If you right click on the attachment do you get open with; and options?

I haven't seen that before, but I doubt there is a way to open it. It could be just a fluke that occurred while sending it, or there could be something wrong with the attachment itself. Can you have it re-sent to you to see if the problem recurs?

Apernut, I tried that. Says "open in new window" and "open in new tab". Tried both but still got that red box. Kudzu, I had the girl send it to me a 2nd time, and it still opened with the red box in center. It's not really that important, so I'm not going to bother having her sending it again. I wonder if it is how it is being sent. Most have a .something at the end (like .jpg for example). Both times she sent it, they had .pdf at the end.

Are you normally able to open .pdf files? This is a very common file format. Do you have Adobe Reader, or Foxit Reader, or do you use Google's Chrome browser?

I found out that I did not have Adobe Reader!! Thought that would already be on my computer. I have had my Dell computer a little over 1 1/2 years now. It is Windows 8.1 (I absolutely hate it), and I am STILL trying to figure out how and where to find things on here. Some days, I just give up!! My previous computers were all Windows XP.....you don't know how much I miss Windows XP!!!!

Anyway, I downloaded Adobe Reader, and now the document will open, BUT I can't sent it via email to another person. I am using Century Link email since they are our ISP. If I open a new email and click "add attachment", in Century Link email, everything listed there are pictures that I have taken and saved. I saved the document, but have no idea where this document was saved to.

When I have the document open, and click on "file", and then onto "send to mail recipient", Outlook comes up. I do not have that configured, and don't know how to. I never had these problems with Windows XP. Just this piece of junk....sorry, but that is how I feel most days when I get on here, and I bought my first computer in 1998.

Is there a way to change the document from .pdf to .jpg so it shows up in Pictures? That would be so much easier for me. Thanks.

It sounds like when you go to "Add Attachment" to the email, it is probably opening up to a pictures folder. You are not restricted to that one folder, you just need to navigate to where the .pdf is saved on your computer and attach it. If you can't find it, open Windows Explorer (not the browser, but the Explore All Users option from the Start button or Start menu) and type the name of the file into the Search box, and see where it is. You can also move it to your Pictures folder or your Desktop, or somewhere you can navigate to, and then attach it to the email. It's important to pay attention when you save something to your computer and select where you want it to go rather than just letting the computer save it to a default folder which you may not later remember...you have control over this.

While there are ways to convert a .pdf to a .jpg, this will just add a layer of complexity that you don't need.

Finally, while I'm happy to try to help you, it sounds like you are just lost within Windows 8.1 and have not taken the time to learn how it works. If so, unless you get a simple book to help with the basics, you will continue to be frustrated and to waste all kinds of time when that is unnecessary. Please consider something like this: Windows 8.1 for Dummies

I get one of these types of books whenever I get a computer with a new operating system:

Pictures is just a folder, no different from any other. Some programs are preset to put photos there, just as other programs are preset to put other files in other places. Almost all of those presets are easily changed so that you can put files in folders of your own choosing.

The file suffix (.jpg, .pdf) tells the PC the type of file and then how to open it. If you change the suffix of a file, that can make it unopenable. Any kind of file can be in any folder. Some folders have limited access on your PC (such as the ones containing the programs) but most others are at the user's choice.

Donna, you should learn how to use Windows explorer so that you can choose folders to access, choose folders to store files in, and choose programs to access files with. That's your obstacle and source of confusion. It has nothing to do with your ISP, nor your email program, nor the Windows version you have. This has been the same technique for users to understand and deal with all the way back to DOS - knowing how to use folders, access files, and make folder settings in programs. Good luck