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Opening files attached to e-mail
Q. Recently I downloaded an XP update from Microsoft. All was OK until I attempted to open a .tif attachment on an e-mail from a trusted sender. It would not open.
I asked the sender to convert the image to a .jpg, and it still would not open.
I received the following error message each time: “This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Create an association in the Folder Options control panel.” I could not find a Folder Options control panel and I can no longer open .jpg, .bmp or .tif attachments on e-mails.
Can you help me fix this problem?
A. Let’s say you have the file blah.xyz as an e-mail attachment that you can’t open, said Priscilla Alden with the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill’s Information Technology Services.
She suggests that you download the file to your desktop, then right-click on the file’s icon. Select “Open” or “Open With.”
You will get a choice of programs to use to open the file or search options for locating the appropriate program. In either case, knowing which program was used to create the file can be a big help, she said.
There also will be an option to set the selected program as the default, so that Windows knows how to open this type of file in the future. I’d suggest waiting until you successfully open the file before designating a default program.
Q. Working remotely at home is an increasingly popular option at many workplaces. To do this, in many cases one needs to log into the computer network at work using a VPN connection for security purposes.
However, Cisco Systems does not seem to provide a VPN client that supports 64-bit Windows (Vista). Is there a VPN client that supports 64-bit Vista or do you know of a work-around for this problem?
A. Though the traditional Cisco VPN doesn’t support 64-bit Vista, the company provides 64-bit Vista VPN client support via the newer Cisco AnyConnect VPN client software, according to Kirsten Weeks, a spokeswoman for Cisco Systems.
She cautions that your IT department must use VPN hardware that’s capable of supporting the client, such as the Cisco ASA 5500 Security Appliance. Appropriate licenses also are required.
Check with your IT department to find out if your remote access hardware supports this new client software.
If not, Matt Boswell, a technical consultant with CMIT Solutions of North Raleigh, N.C., suggests a third-party client such as the NCP Secure Entry client, available at www.ncp-e.com. It is a full-featured VPN client that is available for 64-bit Windows and should, with your network administrator’s help, connect you to a Cisco VPN network in a similar manner as the Cisco client software, he said.
One downside is that the NCP client software is not free, he points out, but you can try it for 30 days to see if it will work for you. If so, it costs $144 per license.
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2008, The News & Observer (Raleigh, N.C.)