Change key action

[Owner]

My e-mail key on my keyboard brings up Windows Mail. I would like it to
bring up Hotmail. How can I reprogram that key?

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Since Hotmail is not a program, there is no easy way to do it.
One way would be to upgrade to Windows Live Mail (WLM) since
WLM handles Hotmail accounts.
If the keyboard Mail key simply calls the default mail program,
you're all set after installing WLM. If it is hard-coded for WM,
we may have to do a little more work, but we'll cross that bridge
when we get to it.

Gary VanderMolen

 

[Cal Bear '66]

My keyboard drivers allow me to open a web page with the Mail key.

Control Panel > Keyboard, Buttons tab

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Cool! So it will handle either a URL or a directory path.
The OP would need to open his keyboard utility program and then
reprogram that Mail key for something like "http://hotmail.com".

Gary VanderMolen

 

[Cal Bear '66]

Exactly.

Now if only I could figure out how to get the keyboard Help button to open
Vista's native Help and Support....

 

[Ramesh, MS-MVP]

Correct! This utility can automate that.

Register Windows Live Hotmail with the Default Programs tool in Windows Vista:
http://www.winhelponline.com/articles/224/1/

Select the "Launch Hotmail when I press the Mail button on the Keyboard" checkbox.

For Windows XP, one can use the TweakUI PowerToy to configure the Mail key action.

--
Regards,

Ramesh Srinivasan, Microsoft MVP [Windows Shell/User]
Windows® Troubleshooting http://www.winhelponline.com


Cool! So it will handle either a URL or a directory path.
The OP would need to open his keyboard utility program and then
reprogram that Mail key for something like "http://hotmail.com".

Gary VanderMolen

 

[Guest]

I also have a keyboard key to launch my email program which, for good or bad,
is currently Windows Mail. Until I change to Windows Live or something else,
I would like to know how to program the key to launch Windows Mail. It wants
the url, which I don't know. I would gratefully appreciate any guidance.
Thanks.

Bill Jacobsen

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

I'm not familiar with that dedicated mail key, but it may accept
a hard drive path. Try
"C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe"

Gary VanderMolen

 

[Guest]

Thanks for the suggestion, but it didn't work. The button (on my HP Pavilion
w/wireless keyboard w/ Vista) somehow connects to Internet Explorer, which is
my browser and wants a url. Perhaps it will only work with HotMail, Yahoo
Mail, etc. The four other programmable buttons work fine, but they have urls.

Bill Jacobsen

 

[Cal Bear '66]

In Control Panel (Classic View) > Keyboard > Buttons tab, double click on the
E-Mail entry, select "simple local file with label" from the "Choose a button
capability:" drop down list, type what you want displayed on the screen in the
middle box, and enter C:\Program Files\Windows Mail\WinMail.exe in the
"Address:" box or use the Browse button to locate WinMail.exe.

 

[Guest]

Directly inputting C:\... didn't work, but browsing for it did. Problem
fixed. Thank you, and Gary, for the suggestion.

 

[Cal Bear '66]

You're welcome.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Mine doesn't have the "Buttons" tab, which is probably because I
didn't install the special keyboard driver. I favor the minimalist
approach.

Gary VanderMolen