Joined at the clip

Email is one of the most common methods used for passing files, photos and more to friends and family but attaching these files can be surprisingly tricky.

Over the coming pages we’ll refresh your email skills for all types of attachment, as well as suggesting alternatives for file types that aren’t that well suited to email. We’ll also talk about some of the security risks associated with email attachments and show you how to send photos using the Windows Photo Wizard.

A sizeable problem
One of the most common problems for email attachments is size. A message with a large attachment can be slow to send and receive. Most internet service providers (ISPs) and mail providers place a size limit on attachments. If an email exceeds this, it won’t be able to pass though the mail server and will just bounce back to you. Hotmail for example, imposes a 10MB limit on the total size of an email.

The type of attachment most likely to breach the size limit is also the most popular. The proliferation of digital cameras and mobile phones with cameras mean it’s easier than ever to get your favourite pictures onto the PC. Sending the original file is not always the best idea, however. Some people try to reduce the size of files in an image-editing program so they’re suitable to email, but this can involve some trial and error.

There are two alternatives that are far easier: Windows Photo Wizard is suitable if you want the recipient to be able to view the image only on their screen, while using a compression tool is handy if there might be a need to print it out at a later date, or if you’re sending a batch of photos.

We have put together a short step-by-step guide that walks you through the Windows Photo Wizard. Note that this tool reduces file size by reducing the amount of detail in the photo ­ its resolution. That means the images will appear fine on screen but may not be suitable to print at a decent size.

To compress files you have a choice of tools ­ perhaps the simplest to explain is the one built into Windows. To use it you simply right-click on the file or folder you want to compress, click ‘Send to’ from the menu that appears and then choose ‘Compressed (zipped) folder’. Windows will then save a compressed version of the folder, leaving the originals untouched, in the same location. Note that the reduction in file size depends on what you’re compressing. Images saved as JPEGs are already compressed so won’t shrink by much.

This new file can then be attached to your email message in the usual way. In Outlook Express, create your new email message and type in the address and a message. Click the button on the toolbar labelled ‘Attach’ and browse to the location where your image file is stored.

The process for sending other types of file as attachments is exactly the same. Whether it’s Word documents or PDF files, just open a new email message and click to attach. As a shortcut, you can drag and drop the image file into the body of the email message ­ its name will then appear beneath the Subject line to confirm you have attached it correctly.

Another cause of attachment distress occurs when the recipient complains that the file is broken or corrupted ­ often this means they don’t have the correct application installed to open it. This often happens with word processing documents or other office files such as spreadsheets.

Short of encouraging your friend to splash out on new software, there are various solutions to this. Many applications provide a free viewing tool ­ a simple download that enables people to open and view the contents of files, but not edit them. For example, you can download viewers for Excel and Powerpoint and ­ two of the most common office programs.