Outlook/Word 2013 - Cannot open ANY docs due to Protected View

MoxieMomma said:

First thing I would try (as it requires only a few mouse-clicks) would be the suggestion I already made -- save the document locally and try to print both with the 3rd-party PDF printer and a physical printer.

This works without issue. As long as I print - from within Word Itself (File-Print). If I save the document locally from the email to a local folder - then go to the folder and right click on the document and choose Print - the error occurs there as well.

MoxieMomma said:

Another easy thing to try would be printing directly from the attachment to a physical printer, rather than the PDF printer.

Works just fine - again as long as I am in Word itself. (File->Print).

Today I have made another interesting discovery. Seems that if the attachment is a .doc format (Word 2003 and prior) vs a Word 2007 format (.docx) and greater - the error does NOT occur.

So it seems the plot thickens and only seems to apply to *.doc files in this case.

I was on the phone with MS for 40 minutes today and no one there has any idea what is going on. Another fine case of support having little clue about their own software.

I am very annoyed at what has suddenly changed to make .doc files seem so dangerous.

I totally "get" that malicious files are a fact of life and that MS is trying to help less educated users understand the dangers. But in this case - I really need to turn this file protection off completely and get Office to not be so heavy handed with it's fear over certain file formats.

VP

Ranger4 said:

It's very interesting that .doc files give the problem & .docx seem to work as before. This could have something to do with MS no longer supporting Office 2003 programs, so as security updates etc. are no longer supplied, they have made .doc files come up with the warning you are getting.

This one gets even stranger. After getting the errors with two very recent .doc files (sent to me on Friday) - I knew I had opened .doc files many times in the past so I went searching for other .doc files I know I have received in the last few months. Easily found about a half dozen in my Outlook archives - and low and behold - they ALL Quick Print just fine. Sigh.

Seems it's just these two files - sent on Friday that for some very peculiar reason - are kicking this error up all of a sudden. Maybe there is actually something wrong with these two files - but it is nothing malicious. And even more strange is that the two files came from two completely different sources of mine. One in USA and the other in Canada.

Bizarre. I knew I wasn't seeing things :)

VP