Why aren't WinZip's e-mail features working for me?

WinZip's e-mail support, such as the Zip and E-Mail facility in WinZip 8.0 and later, requires that you have an e-mail program installed and properly configured. If there is a problem with your e-mail configuration, then these features may be disabled or nonfunctional.

WinZip uses a protocol named MAPI (Mail Applications Program Interface) to "talk" to your e-mail program. MAPI is a standard interface that allows WinZip and other programs (including Windows itself) to instruct your e-mail program to create a new message, attach a file to it, etc. If MAPI is not properly configured on your system, then WinZip, Windows, and other programs cannot create e-mail for you. "Properly configured" means that:

• you have a MAPI-compliant e-mail program installed, and
• the e-mail program properly supports the "Simple MAPI" interface that WinZip requires, and
• the e-mail program is configured to be the default e-mail program (sometimes called the "default MAPI client")

Examples of popular MAPI-compliant e-mail programs include (but are not limited to) Outlook, Outlook Express, AOL 7.0, AOL 8.0, AOL 9.0, and Eudora.

AOL versions 4.0, 5.0, and 6.0 are not MAPI-compliant and therefore do not support WinZip's e-mail features.

If you are using WinZip 8.0 or later and the WinZip Zip and E-Mail entry does not appear in the context menu when you right click a file in My Computer or Windows Explorer, or if it appears but Windows initiates an installation of Outlook Express when you try to use it, then you do not have a MAPI-compatible e-mail program installed.

The information below may help you to configure your system if WinZip's e-mail support is not operating correctly. Please note that the software listed below is not all-inclusive! WinZip should work with any Simple MAPI-compatible e-mail program; the information given below simply pertains to the most common system configurations.

If you are using America Online as your e-mail program

The mail functions in AOL 7.0, AOL 8.0, and AOL 9.0 are MAPI-compatible e-mail programs, and so work with WinZip's e-mail features. (As noted above, earlier releases of AOL are not MAPI-compatible, and so do not work with WinZip's email features.) If WinZip's Zip and E-Mail is not functional, set AOL 7.0 or AOL 8.0 as the default e-mail program as follows:

1. Sign on to AOL.
2. Click the Keyword button.
3. In the resulting "Keyword" dialog, type the word "Preferences" (without quotes) into the text box, and click the Go button.
4. In the resulting "Preferences" dialog, click on the Association link to select "America Online" as your preferred application for web browsing, e-mail and newsgroups.
5. In the resulting "Associations Preferences" dialog, click the OK button.

AOL will now be your default program for e-mail, Internet browsing, and accessing newsgroups.

You can set AOL 9.0 as the default e-mail program as follows:

1. Sign on to AOL.
2. Click the Settings icon on the toolbar.
3. Click the A-Z tab.
4. Click the AOL as Default link.
5. Click the OK button.

AOL will now be your default program for e-mail, Internet browsing, and accessing newsgroups.

If you are using Outlook or Outlook Express as your e-mail program

You can set Outlook or Outlook Express as your default e-mail program by using Microsoft Internet Explorer:

1. Run Microsoft Internet Explorer.
2. Choose Properties or Internet Properties, and click the Programs tab.
3. Choose the desired e-mail program from the drop-down list labeled E-mail or Mail (depending on your version of Internet Explorer).
4. Click OK to save your changes.

If the e-mail program you specify supports the Simple MAPI standard that WinZip uses, it will be used when you activate any of WinZip's e-mail features.

If you are using Netscape Messenger as your e-mail program

If your version of Messenger supports the MAPI standard, then you need to configure Messenger to be the default MAPI client. Here's how to configure Messenger 4.7 (other versions may differ):

1. Choose Preferences from Messenger's Edit menu.
2. Choose the Mail and Newsgroups category and check the option to "Use Netscape Messenger from MAPI-based applications".
3. Click OK to save your changes.

If you are using Eudora as your e-mail program

If your version of Eudora supports the MAPI standard, then you need to configure Eudora to be the default MAPI client. Here's how to configure Eudora 4.1 (other versions may differ):

1. Choose Options from Eudora's Tools menu.
2. Choose the MAPI category and set Use Eudora MAPI Server to "Always".
3. Click OK to save your changes.

Note that you may then have to set the default e-mail program using Internet Explorer as described above in the Outlook or Outlook Express discussion.

If you are receiving an error from Outlook when using WinZip's e-mail features

The latest versions of Outlook (not Outlook Express) are automatically configured to be the MAPI client when you set your Internet Explorer e-mail program to be "Outlook" as described above. However, problems can arise when other MAPI-compliant e-mail software has been installed on your system. Here is some information from the Outlook 2000 help file which may help to solve your problem:

Installing other messaging software after installing Microsoft Outlook can cause problems. If you see a message that says that your Mapi32.dll file is corrupt or the wrong version, you can fix it by running a program in the Microsoft Windows System Directory. In Windows Explorer, open the Windows folder and then open the System folder. Double click Fixmapi.exe to run the program.

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