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Sending Computer Files
Through E-mail

With e-mail, you can exchange more than just typewritten messages. You can send and receive computer files that contain text, sound, pictures, video – nearly anything you can create.

Attaching and sending a file is simple, but for a newbie, it’s not necessarily intuitive. Here’s how to do it using Microsoft Outlook, Outlook Express and Netscape Messenger.

Microsoft Outlook
To attach a file to an open mail message, click the paper-clip icon on Outlook’s toolbar (or select “Insert File” from the “Insert” menu). This opens the “Insert File” dialog box, which allows you to search your computer’s hard drive for the file you want to send.

Click the file you want, and then click the dialog box’s “Insert” button. In your message, you will see the file name and an icon representing the attachment’s file type. Click “Send” and the message and file are on their way.

Outlook Express
The file-attachment process is the same as Outlook’s, but some naming conventions are different: Select “File Attachment” from the “Insert” menu instead of “Insert File;” the “Insert” button is labeled “Attach;” and the file icon appears in the “Attach” line below the “Subject” line, not in the message itself.

Netscape Messenger
In an open mail message, click the “Attach” button on Messenger’s toolbar. In the dialog box that appears, search for your file and then click the “Open” button. The file name and file-type icon will appear on the paper-clip icon tab. Click the “Send” button when ready.

Other Tips
1. To share an attachment you have received with others, forward the message; don’t reply to it.
2. Having trouble opening an attachment you’ve received? Save it to your hard drive and open it from there.
3. If you have trouble sending an attachment, the file might be too big for your e-mail program to handle. You might want to consider compressing the file before sending it as an attachment.

Sending E-mail Attachments in Outlook Express Tutorial

Sending E-mail Attachments in Netscape Tutorial

Warnings and Tips About Receiving Attachments

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