OLEXP: Cannot Open .jpg Attachments in Outlook Express

After you upgrade to Outlook Express 6, you may receive the following error messages if you attempt to open a .jpg attachment:

This behavior can occur if your identity has been damaged.

To resolve this behavior, back up your Outlook Express data, delete the Identities registry key, and then import the Outlook Express data.

Back Up Outlook Express Data

Copy Mail Files to a Backup Folder

To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express e-mail message files, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Options.
2. On the Maintenance tab, click Store Folder.
3. Select the folder location, press CTRL+C to copy the location, click Cancel, and then click Cancel again to close the dialog box.
4. Click Start, click Run, click in the Open box, press CTRL+V, and then click OK.
5. On the Edit menu, click Select All.
6. On the Edit menu, click Copy, and then close the window.
7. Right-click any blank area on your desktop, click New, and then click Folder.
8. Type Mail Backup for the folder name, and then press ENTER.
9. Double-click the Mail Backup folder to open it.
10. On the Edit menu, click Paste.
11. Close the Mail Backup window.

Export the Address Book to a File

Note that this step is especially important if multiple identities are in use. Outlook Express versions 5.x and 6.0 use a .wab (Windows Address Book) file even if multiple Identities are in use. The individual data for each Identity is stored in a folder, by user name, within the .wab file.

Exporting this data while you are logged on to a specific identity is the only way to segregate the Address Book data. If the .wab file becomes dissociated from the user identities, you can export the data only in total, not folder by folder.

To export your Outlook Express address book, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Export, and then click Address Book.
2. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Export.
3. Click Browse.
4. Locate the Mail Backup folder that you created.
5. In the File Name box, type Address Book Backup, and then click Save.
6. Click Next.
7. Select the check boxes for the fields that you want to export, and then click Finish.
8. Click OK, and then click Close.

Export the Mail Account to a File

To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express mail account, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the Mail tab, click the mail account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3. In the Save In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
4. Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to export.
5. Click Close.

Export the Newsgroup Account to a File

To make a backup copy of your Outlook Express news accounts, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the News tab, click the news account that you want to export, and then click Export.
3. In the Save In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, and then click Save.
4. Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to export.
5. Click Close.

Delete the Identities Registry Key

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
To delete the Identities key in the registry, follow these steps:

1. Quit Outlook Express, click Start, click Run, type regedit, and then press ENTER to start Registry Editor (Regedt32.exe).
2. Locate and click the following key in the registry:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Identities
3. On the Edit menu, click Export.
4. Under Save In, change the location to Desktop, type Identities in the File Name box, and then click Save.
5. On the Edit menu, click Delete.
6. When you are prompted to confirm the deletion, click Yes.
7. Quit Registry Editor. A new identity is created next time you start Outlook Express.

Import Outlook Express Data

Repeat each step, as needed, for each identity.

Import Messages from the Backup Folder

To import your Outlook Express messages from the Backup folder, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, point to Import, and then click Messages.
2. In the Select an e-mail program to import from box, click Microsoft Outlook Express 5 or Microsoft Outlook Express 6, and then click Next.
3. Click Import mail from an OE5 store directory or Import mail from an OE6 store directory, and then click OK.
4. Click Browse, and then click the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
5. Click OK, and then click Next.
6. Click All folders, click Next, and then click Finish.

Import the Address Book File

To import your Outlook Express address book, follow these steps:

1. On the File menu, click Import, and then click Other Address Book.
2. Click Text File (Comma Separated Values), and then click Import.
3. Click Browse.
4. Locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop, click the address book Backup.csv file, and then click Open.
5. Click Next, and then click Finish.
6. Click OK, and then click Close.

Import the Mail Account File

To import your Outlook Express mail account file, follow these steps:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the Mail tab, click Import.
3. In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
4. Click the mail account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5. Repeat these steps for each mail account that you want to import.
6. Click Close.

Import the Newsgroup Account File

To import your Outlook Express news accounts:

1. On the Tools menu, click Accounts.
2. On the News tab, click Import.
3. In the Look In box, locate the Mail Backup folder on your desktop.
4. Click the news account that you want to import, and then click Open.
5. Repeat these steps for each news account that you want to import.
6. Click Close.