Here are some instructions for getting email attachments to your PC using Pine, Windows 95, FTP (File Transfer Protocol) and UNIX (your email file support system)

Summary...

Read your mail with pine
Save the attachment on your unix account
Copy the attached file to your
Open that file with the appropriate program

Details...

Pine...

a message indicates that there is an attachment: whoopie!
press V to View the attachment index
press S to Save the attachment in your Unix directory
change the name to something simple: lowercase, no spaces, but keep the extension (.xyz) the same, press Enter
press E to Exit the attachment viewer
continue with Pine as usual, you may wish to delete this message since attachments can be large and they might clog up your email account.

File Transfer methods...

Now, there are 2 choices for getting that file to your PC...
-microsoft's dos version of FTP (included with windows'95)
-or WS-FTP, available directly from the software repository at ftp://ftp.en.com/win95/wsftppro.zip
Browse for other software at http://www.en.com/software/95.htm since you'll need 'WinZip', the zip-file extractor too.

The Hard Way...

Windows 95...

click on the 'Start' button
select 'Run'
enter: command.com
select the disk to hold the file: P:
make a folder to hold the attachment: MD \DownLoad
open that folder: CD \DownLoad
start the FTP program: FTP ubunix.buffalo.edu

File Transfer Protocol (FTP)...
enter your user account name, same as email name
enter your email password too
show a list of files: LS
tell the program not to adjust the contents: BINARY
GET "Name Of File" (case sensitive, use quotes if there are spaces in the name)
Repeat as needed
QUIT (the FTP program)
EXIT (the MS DOS command program)

Unix...
Sooner or later all these 'saved' attachments will clog up your unix account's file system. The next time you log in, before starting Pine...
List your files by entering: ls
Delete a file by entering: rm ExactNameOfFile.ext
Repeat as needed.

The Easy Way...

Using WS-FTP...

First time, make an entry to connect to your account on ubunix...
  • profile name= myaccount@ubunix (or whatever you like)
  • host name= ubunix.buffalo.edu
  • host type= automatic
  • user id= ubname (your loggon name)
  • password best left blank
  • click on Save
    Any time you want to connect to UBunix and transfer files to your PC...
  • select the profile name
  • click on OK
  • on the left side...
  • select the disk and folder where the files are to go
  • on the right...
  • select the file(s) to be copied to your PC
  • in the center...
  • click the button <- to start transferring the file(s)

    Finally...

    The attached file should now be on your PC, in the directory you specified. Hopefully, you'll have a program on your machine that can decipher the contents of that file, eg: if it ends in .doc, use microsoft word.

    Hopefully the sender considered the fact that not everyone has the latest version of the program. If they do send the file made with with an obscure or latest-greatest program, write back to them and tell them to save it in a more common format or tell them the program version you're using, eg Word'95, Excel 5.0.

    Of course,you could avoid all this file transfer hassle by using an attachment-capable PC-based email program such as Mulberry, available from UB CIT at http://www.cit.buffalo.edu/mail/Mulberry

    Good luck,
    -Ken
    dated: 2000 Feb 23