When the recipient opens the message, the attached file or the attached picture is missing

The Exchange Server administrator creates two e-mail accounts in two different storage groups in Microsoft Exchange Server 2003. You use Microsoft Outlook to create an e-mail message that uses Rich Text Format (RTF). You attach a file or a picture to the message. Then, you send the message to a recipient in the other storage group. When the recipient opens the message, the attached file or the attached picture is missing.

This problem occurs if you are using the Microsoft Word editor in Outlook. When you attach an object such as a file or a picture to a message that uses RTF, the object is embedded in the message. However, Word does not create the embedded object. Instead, Word creates an inline metafile. Exchange Server 2003 does not support the inline metafile. Therefore, the body of the e-mail message is flagged as empty. When you send the message to a recipient in the other storage group, the body of the message is dropped. Therefore, the attached file or the attached picture is lost.

If the body of the message contains a signature or any other text together with the embedded object, the recipient sees the embedded object. The problem occurs only when the message contains the embedded object and nothing else.

Service pack information

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Exchange Server 2003. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Hotfix information

After you apply this hotfix, this issue is fixed when you open the message by using Outlook. However, if you open the message by using Outlook Web Access (OWA), Post Office Protocol 3 (POP3), or Internet Message Access Protocol version 4rev1 (IMAP4), this issue may still exist.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.

Prerequisites

Because of file dependencies, this hotfix requires Microsoft Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1). For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

File information

The English version of this hotfix has the file attributes (or later file attributes) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section. This problem was first corrected in Exchange Server 2003 Service Pack 2.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: