b. Rich-Text Information Not Sent:
             If you use a One-Off address and you do not want to send rich-text
             information to the recipient, the address should have the
             following format:
    
                <SMTP Address>
    
             where SMTP Address is any valid SMTP Address, for example:
    
                user@domain.com
    
          NOTE: Unlike the address in step 4.a. above, the SMTP Address is not
                proceeded by SMTP: and the address is not enclosed in square
                brackets. If you click the Check Names command and then get the
                properties of the address, you can see that the rich-text
                option is not selected.
    
       However, no matter what option is selected for the address of the
       recipient, the IMC settings determine whether or not rich-text
       information is transmitted. If the IMC is set to never send rich-text
       data, then even if the properties of the recipient address have the
       rich-text option selected, no rich-text is transmitted.
    
       If the IMC has separate settings for individual domains, then the
       settings for those domains takes precedence for all messages addressed
       to users in those domains.
    


Additional query words:
Keywords : XCLN XFOR kbusage
Version : 4.0
Platform : WINDOWS


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Last reviewed: September 30, 1997
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