I'm trying to email a file to someone with a 5MB attachment limit. Vista
reports the file size as 5.4MB. When I attach it to an email, Windows Mail
reports the filesize as 4.56MB. When I hit "Send", the Windows Mail Outbox
reports a filesize of 6.2MB - despite the fact that the entire email consists
only of the attachment and the words "Here you go."



What's going on and how big is my file?

PS. I sent it via FTP in the end. I'm not looking for a solution, I just
want to know why my file gets first smaller, then bigger.

"wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message
news:B222D32E-64A3-4232-B807-78519CDD0194@xxxxxx

> I'm trying to email a file to someone with a 5MB attachment limit. Vista
> reports the file size as 5.4MB. When I attach it to an email, Windows
> Mail
> reports the filesize as 4.56MB. When I hit "Send", the Windows Mail
> Outbox
> reports a filesize of 6.2MB - despite the fact that the entire email
> consists
> only of the attachment and the words "Here you go."
>
> What's going on and how big is my file?
>
> PS. I sent it via FTP in the end. I'm not looking for a solution, I just
> want to know why my file gets first smaller, then bigger.

Emailing adds about a third to the size of the file.

Try zipping large files, right click>send to>zip, or break them apart using
your account settings:
tools>accounts>properties>advanced, set the size to suit.
The recipient would the use Combine and Decode with all parts selected, from
the message menu.
HTH?

--
Regards Steve.
MS-MVP. MAIL. [DTS] UK.
http://www.getsafeonline.org/

The process that converts 8-bit binary to the 7-bit protocol allowed
in mail increases the sent attachment size by some 33%. As to why
Vista initially gives a bigger size, it includes the total disk space
taken up, which is somewhat more than the actual data in the file.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:B222D32E-64A3-4232-B807-78519CDD0194@xxxxxx

> I'm trying to email a file to someone with a 5MB attachment limit. Vista
> reports the file size as 5.4MB. When I attach it to an email, Windows Mail
> reports the filesize as 4.56MB. When I hit "Send", the Windows Mail Outbox
> reports a filesize of 6.2MB - despite the fact that the entire email consists
> only of the attachment and the words "Here you go."
>
> What's going on and how big is my file?
>
> PS. I sent it via FTP in the end. I'm not looking for a solution, I just
> want to know why my file gets first smaller, then bigger.

Thanks mac - I hadn't found the break apart option before. You learn
something new every day.

Thanks Gary - that explains it (although I defy anyone to explain why email
uses a 7-bit protocol - that's just silly)

"Gary VanderMolen" wrote:

> The process that converts 8-bit binary to the 7-bit protocol allowed
> in mail increases the sent attachment size by some 33%. As to why
> Vista initially gives a bigger size, it includes the total disk space
> taken up, which is somewhat more than the actual data in the file.
>
> --
> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>
>
> "wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:B222D32E-64A3-4232-B807-78519CDD0194@xxxxxx

> > I'm trying to email a file to someone with a 5MB attachment limit. Vista
> > reports the file size as 5.4MB. When I attach it to an email, Windows Mail
> > reports the filesize as 4.56MB. When I hit "Send", the Windows Mail Outbox
> > reports a filesize of 6.2MB - despite the fact that the entire email consists
> > only of the attachment and the words "Here you go."
> >
> > What's going on and how big is my file?
> >
> > PS. I sent it via FTP in the end. I'm not looking for a solution, I just
> > want to know why my file gets first smaller, then bigger.

>

That 7-bit limitation is grounded in the history of email.
It was originally designed for the transmission of ASCII text only.
See http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_te...i=37184,00.asp

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:30B2189D-B5C6-4FC6-81E5-FADD4784CB72@xxxxxx

> Thanks mac - I hadn't found the break apart option before. You learn
> something new every day.
>
> Thanks Gary - that explains it (although I defy anyone to explain why email
> uses a 7-bit protocol - that's just silly)
>
> "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
>

>> The process that converts 8-bit binary to the 7-bit protocol allowed
>> in mail increases the sent attachment size by some 33%. As to why
>> Vista initially gives a bigger size, it includes the total disk space
>> taken up, which is somewhat more than the actual data in the file.
>>
>> --
>> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>>
>>
>> "wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:B222D32E-64A3-4232-B807-78519CDD0194@xxxxxx

>> > I'm trying to email a file to someone with a 5MB attachment limit. Vista
>> > reports the file size as 5.4MB. When I attach it to an email, Windows Mail
>> > reports the filesize as 4.56MB. When I hit "Send", the Windows Mail Outbox
>> > reports a filesize of 6.2MB - despite the fact that the entire email consists
>> > only of the attachment and the words "Here you go."
>> >
>> > What's going on and how big is my file?
>> >
>> > PS. I sent it via FTP in the end. I'm not looking for a solution, I just
>> > want to know why my file gets first smaller, then bigger.

>>

How ironic that a system designed to save a few hundred bytes per message is
now swelling email bandwidth usage hugely.

"Gary VanderMolen" wrote:

> That 7-bit limitation is grounded in the history of email.
> It was originally designed for the transmission of ASCII text only.
> See http://www.pcmag.com/encyclopedia_te...i=37184,00.asp
>
> --
> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
>
>
> "wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:30B2189D-B5C6-4FC6-81E5-FADD4784CB72@xxxxxx

> > Thanks mac - I hadn't found the break apart option before. You learn
> > something new every day.
> >
> > Thanks Gary - that explains it (although I defy anyone to explain why email
> > uses a 7-bit protocol - that's just silly)
> >
> > "Gary VanderMolen" wrote:
> >

> >> The process that converts 8-bit binary to the 7-bit protocol allowed
> >> in mail increases the sent attachment size by some 33%. As to why
> >> Vista initially gives a bigger size, it includes the total disk space
> >> taken up, which is somewhat more than the actual data in the file.
> >>
> >> --
> >> Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)
> >>
> >>
> >> "wagster" <wagster@xxxxxx> wrote in message news:B222D32E-64A3-4232-B807-78519CDD0194@xxxxxx
> >> > I'm trying to email a file to someone with a 5MB attachment limit. Vista
> >> > reports the file size as 5.4MB. When I attach it to an email, Windows Mail
> >> > reports the filesize as 4.56MB. When I hit "Send", the Windows Mail Outbox
> >> > reports a filesize of 6.2MB - despite the fact that the entire email consists
> >> > only of the attachment and the words "Here you go."
> >> >
> >> > What's going on and how big is my file?
> >> >
> >> > PS. I sent it via FTP in the end. I'm not looking for a solution, I just
> >> > want to know why my file gets first smaller, then bigger.
> >>

>