Outlook refuses to show embedded images on Citrix Windows 2008 R2

Status
Not open for further replies.

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Receiving e-mail with embedded images shows the mail with a red X instead of the images.




Works on my workstation (Windows XP SP3) with Outlook 2003, doesn't work on the server (Windows 2008 R2 64bit running Citrix XenApp 6.5) with Outlook 2003. So it's not a restriction on internet access based on user. I'm using the same account for both. If I access Outlook directly on the server (foregoing Citrix) it also does not work. On our old Citrix environment (Windows 2003 32bit running Citrix Presentation Server 4.5) we can view the mail normally. So it might be a quirk of Windows 2008 R2 somewhere. Windows and Office have been patched to the fixes released in December 2012.




Tried on a server that has Outlook 2010 installed, and it failed on there too. So the version of Outlook can't be a cause.




On the user that reported the problem, we cleaned out the profile (i.e. trashed it). The profile is roaming, so it was recreated upon the next logon of the user. Made no difference. So I'm excluding the profile as the cause.




We had a go with the download settings in Outlook: Outlook: Download pictures automatically without right-click | a Tech-Recipes Tutorial - No change. Besides, if the profile was recreated this is set to the default. It's set to the top three ticks enabled. Any changes to this don't result in changes in the display of the e-mail itself.




Forwarding the e-mail might show the pictures in some cases. Not in ours. Pictures remain undownloaded.




Checked the Internet format settings (Cannot view embedded images in an HTML message using Outlook 2003) - No change, no matter what we alter here.




Next there's a pointer that IE doesn't connect to the Internet properly. Not the case. I start IE8 on the server, and connect to the outside world just fine, through the locally installed TMG client. Even when I physically fill in the proxy data it does not make a difference. We tried a reset for IE too. No difference. IE isn't set to work offline.




Checked the proxy for any errors being reported from the client and user trying to open the e-mail. Proxy reports anything requested comes in properly.




Found Description of the Outlook 2003 hotfix package: April 22, 2008 - a possible hotfix. Tested it. No change. Tried Detect and Repair, which in some cases solved the issue. Also no change.




The OutlookSecureTemp fix was next. I don't see anything saved in there, unless I open attachments which do get saved in here. The folder is local to the server, and is deleted on logoff. The folder is empty by default. Using Process Manager seems to hint at the fact that there can't be anything written to the folder, but then why do attachments get stored there with no trouble? We verified the ACL's on the folder, found them to be okay.




Last thing I found was https://forums.slipstick.com/threads/61208-outlook-2003-not-showing-embedded-images/index8 - which hints at a copy-test, and deleting files from a folder. When I copy the red X from the mail and paste it to Word on the server in the same session, the picture is shown properly. Going back to Outlook and changing the preview to a different e-mail and going back makes it even less clear: The picture is now shown! The rest of the pictures isn't tho. When looking in the C:\Windows\Downloaded Program Files folder, the only thing in there is an expected desktop.ini. So while this hints at a solution, it isn't one in itself.




About the only thing I can imagine being the cause would be the links to the files. For instance http://www.computable.nl/pcit/img.db?2223468 instead of a real .jpg file.




Me and my colleague have somewhat exhausted our direct ideas to solve this issue. Anyone want to chip with something we can still try?
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
the link could be the problem - but i'm not convinced.

Are you using a proxy server? Outlook sometimes has problems authenticating to proxy servers as it can't pass credentials.

As my original mail shows, the link used works on my Windows XP SP3 machine, and doesn't on Citrix. The link itself (while looking a bit odd) seems to work fine for Outlook.

If you read my statement about IE connecting to the Internet properly, then yes, we use a proxy server. It can authenticate, for I can access the internet just fine. Even worse, saving the e-mail that doesn't show the pictures to an HTML file somewhere, and opening that in IE shows everything just fine. The proxy doesn't report any blockages on downloads, and when opening the HTML with the same references in it, it works like it's supposed to.

If Outlook downloads stuff differently from IE, then it could be that Outlook just doesn't request the pictures for whatever reason. But if that's the case, I'm wondering about my last test, in which a copy of the non-displaying image pasted to Word shows up, and then also shows up in Outlook, without any further intervention on my behalf.

Same proxy is used on the workstation and the server. So the proxy doesn't seem to be the cause.
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Nobody willing or able to hazard any guesses as to why this behavior occurs???
 

larry

Senior Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2010 64 bit
Email Account
Exchange Server
Is external content saved to secure temp or to TIF? (I don't know.) If Word saves to TIF and Outlook looks there first, it would explain why Outlook can find the images after word gets them.

If Outlook is started using Run as Admin, does it get the images?
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
I can't find any saving of the content done locally. The Temporary Internet Folders remain empty.

I know I'm looking in the right place, since if I open an attachment, it's temporarily saved to that folder. This folder however does not contain any image files. I'm unable to determine if Outlook saves these images anywhere, and if it does, where specifically it does. Normally the red X would indicate the folder to have 100 images stored, and running into problems because of that. But I can't find any images being saved.

