Hyperlink opens to IE home page rather than actual link

[lisansaunders]

Affecting Outlook 2003, Windows XP SP3: Several users are attempting to
follow a link embedded in Outlook. After clicking the link, they are
prompted to "Locate link browser". They can browse to the IE executable
without problems. If they try to follow the link again, IE will open to
their home page, but not to the link itself. Further, if they hover over the
link it states "blocked::yadayadayada" Any ideas?

 

[VanguardLH]

Affecting Outlook 2003, Windows XP SP3: Several users are attempting to
follow a link embedded in Outlook. After clicking the link, they are
prompted to "Locate link browser". They can browse to the IE executable
without problems. If they try to follow the link again, IE will open to
their home page, but not to the link itself.

From a Google search:
http://www.google.com/search?q=+"internet+explorer"+%2Bfirefox+%2B"locate+link+browser"

Do you have Firefox installed? Read:
http://www.howtogeek.com/howto/wind...pup-dialog-when-clicking-on-links-in-outlook/

Further, if they hover over the
link it states "blocked::yadayadayada" Any ideas?

Different symptom. Perhaps the e-mail is in your Junk folder where links
get disabled because they're unlikely to be safe considering why the e-mail
got junked. Have you tried moving the e-mail out of the Junk folder and
into another email-type folder (Inbox or another email folder you create)?

Or perhaps the sender pasted the link from somewhere else rather than enter
their own hyperlink text. Try the following:

- Copy the URL string from the e-mail and paste into the address bar in
the web browser and edit out the "blocked:" prefix.

- See if viewing the HTML-formatted e-mail in the Internet security zone
eliminates the problem (View -> View in Internet Zone).
*WARNING: Be aware that you will be viewing that HTML-formatted e-mail
with far less restrictions which means you are more
vulnerable to its content.

Also see: http://www.slipstick.com/mail1/blocked.htm

 

[lisansaunders]

Hi Vanguard,

Firefox is not installed, users are on IE only. The email is not in the
Junk folder and is sitting in the Inbox. The hyperlink was auto-generated
from one of our internal systems. The hyperlink says "Click here to view the
Work Ticket details", with "Click Here" as the hyperlink. When you hover
over that, it shows "blocked::yadayadayada". As such, I cannot copy the link
from the email straight into a browser. I have also already tried to view
the email in the Internet Security Zone with the same results. Every time I
click on the link, it goes straight to the user's IE home page.

Interestingly enough, Outlook 2007 and 2010 users can follow the link
without problems; it opens right to the webpage. Hovering over the link
shows the website with a nice little "click to follow link" message.

Thanks.

 

[Brian Tillman [MVP-Outlook]]

When you hover over that, it shows "blocked::yadayadayada".

See if this helps: http://www.slipstick.com/mail1/blocked.htm

 

[lisansaunders]

Hi Brian,

I tried every option listed on that page, all to no avail. The link still
opens to IE's home page rather than the actual site.

Thanks.

 

[VanguardLH]

I tried every option listed on that page, all to no avail. The link still
opens to IE's home page rather than the actual site.

Then it sounds like the DDE transfer of the parameter specifying the URL is
not getting transferred. First see if using Internet Options -> Advanced
tab -> Reset gets IE working again for URL links inside of e-mails.

If that doesn't help, go to Folder Options -> File Types
(NONE) URL: HyperText Transfer Protocol

If the Change button is enabled then something else inserted itself as the
URL scheme handler at some time. See if you can change back to the
defaults; otherwise, go under Advanced and check the following settings to
edit the action(s):

Action:
Open
Application used to perform action:
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" -nohome
Use DDE:
Enabled
DDE Message:
"%1",,-1,0,,,,
Application:
IExplore
DDE Application Not Running:
(blank)
Topic:
WWW_OpenURL

The open action will result in opening IE with no home page. You're
interested in how the DDE association is defined to have IE used as the
handler for the URL HTTP scheme. If, for example, the %1 was missing from
the DDE message passed from the client (e-mail program) to the server (IE)
then the server will load but have no parameter specifying what URL to load.
The %1 replaceable parameter would be the value of the URL string on which
you clicked in the e-mail.

 

[lisansaunders]

Hi Vanguard,

I have reset IE to the defaults, did not fix the problem.

I have also gone the route of changing the File Type info; the Change button
has been greyed out, so I cannot change what program to open with, and I have
confirmed that all of the advanced settings are the same as you previously
outlined. Sadly, this did not fix the problem either.

Thanks!
Lisa

 

[VanguardLH]

I have reset IE to the defaults, did not fix the problem.

I have also gone the route of changing the File Type info; the Change button
has been greyed out, so I cannot change what program to open with, and I have
confirmed that all of the advanced settings are the same as you previously
outlined. Sadly, this did not fix the problem either.

Have you tried rebooting into Windows' Safe Mode (with networking) and
retest URL links in e-mails to see if that web page opens in IE? You might
have security software that is interferring with the use of IE.

 

[lisansaunders]

Rebooting to Safe Mode w/ Networking does not resolve the problem. Hovering
over the link still shows "blocked::yadayadayada", and click the link still
takes me to my home page.