i get these emails from a friend (so i know they’re virus free) but they won’t open. the attachments are .eml whatever that is??? any idea? thanks
That is assuming your friend is not infected and sending a nasty to everyone in his address book.
.eml is the extension for e-mail
Attached .eml files are not readable in some computers.
Ask him/her to FORWARD the original message to you and NOT attach the email as it was a file (.eml). 
The .eml format is I believe Outlook Express saved email format, some other email clients may be able to save or open .eml format.
Check the OE security settings some time ago they were changed so certain file types were blocked from opening (those considered a risk, like .exe, .com, etc. I’m not sure if .eml is included in this list), it is never advisable to open an attachment directly from an email, save it to your HDD and scan it before opening.
Something strange happens when the eml file is attached and not just opened in the same computer.
Which may be down to the security measures I mentioned as opening an eml file could activate an iFrame, etc. that could download malware, etc.