Opening e-mail initiates dial-up when off line

[fobotcso]

I've received an e-mail, from a trusted business source, that dials up my default Internet Connection when I open it to read it off-line. Having dialled up, it doesn't seem to go to any site or open the Outlook Express reply page.

The e-mail contains several normal visible links to other pages/sites and and a reply e-mail address that opens the OE reply box normally.

Anybody got any ideas on how this "feature" can be disabled? I've not come across it before and can't find a reference to it in my TechNet notes. :(

This is W2K with IE/OE 5.5.

[Edit: Meanwhile, I've had a look at the HTML in the original message and it seems that this may be a subterfuge to let the originator have statistics on how many times his e-mail is opened. For companies that are continuously on-line it wouldn't be noticed by the reader. I have "send acknowledgment" disabled. It must be a simple hit-counter on the site in question.

A bad ploy to use against people you are trying to impress!]

[ 26 November 2001: Message edited by: fobotcso ]

[SLF 999]

Go to IE, tools, internet options, connections and check that never dial a connection it the chosen tab.

In Outlook express go to tools, general and on the pull down list put maske it do not connect

[fobotcso]

SLF, thanks for taking the trouble to reply. Unfortunately neither of these ideas will allow me to continue to receive any e-mails at all. :D

The originator of the offending e-mails says the following in response to complaints.

"This issue has come up before and my service providers say:

Your recipient's email client determines how to read the email received. Their email client is setup to connect to the web when reading an HTML email containing images that reside on the web.

This may not be a lot of help. But if you continue to get the problem with other emails then you can setup your email software differently to eliminate it."

The absolute solution is to be taken off the senders address list, but this isn't conducive to good business!

[SLF 999]

In tools , options, send, there are 2 settings in mail sending format, mine is set to html, but you could try and change it to plain text and see if this makes any difference, there is also an option to change the HTML setting (mine is set to quoted printable)
If this doesnt work Im out of my depth sorry.