Preview in Outlook doesn't work

[mrspeakers1]

So now that I can launch attachments in Outlook into the native Mac apps, the Preview function in Outlook stopped working. Any suggestions?

[mrspeakers1]

Another piece of data; per a prior thread, to get the attachments in Outlook to launch in Mac OS X, I modified the registry to point the outlook temp files to a host-OS folder.

I don't know why that should interfere with the preview, though, which should be using the WIndows OS viewers? I don't have this trouble in Parallels, it just doesn't work as well overall for me...

[akouris]

I think I have a solution.

In order for Mac/OSX applications to open the attachments from outlook, you need to set the location of the outlook temp folder to be on a folder at the Mac/OSX side.

You set this up at the registry in Windows, using regedit:

Outlook 2003

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\11.0\Outlook\Security

Value Name: OutlookSecureTempFolder
Data Type:
REG_SZ

Outlook 2007

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Security

Value Name: OutlookSecureTempFolder
Data Type:
REG_SZ

Now there is a part that you need to pay attention:

In that field you will enter the location of the folder that the temporary files will be saved.

If you enter that location as a network path (i.e.
vmware-host\myaccountname\.trash), outlook will be able to use this and save temporary files, and therefore you will be able to open attachments using OSX applications.

However I discovered that for some strange reason, the microsoft office previewers (at least in Outlook 2007) are unable to handle the network path naming, and because of this the fail in working inside the preview pane. The solution is to "map as a network drive" the network path (i.e. Z:\.Trash) and enter that information in the registry.

This way it seems to be working.

[jeremyclark]

I'm also having problems using the preview handler in Outlook 2007. It took me a while to track the issue down, I tried brand new fresh installs of Win 7 and Vista with only Office on it as a new install, and it didn't work. In one case it seemed to work briefly (previewing a PNG file), but then a few hours later stopped working.

However, I tried the solution listed here (modifying the key in the registry to use the mapped drive path (Z:\Documents\Outlook Temp). However, once I restart the VM to apply the changes, the registry setting reverts back to the old path (
vmware-host\Shared Folders\Documents\Outlook Temp). It seems perhaps the VMWare Tools are checking this setting and making sure it's set to this value upon reboot of Windows.

Currently the only way I can get previews in Outlook 2007 working again is to uninstall the VMWare Tools (which renders things pretty useless).

Any ideas?

[akouris]

Jeremy,

I am dealing with the same issue.

The registry edit only works temporarily.

In my case, although I never turn off the Mac/OSX host, or the VMware windows client (they are 24/7 on), I notice that every morning, for some reason the registry has been changed to point to
vmware-host.

I do not believe that this is a Vmware issue, I think that for some reason windows looses the permanent drive mapping and therefore it ends up using the network share.

Right now the only solution I have found is to edit the registry entry every morning before I start working - it seems to be working until the next day.

[rich1383]

Add me to the list with the same problem. Happened with upgrade to Fusion 3.0 last night, so I assume it must be related to the product update. (Worked fine with last 2.x version.)

Actually - do I understand this to be an issue only if you want the Mac OS Office apps to open attachments? I was trying to set that up after downloading Fusion 3.0, but I can live with using the WIndows XP Office 2007 apps as I had before - will try that tonight.

[jeremyclark]

Yes, this happened after upgrading to Fusion 3.0. I always assumed that registry changes don't take effect until you restart Windows, but apparently not! As akouris mentions, the modification to the registry takes effect immediately so you can do this on a daily basis until a fix is introduced. You can save out a .reg file and just double-click it daily, or someone smarter than me might be able to figure out a way to execute it automatically every hour or something...

[jeremyclark]

Turns out it didn't take too much intelligence to figure out a solution...

1. Run regedit, find and highlight the following key:

- HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Office\12.0\Outlook\Security

2. Change the value to "z:\Documents\Outlook Temp" (without quotes)

3. File > Export and save the .reg file (I saved it to the c:\ drive in my user folder so as not to put it on the Mac share)

4. Start > Run > "Taskschd.msc" to launch Task Scheduler

5. Create a new task, give it any name, with the following options:

- run whether user is logged in or not

- run with highest privleges

- triggers: daily, every 5 minutes, repeat forever (or less frequently if you want)

- actions: start a program, path should be to regedit: "c:\Windows\regedit.exe", parameters: "/s C:\path\to\regfile.reg" (without quotes)

6. Reboot!

This should keep the registry setting set correctly, and if VMWare Tools ever resets it, it gets fixed at least within 5 minutes. Worked like a charm!

[akouris]

Jeremy,

Nice workaround.

I am also trying to find out what is going on, and I think that what happens is an inherent Windows function - I am not sure about that:

SYMPTOMS: You find that the network drive mapping may be disconnected after

15 minutes of inactivity and Windows Explorer may display a red "X" on the

icon of the mapped drive. However, if you double-click it reconnects

quickly.

RESOLUTION: by default, idle connections will be dropped after 15 minutes.

To modify idle time, at a <</font>

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[
|http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-215084.php#] using net config <</font>[|http://www.pcreview.co.uk/forums/thread-215084.php#]

/autodisconnect: minutes. For example, to set the Autodisconnect value to

30 minutes, you would run the following command line: net config server

/autodisconnect:30. If you would like to turn Autodisconnect off, do net

config server /autodisconnect:-1.

-

---

Although I have not seen a disconnected drive, I suspect that is what might be happening, because although my computer is on 24/7, I notice that the change in regedit happens after a long period of inactivity (during the night). I suppose during that time the network drive is inactive/idle, windows temporarily disconnects it, and when outlook performs a check it finds that it is disconnected. Ofcourse the obvious response would be to change the regedit to point to a local drive and not to a network resource.

Anyway I have issued the command prompt command to turn autodisconnect off, and I will let you know If I notice anything strange.

[tcwang]

I have the same attachment preview problem as others described in this thread and others. I found a workaround which I am not sure if somebody else has posted before. If I open Outlook in safe mode, the attachment preview works. You can use "outlook.exe /safe" in Run or command line in Windows. This workaround is bit more comfortable to me than forcing the registry to certain location so far.

[Lynn7553]

Jeremy,

Thank you so much! I am a new Apple user, and have been so frustrated by this. Preview's was one of the nicest parts of Outlook, and then when it didn't work I was so frustrated. I have made the changes you layed out, and all the previewers are working. I am still having a little problem with getting the automatic checking every 5 minutes to work, but made another change and will see what happens tomorrow morning.

Lynn

[glgraff]

Neither using a local drive nor turning auto disconnect off seems to work. It seems that Fusion keeps changing the registry entry to a folder on the network drive it wants and won't use the windows "Z" assignment but insists on using the network server name that Outlook won't recognize.

[mudaltsov]

Please see my response in for a way to work around resetting the Outlook Temp folder. This will be resolved in a future update of Fusion.