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DanFlag for United States of America

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Outlook blocked an attachment "Can't open the item. Outlook blocked access to this potentially unsafe item"

Hi I have a client that has Oultook and he can't open attachments, he gets the following message.

"Can't open the item. Outlook blocked access to this potentially unsafe item"

I tried the registry entry, but that didn't work for me.
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Seth Simmons
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what are the file types?
by default, outlook will block executables and scripts
if you know the sender and expecting an attachment like that, you could have the sender append something like .txt at the end or put in a zip archive before sending it
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ASKER

Thanks Seth, all attachments, if I can get pdf files I think I would be happy.
This is a pst file that has atatchments he needs from like Jan so the resend option is out.


Hello,
Outlook has a list of allowed and not allowed extensions out of the box, bit most common fiel types whitout active content are not on that list. Also not PDF.
I would rather to look into the direction of virus scanners (suites), which may be involved.
At least as far as there are no essential changes in the settings.
But, you have to make sure, that the files you are talking about are really, what they look like to be.  
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ASKER

Thanks Bembi, yes they are ligit, they able to be opened before, I think I made a new profie and now no go.  it's strange, newer ones I can open, just not older ones.
You created a new profile and attached the old pst belonging to this user?
Or you attached an additional pst from a different user?




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ASKER

the first way.  Same computer, I had disjoined the pc from a domain then on a local profile made new Outlook profile, then added the pst file to this email profile.  Yes he got some duplicates (2 weeks), but other than that its bus as usualy.

Thanks for sticking with me Bembi.
I guess you have a permission problem now because the pst was connected to a domain user, while you now use a local user. ?!? Right?
You may check in a test folder (if you have) to reset the permissions and to see if you can open attachements.
Or you can add the actual user as owner.
Another option may be to create a new folder, move items with attachement inside and see if you can open them. 

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ASKER

I did copy it, via usb, I checked the rights and owner, all good to go.
then added the pst file to this email profile.

How did you add the pst file?​​​​
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ASKER

Hi Jackie.  I copied it to c:\messaging then in when prompted in the profile setup selected deliver mesages to...
Hi,

I assume this is Outlook 2016 or 2019 that you're using? Microsoft Office 365 install is it?

"C:\Messaging" will be a user-created folder and that could be causing the issue. Outlook PST files are generally stored in a "Documents\Outlook Files" folder. Creating a folder below the root level as you've done will create permission issues to certain actions.

I'd suggest removing the current profile, recreating it again and creating a brand new PST file. Outlook should save it in the correct location. Once done, use Outlooks import/export wizard to import the contents of the old PST file.

In Outlook - File > Open & Export > Import/Export > Import from another program or file > Outlook Data File (.pst) - then click next and follow the remaining prompts. Check if opening attachments is still problematic now.

Hope that's helpful.

Regards, Andrew
Yes, Andrew was faster ;-)
This would be the next option.

What I meant before was not to move the pst but to move items inside the mailbox into a new created folder.
This due to the fact, that you said, that old items are blocked but new items not.
Andrews proposal does the same, but just moves the default folders automatically.

The other option I have in my mind is indexing. AS long as the index creation is not finished, you may run into a few issues. If you click into the seachbox, you see search tools in the ribbon, there you find the index status.




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ASKER

Andrew and Bembi, thanks a ton.  I did that to another users profile, I put it in that folder and did the import, same thing.

One thing I didn't mention.  The file had previously reached it's max size of like 50 gigs and become corrupted.  I used my fav Outlook repair tool, Stellar.  

https://www.stellarinfo.com/outlook-pst-file-recovery.php

I repaired the pst, then compacted and removed removed attachments (sorry on that).  The attachments are still there, but are a link now, it works on many, but not all.  

Bembi, you may be right on the indexing, ill restart that.
https://www.msoutlook.info/question/increase-pst-file-size-limit

Have you edited the registry above before you do the profile setup?
Hi Dan,

I think you'll find that if you don't use a folder such as directly under the root of C:\ then you'll have far fewer problems. Try to stick to creating your own folders under your user profile name. Rules of what can and can't be done are much more relaxed in those areas.

I see you're a fan of Stellar's Outlook tools. I did an extensive review of their bundled 8 module toolkit that might be of interest to you.  

https://www.experts-exchange.com/articles/31880/Review-of-Stellar-Toolkit-for-Outlook-by-Andrew-Leniart.html


Updated it near the end of 2018, but still quite relevant as it hasn't changed that much since then.

Best, Andrew

Avatar of Dan

ASKER

Jackie, yes I did that, but the pst file is now like 12 gigs.  It was 5.2 gigs before the Stellar treatment.

Thanks Andrew, Ill read that.
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