For many years, I was able to send photograph using Live Mail using the following procedure:

-- using Explorer, open the folder with the photographs

-- right mouse click and select the 'Send to' option

-- select the 'Mail recipient' option

-- Live Mail would open, allowing me to enter an email address and subject line, and, if I choose, a text message

Now, these messages get hung up.

My ISP confirms the problem is not at the mail server end. Instead, I was advised to repair -- or delete and re-install -- the Live Mail program in Windows Essentials.

I ran the wlarp.exe file from the Windows Control Panel, from Command Prompt, and 'Mr. Fix It' . . . restarted the computer and had the same problem.

After reading several threads in Microsoft help forums, I found several individuals with similar problems but none of the remedies has allowed me to repair Live Mail to resolve the problem.

The curious thing is that if I avoid the method I have used for years, and, instead, open a 'New Email', and use the 'insert single photo' option, I can send several photographs as inserts in an email message; none of these messages are left spinning as the messages try to leave my computer. Note: the insert photo album option does not work; those messages are not able to leave my computer.

Yes, I can revert to the new option but it is tedious and, more importantly, it does not deal with the problem in Live Mail.

I am reluctant to uninstall Windows Essentials and do a clean install, even after cleaning the registry of references to 'Live Mail' and 'Essentials' as I suspect I will lose those email messages which I have archived over the years. Seems to me I should not have to shift all of my saved messages to the cloud or to an alternative email reader, repair Live Mail, then transfer my saved messages back.

Would like to hear from anyone who has had a similar problem -- Live Mail unable to send attached photographs but able to send embedded photographs -- and found a solution. Note: I can send a single photograph, even one of three or four megabytes, as an embedded photograph but cannot send even a 250kb version of the same photograph as an attachment.

Thanks for any assistance.