Create stationary with photo?

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Level 1

63 points

Create stationary with photo?

Hi,
I'm trying to do something which should be simple - but isn't! (Or at least doesn't work?)
I'm just trying to create a "stationary" with one of my own pictures and title.

Simple enough . . . I created a new email, dragged a photo into it from iPhoto - typed what I wanted under the photo, went up to "FILE" at the menu up top, clicked "Save as Stationary" - SIMPLE!

But when I want to use that stationary I just created - when I click "Show stationary" in a new email, then go to "Custom" - I see my new stationary but NOW THE PROBLEM!! No picture! Just the classic blue box with a question mark in it. I have a MacBook Pro, the latest one, all Leopard upgrades - all permissions verified - everything works fine EXCEPT this one issue!

But the plot thickens . . . I went to the Apple store to discuss with Genius' - and on all the floor models - the same thing happens. It won't work! But on the Wall computer the "creatives" use - it DOES WORK! We're all stumped. Oh, I still seem to have MAIL version 3.0 even though I did all Upgrades thru "Software Update" - but some machines have MAIL 3.02. Can't figure this out either.

Anyone else have this problem . . . or am I the only one 🙂 ? Any ideas from you Genius' out there?

Lastly, I must be loosing it - but I thought I'd try going to my Leopard upgrade disk that came with my MacBook Pro (About 6 months ago I bought it) - how do I just reinstall MAIL from the Leopard disk? I just want to reinstall MAIL - NOT all of Leopard . . . but I can't seem to be able to do this. An archive and install seems a bit overkill for this "guess" of what might fix it.

Any ideas?

Thanks VERY much.
Larry

Macbook Pro 17, Mac OS X (10.5.2)

Posted on Apr 5, 2008 11:06 AM

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Answer 1

Larry Cohen1 Author

Level 1

63 points

Apr 5, 2008 11:09 AM in response to Larry Cohen1

Oh, I found this link . . .
http://theappleblog.com/2007/10/31/how-to-create-edit-your-own-mail-stationery/

but I'm not comfortable doing ALL THIS! Just to have a picture!

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Answer 2

geoffco85

Level 3

620 points

Apr 5, 2008 12:15 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

What I would do is create a new user,
Set up your mail account in the new usre and see is it works in there
If it works in the new user thn log back into your main user
Go into your user library and move the mail folder to your desktop, then
Go into your user library, then into the preferences folder
Remove the com.apple.mail.plist to the trash
Restart your computer and open mail and set up the account again

If it does not work in a new user
Then go back into your user
Put install disk one in the machine
Choose optional install and follow the instructions from there to reinstall mail

Let us know what happens

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Answer 3

Larry Cohen1 Author

Level 1

63 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:12 PM in response to geoffco85

Hi Geoffco85,

Thank you for your very insightful response! We must be thinking similarly as we've done exactly as you've suggested at the Apple Store! The same actions of trying to setup a stationary fails identically when we set up a test user.

Good idea, though! We also trashed the pref to MAIL. STILL FAILS upon startup even with the new pref MAIL creates.

Which leaves me to your last option, which I've been trying to do - but I must be missing something. I have the LEOPARD upgrade disk which came with my MacBook Pro as the computer came new from Apple with Tiger installed. So they enclose a Leopard disk in the box. When I put the disk in, restart - ny options are to archive and install, or erase. I want neither. I'm trying to only reinstall MAIL - but it doesn't seem to let me do that. I only get the first two options. I hope I'm doing something stupid - but for the life of me, I can't figure out what? I even looked at the Apple site to see if I could download only MAIL - but don't see that, either.

You're very helpful - any other thoughts on installing only MAIL from the Leopard upgrade disk?

Thanks so very much.
Larry

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Answer 4

geoffco85

Level 3

620 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:28 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

you don't need to start up to the disk

Put the disk in when you are booted up to the desktop
You will see it there

And I have been using Apple products for a while so and had a few hiccups on the way and most of the time involve creating a new user so now I start there.

🙂

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Answer 5

V.K.

Level 9

56,174 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:29 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

I don't know if this is an accident but when I tried the same on my two computers here is what happened.

on my mac pro at home I had the same sad experience as you. On my mac pro at my office the stationery was created correctly. HOWEVER, after I tried it, I installed TM&airport update and the security update (they weren't installed before). The updates installed without a problem but now the same problem occurs when I try to create stationery on that computer too.

This makes me suspect that one of those two updates messed up mail somehow.

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Answer 6

Larry Cohen1 Author

Level 1

63 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:37 PM in response to V.K.

