Outlook sends uninvited images as attachments

microsoft-outlook microsoft-outlook-2003 attachments

6,025

Answers to both your questions:

Unwanted attachments like image001.gif:

Outlook is very 'smart':

How can I prevent an Internet image from being embedded in the message?

After creating a signature with a link to an Internet image, you might experience that the image still gets embedded in the message itself.

Outlook has an option to control to what should happen with linked images; they can either stay linked or Outlook can embed them in the message upon sending.

In Outlook 2003 you can find the option under; Tools-> Options…-> tab Mail Format-> button Internet Format-> disable the option: "When an HTML message contains pictures located on the Internet, send a copy of the pictures instead of the reference to the location."

In Outlook 2007 and Outlook 2010, this option can only be modified via the Registry;

Key Outlook 2007: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Options\Mail

Key Outlook 2010: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\14.0\Outlook\Options\Mail

Value name; Send Pictures With Document Value: 0 (REG_DWORD)

With a value of 1 or if the value name is missing, you’ll include the picture with the message instead of as a link. If the value is set to 0 you’ll send a link.

Note: The value name contains spaces and capital letters; you must include these as well.

This was copy/pasted from:

How can I prevent an Internet image from being embedded in the message? http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/office/forum/office_2010-outlook/how-to-insert-picture-in-outlook-2010-signature/b9d94d8b-3e66-4885-b30f-79135029d6e4

The winmail.dat attachment:

MS Exchange is very 'smart':

When an end user sends mail to the Internet from an Exchange Windows or Outlook client, a file attachment called Winmail.dat may be automatically added to the end of the message if the recipient's client cannot receive messages in Rich Text Format (RTF). The Winmail.dat file contains Exchange Server RTF information for the message, and may appear to the recipient as a binary file. It is not useful to non-Exchange Server recipients.

To control whether or not to send messages in RTF, follow the option that best meets your situation: ... Rest can be found on: How to Prevent the Winmail.dat File from Being Sent to Internet Users http://support.microsoft.com/kb/138053

It took me way to long to find this information, i hope this will help the next information seeker :)

6,025

serhio

Updated on September 17, 2022

Comments

serhio almost 2 years
Outlook is always sending along 2 pictures (image001.png and image002.gif) with my mails. Even if I don't attach any images.

How do I fix this?

screenshot of email http://lh5.ggpht.com/_1TPOP7DzY1E/SznrvCGr93I/AAAAAAAAC14/XYOtNFV2Z_w/s800/gmail.png Thanks.

EDIT - SIGNATURE

The HTML of my signature:
```
<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML xmlns:o = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"><HEAD><TITLE>Company default Signature</TITLE>
<META content="text/html; charset=windows-1252" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 8.00.6001.18854"></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV align=left>
 Cordialement,&nbsp;<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>
Firstname 
LASTNAME COMPANY 
Name<o:p></o:p></DIV></BODY></HTML>
```
EDIT 2 - STATIONERY

I don't use stationery format:

alt text http://lh3.ggpht.com/_1TPOP7DzY1E/SzoPJy2t25I/AAAAAAAAC2U/t1cue8G48EE/s800/stationery.png

EDIT 3 - HTML

If I delete the signature (Ctrl+A, Del) in the HTML mode the images always appear. If I use the signature in text only mode, the images disappears...
- boog over 14 years
 
 Are you using a custom signature in outlook?
- serhio over 14 years
 
 @klausbyskov: Yes... but there is only some HTML text, no images.
- ale over 14 years
 
 Are you using the "stationery" feature?
- Admin over 14 years
 
 if i may ask, which email service are you using?
- serhio over 14 years
 
 @Molly: what do you mean? this is a corporate Microsoft Exchange Server... :")
- Admin over 14 years
 
 so you email address is something like [email protected]? that's all i wanted to know.
- serhio over 14 years
 
 @molly: Yes, exactly.
- ale over 14 years
 
 If you don't use the signature does it still happen? Could it be something corporate is adding to all outgoing e-mail?
- serhio over 14 years
 
 @Al Everett: "If I don't use signature"... So, if this mean that I delete the signature (Ctrl+A, Del) the images always appear. If I use the signature in text only mode, the images disappears...
- Shevek over 14 years
 
 If you look at the email in your Sent Items are the pictures attached?
- serhio over 14 years
 
 @Shevek, no I don't see any picture attached. However, if I send message even in text mode I receive a 0 Kb attachement "winmail.dat" in Google. Recieving the same message in outlook (pop.google) I don't recieve anything in attachement.
- Shevek over 14 years
 
 If there is nothing attached on the sent item then it's possibly something your mail server is doing on its way out
- serhio over 14 years
 
 @Shevek: or Outlook just hides files automatically attached by itself. see my comment on Grizly's answer.
- Gaff almost 13 years
 
 Sadly this question has broken images now. @serhio if you are still around, do you have these screenshots?
serhio over 14 years

take a look at my Edit 2, apparently I don't use a stationery format (<Aucun> = <None>)
serhio over 14 years

so. 1) deleted, recreated. 2) turned off, sent a mail in text mode. receive in gmail with 0Kb wimail.dat, receive in outlook without attachments(however I believe outlook just does not display them, because mails arrives with the X-MS-Has-Attach: yes param). 2.1) Closed outlook. Restarted outlook. turned On(word as editor) send a mail in gmail. receive an 0kb winmail.dat. 2.2) sent a mail in HTML mode. receive in gmail with 2 attached images as usual, gif and png. 3. Yes, I modified normal.dot setting default font to Arial. 4. What do you mean? in Outlook AFAK - no...
Grizly over 14 years

Just did a quick googly, found this: news.cnet.com/look-out-outlook-gmail-adds-in-line-images (funny, but not an answer) Have you set a signature using OWA by any chance? (it should be overridden by your client sig, but who knows) You could run HiJackThis to remove BHO's.. might be malware.