I have a Dell computer, since I got it I can,t open attachments that seem to have been attachments the sender had received and wants to forward to me. Is that a setting that I might need to change on my computer?

I do not think you need to change something. Maybe the problem is with the attachment file itself. I am making sense? hehe.

i have the same problem. if i am fowarded a message i get it, if it is sent as an attatchment, i cannot open it. the message, cannot find earthlink type mail message,cannot find mail client .exe?
had earthlink once, kept being thrown off. got rid of it. am on a wireless system provided by my city. still have the same problem.
any ideas? thanks, willis.

Try uninstalling the software provided by earthlink then try agian.