VK - I think you've hit the nail on the head! At the Apple store, all their floor units acted exactly like mine - that is they fail to make a new stationary. But when we used the computer their "Creative" people use - it worked there. The explanation they had was similar to yours - the "Creative" computer hadn't had a few upgrades. All the floor models reloaded everything everyday!

This would concur with your findings. I think you're right here. I guess that means upgrade backwards - which I'm not going to do - I'll just try to have a satisfying life without this feature ⚠ and wait till Apple fixes it. Thank you for confirming what I thought too. BUT . . . just in cased, I'm now going to go back and try what Geoffco recommends too! I'll let you know. (You didn't try reinstalling only MAIL, did you?)
Larry

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Answer 7

geoffco85

Level 3

620 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:38 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

I have heard a whisper in the wind about a SW update

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Answer 8

V.K.

Level 9

56,174 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:48 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

no, I didn't try reinstalling Mail and I'm not planning to either. If you do reinstall Mail from the install DVD, it will be version 3.0 (or 3.1 depending how old your install DVD is). To get Mail to 3.2 you'd have to reinstall 10.5.2 combo update which is currently impossible if you have the TM&airport update installed.

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Answer 9

Larry Cohen1 Author

Level 1

63 points

Apr 5, 2008 1:55 PM in response to geoffco85

Hi Geoffco and VK! (Both of you at once!)

I think you just helped me put this to bed! Geoffco, thank you - I put the Leopard disk in and clicked optional installs right from the disk - it DOES allow me to install only MAIL. Thank you.

VK - you are correct - it IS version 3.0 (I had version 3.2) but I didn't care - what the ****, I just cloned and Time Machined my MacBook - let's GO FOR IT!! 🙂

I trashed the prefs, reinstalled MAIL 3.0 - tried it and NO GO!

Still doesn't work. So I'm pretty convinced this is an Apple thing (problem). But I feel comfortable I've done everything reasonable. Thank you both for your help. The quote from Thomas Edison (our great inventor) comes to mind . . .

"I've not failed -- I just found 3,000 ways it won't work!"

Thank you both!

Larry

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Answer 10

V.K.

Level 9

56,174 points

Apr 5, 2008 3:45 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

ok, I think I nailed down the culprit. It's not Mail, it's not TM update and it's not the security update. It's the Safari update. I had an unpatched clone on my home computer and I just applied all the updates 1 by 1 checking to see if it works after every update. Safari update was the very last one I used and that's the one that skrewed things up. It makes sense now that I think on it. Mail uses safari engine to render and create html.

Therefore you might want to try reinstalling old Safari from the leopard install DVD. That might fix this particular problem.

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Answer 11

Larry Cohen1 Author

Level 1

63 points

Apr 5, 2008 7:41 PM in response to V.K.

Greetings again, V.K.

Well, very interesting what you say. If you're curious, I'm back up and running just fine with MAIL 3.2!

All I did, in 3 minutes - is drag MAIL out of applications folder - saved the old preferences - then from the Leopard DVD reinstalled MAIL 3.0. It failed also, so no advantage to that! Soooo . . . I just trashed Mail 3.0 and dragged the old MAIL 3.2 with its prefs back into applications and the Library preferences.

Voila - everything is perfect, back to normal - (with Stationary NOT working) -- just like before.

But now . . . I'll try your new idea of reinstalling Safari. I Love Apple - being able to do these thisgs so easily!

I'll let you know soon,

Larry

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Answer 12

V.K.

Level 9

56,174 points

Apr 5, 2008 7:51 PM in response to Larry Cohen1

good luck with that although I'm afraid it might not be as easy as simply replacing new safari with old safari. I don't know what exactly the Safari update does but I think it's more than just replace the application. At least it requires a restart and that's not normally necessary for straightforward application updates.

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Answer 13

Larry Cohen1 Author

Level 1

63 points

Apr 5, 2008 8:08 PM in response to V.K.

Hi V.K.

Well, I tried - no luck. So I'm putting this to bed now. I simply removed Safari 3.1 and replaced it with the DVD version (3.04). Trashed the prefs to safari and MAIL. Tried this with MAIL 3.2 and 3.0.
Restarted - I still cannot make stationary with a picture and have it work. When I open a new email, use custom stationary I just made with a picture - NO LUCK. Still comes back up with the questionmark.

So I think I'm giving this up. Not that crucial for me. So now I put the "old" Safari back (3.1) the "old" mail back (3.2) replaced all "old" prefs - and I'm right back where I was yesterday!

Oh well, thanks anyway.

Larry

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