How can I uncheck the "Always ask before opening this type of file"

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom
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T

Tom

How can I enable the checkbox (so I can remove the checkmark) next to
"Always ask before opening this type of file" that Outlook 2007 prompts when
clicking on an attachment? I'd like to enable the opening of .doc files,
etc. to happen without the prompt.

I'm running Outlook 2007 to an Exchange Server.
 
You really do not want to do this. Exploits are still borne by doc files,
although they are usually not macro viruses any more. Outlook prompts you,
lest you accidentally open a file you did not intend to open.

If you are absolutely dead set against protecting yourself from one of the
most serious threats of our age, one increasingly used by criminal
syndicates, then you can do the following:
Open a Windows Explorer window
Hit the Alt key and select the Tools menu
Select folder options
Select the File Types tab
Scroll down to DOC files and select it
Click Advanced
Uncheck the "Confirm open after download" box and click OK to close all the
dialogs.
 
Jeeper:

1. I agree attachments are a big risk. I trust myself (and most any other
user who is technically saavy enough to be reading this group) not to double
click on a file that is from someone suspect. However, since 99.9% of the
..doc files many of receive are from colleagues, and since we're just going
to race past the pop-up warning anyway, and since "accidentally" clicking on
a .doc file is unlikely, the warning is just a nuisance, IMO. Thanks for
your warning though.

2. That being said, I had googled up your answer to use the File Types tab
in the Windows Explorer before I posted. But, there is no such tab visible
on my machine. (The only tabs visible are Geneal, View, and Search) In
Vista, I thought File Assocations were only done in the Control Panel. Does
your copy of Vista RTM show a File Types tab?

Thanks!
 
You misunderstand. This dialog stops documents from automatically opening
when you are doing something that you had no idea would open a document, like
going to a web page. A web page can redirect you to another web page, which
automatically opens a document, that exploits one of the recent or
forthcoming Word vulnerabilities. You would get NO warning that this was
happening if you uncheck that box.

And, my directions were wrong. They were for XP (typed from memory). That
setting has been moved to the Default Programs control panel. Click on Set
Association, and you get the same dialog you're used to from six prior
versions of Windows.
 
Thanks for the clarification, Jesper. I agree that when surfing the web,
this protection is important.


Does the option you describe (if I can find it!) control whether Outlook
2007 pops up a dialog when I click on an attached file. THAT'S the place
that's bothering me. I've found that in previous versions of outlook there
were registry variables that controlled this, but apparently not with
Vista's increased security.
 
<Accidentally hit <Send> before completing my previous response.

I can't find an Advanced tab or any way to set a "Confirm after download"
option on the default programs control panel applet.
 
Grumble. Grumble. <moronic UX designers> Grumble. <changing dialogs that have
stayed the same for 12 years> Grumble.

I can't find it either. Don't know where they put it. If you can't find the
UI, let's go to the registry.
Save this to a .reg file:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8]
@="Microsoft Word Document"
"EditFlags"=dword:00010000

When you import that it will configure the warning to go away. If you want
it back, import this .reg file:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Word.Document.8]
@="Microsoft Word Document"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000000

This works for .DOC files only. It will do nothing for .DOX (Word 2007)
files. Sorry, but I don't have any of those to test with and I thought after
making assumptions about how things worked twice, and being wrong both times,
I'd better limit my recommendation to what I could test.
 
Thanks, Jesper. I'll try your registry solution.

Of course, I've got other file types that I want to do this on and, frankly,
I'd rather not use the registry on them.

I'm SURE there's a way in Vista to enable my being able to uncheck "Always
ask before opening this type of file"

Do you have any suggestions on other newsgroups or sources of on-line
assistance on this kind of thing?

Thanks again for your having stuck with me through our handful of exchanges!

Tom
 
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