>Any lurkers on this thread please feel free to jump in with your comments:)

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>It may be that we just have to tell anyone that uses the system that they must have MS Outlook installed on their machines. This would allow us to use the Outlook control which I imagine will allow us to extract the attachments somehow.
>

This idea is not as far out as it may seem, as more and more corporate users are migrating to exchange and outlook as they install new systems, or upgrade the older ones. It is fairly easy as well to script in VB script and add the option to the client outlook to perform additional functions as well. an example of this is to display full header information for incoming email, attachment saving options, exporting and classifying incoming messages to a database if needed.

In my HR application, I use the mapi class in the MSDN samples to allow a branch office to enter basic information on new hires, and attach a copy of the resume, and additionally a photo. The application then emails this information to corporate Hq, where it is read into and updates a database, and stores a path to the soft copy of the resume and the photo. On a monthly basis, the corporate database sends out updates to each branch, synchronizing branch databases with the central one, the exception being that the branch only contains branch HR information. Annually, it automatically generates email to the employee to review and update the resumes and submit the updates as needed.
The security department, uses the photo to create the employee's badge. and is also used to add a photo to the employee's travel credit card, if applicable. Of course the central database is searchable via the intranet by managers when researching resumes for proposals, etc.
Doing it this way avoided the complications of having special posting access to the corporate servers and lessens the load on the corporate sysadmin because he does not have to create any additional or special access groups for the central servers.