PC Win: Err Msg: The Attached File Is Currently Open...

• Microsoft Mail for Windows, version 3.0

SYMPTOMS

In version 3.0 of Microsoft Mail for Windows, the following error message may appear when you work with attachments:

   The attached file "XXXXXXXX.XXX" is currently open. Further changes
   to that file will not be reflected in this message.

CAUSE

Mail for Windows creates a copy of the attached file before it launches the appropriate application. Mail then tells the application to run using this newly created duplicate file. When it is finished, Mail tries to clean up these duplicate files. Occasionally (as depicted in the following "Steps to Reproduce Problem" section), Mail for Windows is unsuccessful and the duplicate file is left in the directory specified by the TEMP environment variable.

Steps to Reproduce Problem

1. Start Microsoft Mail for Windows.

2. Compose a Note.

3. Attach a file (such as an Excel Worksheet).

4. Double-click the attachment or select the attachment and choose Open from the File menu.

5. Minimize the application containing the attachment.

6. Close the message containing the launched attachment.

7. A warning appears, indicating that the attachment is currently open. Choose the OK button.

8. A dialog is displayed asking, "Do you want to save message to Inbox?" Select either option, Yes or No.

9. Mail for Windows now attempts to delete the file in the temporary directory. The native application, however, still has the attachment open, so the clean up is unsuccessful.

10. After closing the application, the file will still remain in the temporary directory.