How can I open two attached files from a received email message that are supposed to be MS Word documents but have the extension of ".dat" and cannot be opened?
If you know the format of the original files, try to save the attached files to your local hard drive by renaming the ".dat" extension to the extension appropriate for the original file format. For example, a MS Word format file should have the ".dat" extension changed to ".doc".
If changing the filename extension does not correct the problem, ask the originator of the email message to resend the attached files by compressing them into a ZIP file format. This may allow the attached files to come through Outlook without having their filename extensions changed.
If necessary, Submit Request for IT support.