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pdf file attachments open appropriately for viewing in incoming mail and sent mail, but not new outgoing mail prior to being sent

  • 2 replies
  • 1 has this problem
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  • Last reply by mfb11

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Hi- pdf attachments have always opened using my helper application acrobat.exe. Two weeks ago pdfs stopped opening for viewing in new outgoing mail, that has not yet been sent. I get the error about missing helper file (see attached image). But the helper file is correct (I have checked it and reset it several times).

And the pdfs open fine when I look at attachments in sent file or incoming email. Only outgoing mail that has not been sent yet has the problem. And this is new over the last 2 weeks. I feel like it relates to an update in Adobe Reader DC, but I can't see why that would only affect outgoing mail.

Hi- pdf attachments have always opened using my helper application acrobat.exe. Two weeks ago pdfs stopped opening for viewing in new outgoing mail, that has not yet been sent. I get the error about missing helper file (see attached image). But the helper file is correct (I have checked it and reset it several times). And the pdfs open fine when I look at attachments in sent file or incoming email. Only outgoing mail that has not been sent yet has the problem. And this is new over the last 2 weeks. I feel like it relates to an update in Adobe Reader DC, but I can't see why that would only affect outgoing mail.
Attached screenshots

All Replies (2)

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Hi there! It sounds like you're experiencing a bit of a hiccup with your Thunderbird and PDF attachments. It's strange that this issue is happening only with new outgoing mail. While it might seem related to an Adobe Reader DC update, let's try a simple troubleshooting step first. Have you attempted to restart Thunderbird or even your computer? Sometimes a good ol' restart can work wonders. If that doesn't do the trick, you could also check if there are any updates available for Thunderbird itself. It's possible that a software update might help resolve the compatibility issue.

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Thank you for your response. Yes, I've done all that. There must be some highly technical reason (bug) that would allow a helper program (acrobat.exe) to work on sent mail and and received mail, but not outgoing mail.

I'll leave the question open for a while.

Modified by mfb11