Unable to open PDF in webmail - Error The file might be password protected/corrupted

[Pickering1]

For some reason I am now unable to open a pdf file. I can forward the same file to my gmail account and it opens. The files are created by me and they are not corrupted or password protected. This started a couple of days ago. It worked in the morning, and then it didn’t.

[Abecedarian66]

I started to have the same problem and error message at the same time, so it sounds like it is a Bell system-wide issue.

[dks]

Thank you for your question. In my experience with pdf files over the years, that symptom has been caused by Acrobat corruption itself. Have you searched for the symptom on Google? 

[Pickering1]

No, in the morning it opened a pdf file, in the afternoon it didn’t. It wouldn’t even reopen the one from the morning and now it won’t open a docx. I can open both of them when I forward the same files to my gmail account, so the issue lies somewhere with sympatico.

[dks]

With all respect, Bell simply provides transit for your emails. It doesn’t touch them or change them. Have you done a search on your problem to see if others have experienced it? How are you reading your e-mail?   How are you trying to read your pdf file? In a browser with extensions? In Acrobat Reader? In Acrobat itself? In a third party pdf reader? If you could be more specific we might offer further suggestions. Adobe provides many sources to your specific problem  and offers plenty of possible solutions. 

[Pickering1]

yes, I searched forms, and there were reports from 2022 with the same problem and there is a reply on this thread today with the same issue. I use Bell’s webmail on both chrome (WIN 10) and safari (iPad) same issue. Up to around Monday or Tuesday it worked, and then it didn’t. I can send and view in gmail and I can forward from sympatico to gmail, BUT I am no longer able to see anything when I click to view - both PDFs or docx other than the annoying message. When I create my own PDFs and send them to myself it gives the same message. I can send the files to others and they can open them. The first time I found about the problem was when someone told me that pdf I sent did not open, but when she replied to me it did. When I used to click on view pdf it opened as a jpeg until I clicked PDF- then I only saw the first page as a pdf. I use acrobat 2020 to create PDFs.

[dks]

Thank you for the clarifications. I continue to suspect the issue is with Acrobat and possibly Word or Windows. The fact that the problem is with both Chrome and Safari points to it being an Acrobat or Windows issue. I note that the latest upgrade in iOS for Acrobat was three days ago; coincident with the start of your problem with pdf files.

I had a frustrating issue with Acrobat in August/September when images were not visible in pdf files. It was fixed in the upgrade at the end of September. In the case of Windows 10, you might check to see if your version of Acrobat 2020 is up to date and your installation of Windows 10 is also up to date. There have been upgrades to Windows 10 in the last ten days which often play havoc with things until Microsoft sorts them out. This Adobe support article  , specific to Windows 10, may also be of help. 

With respect to Word, I have noticed an issue with my own installation of Word 2024 and Windows 11 following the recent upgrade to 24H2. Word documents take forever to open, if they open at all, following the upgrade. If I leave them for a couple of minutes they will eventually open. This is especially noticeable when rendering a document for printing. It takes much longer for the document to render. This may point to a Windows issue. Sometimes a reboot of your system helps, but not always. Repairing your Word installation  can also help. 

My own experience suggests that when these issue arise, look to your own software and system first. Bell's internet service does not touch or change what you send. It can't. And figuring out where the problem actually lies can be an exercise in patience and occasionally frustration.   

[WelshTerrier]

Good Day.

You cannot open a PDF file that is an attachment in Bell Webmail. If you select the PDF file, you can download the file. If you select the 3-dots option on the right & select > Preview, you will receive the error message that you posted on this thread.

FYI Only. You cannot open any attachment that is linked to a program in Bell Webmail. E.g. .docx, .xlsx, .pdf, etc.

You can open photos & picture if they are included as part of the document. E.g. .jpg, etc.

This is a security feature & it is not something new.

After downloading a file attachment, if you link the file to Open with a specific program, it will always open with that program until you remove or change the file association.

Take care.

[BellPatricia · Accepted solution]

Good morning everyone, and thanks for bringing this up in the Bell Community 🙂

I flagged the error message you shared above to our email support team. They just confirmed that they have been able to replicate it on their side. A ticket has now been opened for investigation and we will let you know as soon as we receive an update. 

@BellPatricia 

[Pickering1]

Thank you for listening and fixing the issue. 

[Wolfman]

Patricia,

This has also just happened to me. There is no way this is an Acrobat issue as some suggest. The pdf files are perfect when opened in any other program. It is absolutely a Bell Webmail issue that has just occurred within the last couple of days.

[Abecedarian66]

Agreed, this is an internal Bell webmail issue and nothing to do with the files attached to the emails. I was able to preview file attachments of all types (pdf, Word, Excel, jpg) that I received prior to when this issue started, and now I cannot preview these very same files.

[dks]

If you follow the answers marked as Most Helpful with green check marks, Bell found a problem with webmail and has passed it on for rectification. Folks can follow the green check marked posts first to see Bell's response. 

[Pickering1]

I was lucky as it seemed to have been resolved yesterday for me..

[Pickering1]

I was lucky as it seemed to have been resolved yesterday for me.