# Hotmail problem. WTF! **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [January 4, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216 "2008-01-04T01:14:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/1 "2008-01-04T01:14:54Z")
My boss sent me an email to my Hotmail address. There was an attachment of some important info I needed. However, across the top of the email was a banner that said: \*\*_Attachments, pictures, and links in this message have been blocked for your safety._ \*\* :eek:šŸ˜• WTF? Itā€™s never done that before. It wouldnā€™t even let me scan the attachment for viruses or anything. What do I do? I donā€™t want this making decisions for me! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Harry1945](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Harry1945](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harry1945)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 1:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/2 "2008-01-04T01:54:05Z")
You can click on that banner and get a drop-down menu to view what was blocked. I disremember if itā€™s a regular or a right-clickā€¦I donā€™t get them very often. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 2:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/3 "2008-01-04T02:52:24Z")
[QUOTE=Harry1945] You can click on that banner and get a drop-down menu to view what was blocked. I disremember if itā€™s a regular or a right-clickā€¦I donā€™t get them very often. [/QUOTE] Why did it do that in the first place? It never has before! ---
**Author:** ![ZipperJJ](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/zipperjj/32/211_2.png) [@ZipperJJ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ZipperJJ)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/4 "2008-01-04T03:28:24Z")
Was it a type of attachment youā€™ve never gotten before, such as an Excel document? (xls) Was it a Word document with form fields in it? (hidden or not) Was it a Powerpoint document? Oddly enough, Microsoftā€™s own programs tend to be treated most cautiously by Microsoft (Iā€™ve run into problems sending things to Outlook users) and can also do the most damage to Microsoft machines (not inherently - I mean itā€™s easy to send malicious code using those file formats. Your boss was not doing that but Hotmail was being better safe than sorry). ---
**Author:** ![Harry1945](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e47c2d/32.png) [@Harry1945](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harry1945)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/5 "2008-01-04T03:36:47Z")
Anything I might suggest would just be a guessā€¦Iā€™m a functional illiterate when computers are involved. In my case, I reviewed my e-mail settings to see if anything had changed, and added the senderā€™s e-mail address to my ā€œsafeā€ list. Another possibility might have been the size of the file, but that gets into the realm of guessing, based on my limited experience. ---
**Author:** ![Siam\_Sam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Siam\_Sam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Siam_Sam)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 3:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/6 "2008-01-04T03:37:37Z")
Sounds like Hotmail has ā€œupgradedā€ you whether you like it or not. Thatā€™s happened to me before, too. ---
**Author:** ![PBear42](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ecccb3/32.png) [@PBear42](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PBear42)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 8:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/7 "2008-01-04T08:10:00Z")
First of all, yes, a little while ago (but, been a few months) MS forced an upgrade to Hotmail Live on all subscribers. As with so many of their upgrades, this one is buggy, unstable and a PITA. One nuisance is this security feature, whereby attachments, scripts and other such in messages from folks not on your safe list (which includes contacts) are blocked. Iā€™ve never seen a block, though, where I couldnā€™t unblock for that message. Also, adding the sender to your safe list or contacts should solve the problem. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 8:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/8 "2008-01-04T08:23:44Z")
Mine has been doing that pretty much forever - it does it because a lot of spam contains linked images that are uniquely named so that when you open the message and your machine requests the image from the web server, the sender of the email knows your account is alive and knows itā€™s worth sending you more crap (or adding you to a list of ā€˜verifiedā€™ emails that can be sold to other spammers). Thereā€™s a button or link to open the message showing full content - itā€™s not a big deal. ---
**Author:** ![pkbites](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pkbites/32/204_2.png) [@pkbites](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pkbites)\ **Post date:** [January 4, 2008, 8:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hotmail-problem-wtf/432216/9 "2008-01-04T08:26:45Z")
[QUOTE=PBear42] First of all, yes, a little while ago (but, been a few months) MS forced an upgrade to Hotmail Live on all subscribers. As with so many of their upgrades, this one is buggy, unstable and a PITA. One nuisance is this security feature, whereby attachments, scripts and other such in messages from folks not on your safe list (which includes contacts) are blocked. Iā€™ve never seen a block, though, where I couldnā€™t unblock for that message. Also, adding the sender to your safe list or contacts should solve the problem. [/QUOTE] Thanks for the info. Only problem is, Iā€™ve done work for this guy off & on for well over 5 years as a contractor, and his email has been on my contacts for that long. His email hasnā€™t changed.