Changing the OutlookSecureTemp registry key to a folder I know exists, changes the location of the attachments being stored, so I know that key is working. Just that embedded HTML pictures do not get stored there.

Starting Outlook as an administrative user on the 2008 R2 machine makes no difference. Pictures remain elusive.

When I save a mail that does not display the images to an HTML file, and open that file in Internet Explorer, pictures are shown as if nothing is wrong. So it seems that Outlook has issues displaying the pictures, depite it (apparently) using IE to render/download the pictures, and IE having no issues whatsoever.
 

Diane Poremsky

Senior Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2016 32 bit
Email Account
Office 365 Exchange
Yes, Outlook 2003 uses IE for rendering HTML. Embedded images should go into the TIF folder, not secure temp. Go to tools, options, security tab. What zone are you in? It should be Restricted - see if changing it fixes the problem.
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
We've restricted access to the IE options pretty much on the Citrix environment under Windows 2008 R2, so the security tab is done through Group Policy, and unaccessable for the user. Since I'm not sure where that TIF folder should be, I can't verify what zone that folder is in (if that's what you mean), or where specifically you want me to check...
 

Diane Poremsky

Senior Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2016 32 bit
Email Account
Office 365 Exchange
Using the restricted zone won't normally cause problems like this, but if you can't change it, then you can't test it. With group policy, security should be the same for all. It's perplexing because you've tried all the typical causes and it only fails for this one person, correct?

zone-settings.png
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Oh, I can alter Group Policies if need be... But they're set for every user that logs on to the Citrix environment in the same way.

I've had the problem reported from two users, tested it under my own user account, and tested it when logging in locally on the server with an administrative account (in which case I can review the zone-settings for IE). In all 4 cases the pictures did not show up embedded in the mails. So I'm at present seeing a problem with atleast 4 accounts, and am willing to assume it's a problem that spans all my users. Just that some users either don't care about embedded images, don't receive those kinds of mails, or just neglect to mention it.

Like I said, copying a red-crossed item in an Outlook, starting Word, pasting the picture shows it properly. When I then return to Outlook the picture is also shown in the embedded e-mail. Also (again): Saving the e-mail as an HTML file and then opening it from IE shows all pictures as expected. So it's just Outlook having issues.

As said, as the administrative user on the server I can access my e-mail box (given the administrative useraccount rights to my mailbox), and I have access to the IE settings, so if I know what you want me to look for I can have a go to see if I can change the behavior.
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
At this point I'm still not sure what you want me to look at, so I would again like to ask for a bit of elaboration.

Thanks in advance for your reply :)
 

Diane Poremsky

Senior Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2016 32 bit
Email Account
Office 365 Exchange
Sorry about that, I was swamped earlier and missed some posts. I wanted to see if changing the Internet security settings in Outlook 2003 allowed it to work, but i re-reading the problem, I'm not sure it will tell us much.

Works on my workstation (Windows XP SP3) with Outlook 2003, doesn't work on the server (Windows 2008 R2 64bit running Citrix XenApp 6.5) with Outlook 2003. So it's not a restriction on internet access based on user. I'm using the same account for both. If I access Outlook directly on the server (foregoing Citrix) it also does not work. On our old Citrix environment (Windows 2003 32bit running Citrix Presentation Server 4.5) we can view the mail normally. So it might be a quirk of Windows 2008 R2 somewhere. Windows and Office have been patched to the fixes released in December 2012.

Are you using speed screen? According to a colleague, it can cause this problem.
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Heard that one indeed... Checked with my colleague, and he indicated that we are not using SpeedScreen.
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Still not sure what I could check further, based on the previously provided answers. Any elaboration would be welcome :)
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Anyone?

Like I said, we've run pretty much out of things we can think of to look at... Any idea's are welcome!!!!
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Had a go with this solution:

Internet images not being downloaded in emails | MSOutlook.info

Computer tech: Red 'X" in Ms Outlook

Altered it to version 11.0 for use with Outlook 2003, but unfortunatly, no change in behavior :( Due to us installing the Office 2007 file-import filters (xlsx and docx) I could try version 12.0 aswell, but that's grasping at straws... isn't it?

Didn't really expect it either, since the TMG client already should catch all web traffic and direct it to our TMG proxy server and let that one handle things. We do have it restricted to certain users being allowed to use the internet, so I had a minor bit of hope for this solution. Too bad it didn't seem to work out :(

Again started up Outlook Web Access to see if there was a change in behavior. Mail gives me the option to download external content. Click it, and the pictures display the 'image' pictogram in them as if they're loading. The red X remains absent. Contents of the actual pictures also doesn't show up :( When accessing the properties of any picture in the mail, the protocol, type and URL data all show 'Unavailable'. That may explain why the pictures don't load further.

It might be cause of HTTPS linking, but if I see about the sourcecode of the message, and determine what bit shows the picture ( http://www.computable.nl/pcit/img.db?4141614 of http://www.computable.nl/media/computable-logo-gr.gif ) the link is done through regular HTTP.

*scratches head*
 

Diane Poremsky

Senior Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2016 32 bit
Email Account
Office 365 Exchange
photo viewer wouldn't be used to display embedded images but multiple users are logged in at once when you use TS. so I think you might be on to something. I'm just not sure what.
 

