Issue 7.12
This is only a concern for some of you, but it is common, especially when people get a new computer or change email addresses. Just say that you have written a nice letter or other document on your Word program or put together a spreadsheet that you need to share. You click on “Send” and choose “Send to email recipient”. You then get a message that “there is no email program associated…” or similar language indicating that your computer cannot do what you want it to.
With Windows XP, a program called Outlook Express was the default and if you own a professional version of Microsoft Office for the newer Operating Systems (Windows 7 and 8) it comes with a program called Outlook. Both of these programs have the capability of sending your documents as attachments to email without extra steps.
With the expansion of Gmail, Yahoo Mail, Hotmail, Outlook Online, AOL Mail and many others, this option is not automatically available. That is because with these programs and others like them, your mail is left on a server and is not actually downloaded to your computer. Likewise, the files you wish to send have to be uploaded to those same servers before they can be attached to any emails you send which are actually created on the remote server rather than on your computer. For this reason, there is no automatic attachment because the email is not really on your computer to attach to.
There are two good solutions to this quandary. The first is to install a program that causes your emails (both going and coming) to reside on your computer. When you choose this program as your email default, it creates the link that allows Word, Excel, Word Perfect, Open Office and others to automatically attach their created files to your email system. Programs that can do this for you include Windows Live Mail (the successor to Outlook Express), Mozilla Thunderbird and a few others such as the previously mentioned Outlook.
They may require some expertise to set up if they don’t connect to your email during the setup phase, so you may need technical help.
The other option is to work with what you have by saving your document in a place you know (your “Documents” folder for example) and then opening your email program, clicking on “Attach” or “Attach file” and then browsing to the location you saved the file in and selecting it. Then the email is ready to send. This is a little more time consuming and annoying, but doesn’t require that you install a new program so it may be best for many.
Whatever you choose, hopefully this will help you do the things that you desire to – and always remember to back up anything important to you.
Shaun McCausland has worked in the computer industry for over 30 years, 20 years of it locally with Bits ‘N’ Bytes and Musicomp and currently does in-home and on-site computer consultation, service, training and repair. If you have questions you can reach him at 435-668-7118 or through his website at www.bitsnbytescomputers.com.