Infopackets Reader Jim D. writes:

" Dear Dennis,

I use Windows 98 and Outlook Express to read my email. A buddy of mine thought he was helping me by 'tweaking' my computer system, but now I cannot open any email attachments! What can I do? PS: How may I retrieve a file that has been deleted? "

My Response:

It sounds like your friend "tweaked" your computer by upgrading you to the latest version of Outlook Express -- version 6. By default, Outlook Express 6 will not allow you to open email attachments on the assumption that the email may contain an malicious attachment (such as a virus or Trojan).

You can bypass this security measure by loading Outlook Express and then click Tools -> Options -> Security tab; select the "Do not allow attachments to be saved or opened that could potentially contain a virus"; click APPLY / OK. Close Outlook Express and reload it. You should now be able to open attachments.

If that doesn't fix your problem, you can also look at a previous article I compiled which lists possibilities that are not related to Outlook Express:

Outlook Express has removed access to Unsafe Attachments?, Part 2

And lastly: to undelete a file, you will need special recovery software. As luck would have it, Jake Ludington recently wrote an in-depth review on a new undelete tool called "Recover". After reading the article, I was surprised to learn that this software can also undelete photos from a digital camera!

You can read more about "Recover" here:

Recover (file undelete) Review