Neko-

Member
Outlook version
Email Account
Exchange Server
Since it's a hotfix and doesn't explicitly pertain to my problem I'm a tad hesitant to add it to the install.

If I do I'll have to build two images, one with the standard fixes we apply and changes we need, and one specifically with this update to see if it will hamper server performance. If it does, I can revert to an earlier image, but all in all it's going to be a hassle to implement this using some sort of roll-back scenario that won't cost me an excessive amount of time, while not knowing if it's the root of my problem...

I'm torn to implementing it to see if it'll solve the issue, and forgetting about it since it doesn't address the issue specifically.
 

Diane Poremsky

Senior Member
Outlook version
Outlook 2016 32 bit
Email Account
Office 365 Exchange
I don't blame you for being hesitant. Outlook doesn't use the photo viewer for embedded images - so I'm not sure this exact fix will help you.

Is there a time where no one would be using the server that you could log in and see if images work when just one person is logged on? That would clue us in to whether this might fix it.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Similar threads
Thread starter Title Forum Replies Date
M Outlook 365 refuses to send email Using Outlook 1
W outlook refuses to open any attachments ... not related to shadow directory Using Outlook 2
M Outlook Macro to save as Email with a file name format : Date_Timestamp_Sender initial_Email subject Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 0
G LinkedIn tab missing in Outlook 365 (but working in OWA) Using Outlook 0
J Outlook forgets "not junk" marking Using Outlook 0
KurtLass Opening Graphics Attachments in Outlook 2021 Using Outlook 0
P now on office 365 but getting error messages about missing Outlook 2013 cache folders Using Outlook 2
B Outlook config download Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
M Short term workaround for when Outlook searching stopped functioning Using Outlook 0
D Outlook 2016 Creating an outlook Macro to select and approve Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 0
L Fetch, edit and forward an email with VBA outlook Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 2
BartH VBA no longer working in Outlook Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
L Synch Outlook 365 calendar with iPhone Using Outlook 0
W Can vba(for outlook) do these 2 things or not? Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 2
S Outlook 2016 and Acrobat PDFMaker Office COM Addin Using Outlook 0
M "Attachment Detacher for Outlook" add in, does it update the server copy of the email? Using Outlook 1
M Outlook 365 Rename Outlook Priority Using Outlook 3
R Outlook 2019 accesses POP3 but says its offline (because of IMAP servers?) Using Outlook 0
R Outlook Working off line Using Outlook 0
D Outlook 365 Custom forms field limit? Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 4
W Outlook 2016 MSI - Possible to make work with O365 modern Auth & Win7? Using Outlook 4
T Outlook roaming signatures Using Outlook 4
S Adding a recipient's column to Sent folder in Outlook 2010 Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
J Outlook search bar in Office 2021 Professional Using Outlook 1
J PSA: How to create custom keyboard shortcut for "Paste Unformatted Text" in Outlook on Windows Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
C How to fix outlook continuing to prompt fo an Exchange password Using Outlook 0
C Outlook doesn't feel reliable, anymore Using Outlook 5
J Outlook 2016 Trying to get Outlook 2016 to work with Office 365 Using Outlook 0
C Outlook 365 Copy/Save Emails in Folder Outside Outlook to Show Date Sender Recipient Subject in Header Using Outlook 0
U Outlook not responding when trying to print Emails Using Outlook 5
O How to sync (one way) contacts between two Outlook (exchange) accounts? Using Outlook 0
S Sync Outlook (2021) tasks with Microsoft To Do Using Outlook 1
L Duplicate calendar entries in Outlook 365 Using Outlook 4
V Outlook 2021 Can anyone explain why my Outlook views keep changing?! Using Outlook 2
AlphonseG Outlook 365 Outlook Crashes on setting SaveSentMessageFolder Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 5
S Outlook 2021 How to customize colors Outlook 2021 & Office 2021 on PC Using Outlook 2
D Outlook 2007 Recovering E-Mails Using Outlook 0
G Stop Outlook 365 adding meetings to calendar Using Outlook 2
HarvMan Using Emojis in Outlook 365 Using Outlook 3
T Outlook 2019 Not Using Auto Compete After Deletion of 365 Using Outlook 1
D Gmail mail is being delivered to a different email inbox in Outlook App 2021 Using Outlook 2
Albert McCann Outlook 2021 Outlook Display of HTML Email from two senders is glitchy Using Outlook 0
richardwing Outlook 365 VBA to access "Other Actions" menu for incoming emails in outlook Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 0
J Unable to delete folders in Outlook 2019 / Windows Using Outlook 1
K Outlook for Mac problems Using Outlook 0
D Outlook app 2021 & iCloud PST issues Using Outlook 2
M c# vsto Outlook.ApplicationEvents_11_NewMailEx Outlook VBA and Custom Forms 1
J Event/Meeting in Outlook Does Not Align with SharePoint Calendar Using Outlook 5
Christopher M Is it me, or is Outlook 365 BUGGY? Using Outlook 3
U Outlook on the iPhone cannot approve filtered Emails Using Outlook 0

Similar threads

Top