Mail + pdf's + Office '08????

I've done some quick searching and found some info but I thought I might get some better feedback by posting my experience and asking for HELP!

I just picked up Office '08 and the first thing I needed to do caused me problems. I think it might be a Mail issue but I can't be sure.

I started off with old format Word documents from '04 that were created using Windows. I made some changes in Office '08 and saved a copy of each as '04 format and '08 format just in case. Before I emailed the files, I saved them in .pdf format.

I sent a test copy of a multi-page .pdf to someone with Windows just to make sure all was well before I sent it to the "real" target recipient. It attached as a "normal" looking icon and all was well on the recipient's end.

I then attached the same file and a single page .pdf to another email and noticed the icons were a fraction of the normal size and just looked like small black box's with no legible file names included. However, by opening them, each file looked fine so I sent them. Afterwards, I ran a test by forwarding that same email to my account and neither would open. They were corrupted.

Through a series of tests, I was able to get the normal attached icon for my multi-page .pdf if I attached it first. The single page .pdf would either attach as a corrupted file or insert into Mail showing the entire document instead of an icon. If it was corrupted, the multi-page .pdf would also get corrupted when I attached it last.

I was about to pass out from exhaustion LATE last night (and I'm feeling it today) so I wasn't able to determine if the version of the word document had a definable affect on how the .pdf attached in Mail or not. I haven't had to revise and save old version Word documents in '08 yet so there may be an issue there. I'm not sure.

If anybody can shed any light it would be much appreciated. I need to get back to concentrating on staying awake for the rest of the day!

Thanks in advance.

The word documents all displayed fine and the .pdf's all look fine on my machine. It's only after attaching them in Mail that the problems start. Clicking on the corrupted icon after the file is attached still opens the file properly. However, the icon does not look normal. It looks like a small solid black block.

I do have the "Windows Friendly Attachment" checked although I wouldn't think that would matter for a .pdf file. And besides, when sending the attachments to myself and trying to view them on my iMac, they are also corrupted.

Something seems to be happening with the file when it is attached (because of the corrupted looking icon). Whatever happens at that time still enables me to open the file before sending even though the icon looks terrible and once open, it looks fine. Then something else happens once the message is sent because the file can not even be opened after that step (by windows or leapord) .

"attaching" vs. "displaying" is simply simantics. Remember, my tank is on "E".

I'm hoping to get as much feedback as possible. I will likely crash as soon as I get home but as soon as I can get back in front of my machine and perform some more tests, I'll try to post some screen shots of how the icons look when they are fine and also show examples of the icons that look anything but fine.