Tag Archives: outlook

The winmail.dat attachment

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We are often asked by our clients:

I am receiving email from some email addresses, with an attachment called winmail.dat. I am able to download the attachment but not able to see the contents or open it. How do I see the winmail.dat attachment? My Anti-virus shows that it is clean and virus free.

To address, this issue, we have come up with these frequently asked questions on winmail.dat:

What is winmail.dat?

To put it simply, it is an issue, with the senders Microsoft Outlook or Outlook Express email client. It is not related to our server or our webmail service. Nor is it a problem with your computer or operating system.

This file contains formatting information put by Microsoft Outlook, to decode any attachments sent with the original message.

Why is the winmail.dat file sent?

When people send messages from incorrectly configured Microsoft Outlook email clients, a file called winmail.dat is attached to the message automatically.

Why can’t I open the winmail.dat file?

The winmail.dat file is not recognized by other email clients like Thunderbird, Apple Mail and other webmail clients like Horde, Roundcube etc.

If you download or open winmail.dat, you will be prompted to specify the application that should be used to open the file.

How can the sender prevent this winmail.dat bug?

To prevent this file from being attached to messages, the sender can configure various options given by Microsoft

  • http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/outlook-help/recipients-receive-a-winmail-dat-attachment-HA010153018.aspx
  • http://support.microsoft.com/kb/278061

To reiterate, this is not an issue related to the webmail or mail server. This bug can only be resolved by the sender.

What is IMAP?

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What is IMAP?

  1. IMAP stands for Internet Message Access Protocol. (the latest version is IMAP Version 4)
  2. IMAP allows you to always work with your mail live on the server.
  3. You can view just the heading and the sender of the letter and then decide whether to download the mail which will save your time.
  4. You can also create and manipulate multiple folders or mailboxes on the server, delete messages, or search for certain parts or an entire note.
  5. IMAP requires continual access to the server during the time that you are working with your mail. This means that you must be connected to the Internet at all times, to send / receive.
  6. IMAP is faster than POP because the mail client reads all of the message headers without having to download the entire message.
  7. IMAP is used in Microsoft Outlook, Thunderbird, Blackberry, Gmail, iPhone.

Advantages over POP:

  1. The POP protocol requires only one client to be connected to the mailbox but the IMAP protocol allows simultaneous access by multiple clients.
  2. IMAP clients can create, rename, and/or delete mailboxes on the server and can use Multiple mailboxes on the server.
  3. IMAP provides a mechanism for a client to ask the server to search for specific messages which avoids requiring clients to download every message in the mailbox.
  4. POP downloads all emails into 1 mail folder called “Inbox” whereas IMAP preserves your folder structure in a main folder just as you have setup on the server.

What is POP3?

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What is POP3?

  1. Post Office Protocol version 3 (POP3) is a standard mail protocol used to receive emails from a remote server to a local email client like Outlook or Thunderbird.
  2. POP3 allows you to download email messages on your local computer and read them even when you are offline.
  3. POP3 is a Client/Server Protocol in which e-mail is received and held for you by your Internet Mail server.
  4. Periodically, you (or your client e-mail receiver) can check your mail-box on the server and download any mail, probably using POP3.
  5. POP3 is designed to delete mail on the server as soon as the user has downloaded it.
  6. POP3 can be thought of as a “store-and-forward” service.
  7. POP3 protocol assumes that there is only one client connected to the mailbox.

Examples of POP3: This standard protocol is built into most popular e-mail products, such as Eudora and Outlook Express. POP3 is supported by most webmail services such as Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo Mail.