"Windows cannot open this file"

  • Thread starter Thread starter Anthony Litterio
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A

Anthony Litterio

I am an administrator at a law firm, and I put Group
policies in place to stop people in the firm from running
unsupported software and to stop them from installing
additional software. The problem I have is, when users
get files in E-mail that are named "weird" i.e. doc1.vm1,
they can not open the file. In other words when they get
the file in E-mail, double click the attachment they get
the screen to either save or open the file, and if they
click open, nothing happens; they are supposed to get a
box that says "Windows cannot open this file:" and this
box should give them 2 options, either to choose a program
or use the web to find a program.

So it is obvious that this is some executable program
sending this message, and I need to know what file I need
to add to the list so that the users will get this message.

Thanks
Tony
 
let me see if i got this right... you locked down the machines so the users
can't install new software. so all the software they can run is what you
installed. now, assuming all that software is properly installed it should
be set to handle all the proper file extensions. now i would also assume
that you installed all the software that the users really need.

so, now they get a file extension that they don't have software installed
for and you want them to be able to force the system to open it with
something else, or to let them go to the web to install new software to open
it with. sounds like a catch-22 to me... i would say their only 'proper'
response in this case would be to call you, the admin, to get the software
they need installed so they can do their work... it sounds to me like
windows is doing just what you told it to do, keep the machines safe from
their users.
 
you hit the nail on the head there David. if u want people to do the work
i think u should at least put the software on for the people to do their
work
u can't have it both ways.
 
Actually I don't want them to be able to install software,
I want them to have the option to open a file, say a word
document that is named wrong(with the wrong file
extension; not .doc), in word. When the computer doesn't
recognize the the file name, I want the users to have the
option to select an already installed app. to open it.

For some reason when they double click the file and click
open, the computer doesn't do anything, when it is
supposed to ask if you want to open it with an already
existing program on the computer.
 
if they know it is a word doc they can save it to disk and then rename it to
the proper extension. you may find though that files with the wrong
extensions coming from email are occasionally viruses.
 
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