Setting Default mail handler

L

Leslie Isaacs

Hello All

I am running Windows 2k Professional, Internet Explorer 6 Outlook Express 6
and Outlook 97. I use Outlook Express because it's best for these
newsgroups, and I also use it for all emailing. I use Outlook for calendar.

The problem is that when I click a Send Email button on a website, or I want
to use a 'Send Object' command from an Access application, etc. etc., I keep
getting a window popping up that asks me to 'Choose Profile' - and the only
option available in the drop-down window is Outlook: but I want to use
Outlook Express!

In Outlook Express, under Tools>Options, on the General tab, I have clicked
the 'Make Default' button in the 'Default Messaging Programs' section, but
this has made no difference.

How can I set Outlook Express to be used for ALL email? I'm sure it's
something obvious - but blowed of I can see it!!

Hope someone can help.

Many thanks
Les
 
L

Leslie Isaacs

Hello Bruce

I hope you don't mind my directing this to you, but it's over a week ago
that you answered my initial query so I didn't think you would be likely to
see my follow-up problem.

I have tried to set OE as the default mail handler with OE Tools>Options
and IE Tools>Options, but to no avail, so I am having to go on to editing
the registry - which make me NERVOUS!

The article at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098 tells me to find
the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Outlook Express

But when I go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail, there are no
'sub-folders' on the left (under 'Mail'), and with Mail highlighted the only
thing that appears on the right has a name of 'Default', a type of REG_SZ
and a value of (value not set). It looks to me as if I don't have an Outlook
Express key there at all.

I have noticed that a little below the Mail folder on the left is a News
folder, and this does have the sub-folder called Outlook Express with the
two values specified in the above kbid: one is Default, which has a value of
Outlook Express, and the other is DLLPath, which contains the path to
Msoe.dll on your computer.

It seems to me that I need to copy the Outlook Express sub-folder from News
to Mail. Can this be done - safely!

I would be very grateful for your help.

Many thanks
Les
 
J

Jack Isaacs

Steve

Thanks for your reply.

No, I haven't done that yet, because a colleague pointed out that this was
"mucking about with the registry" in a way that I didn't really know what
was happening, and was therefore potentially unsafe. Manually editing the
registry, as at http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098 , seemed safer, so
I would be more inclined to try that - under detailed guidance from someone
like yourself!

Having said that, can you see any risk at all in my running "C:\PROGRAM
FILES\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /reg ? The PC in question is 'mission
critical', and altough the data on it is backed up I cannot really afford
for much down time.

Sorry if I seem pathetic, but it's the result of my ignorance! I would be
very grateful for your futher advice.

Many thanks,
Les
 
K

Kath Adams

But...doing what both Steve and Bruce suggest IS the easiest option that
would work. And quick. (Copy and paste the line so that no mistakes are
made.)
 
J

Jack Isaacs

Hello Kath

Many thanks for coming in on this: can I just confirm that by "what both
Steve and Bruce suggest " you mean running "C:\PROGRAM FILES\OUTLOOK
EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /reg
Is there any possibility at all that this could do any harm (assuming that I
copy and paste it accurately!)?

Many thanks
Les
 
K

Kath Adams

Jack said:
Hello Kath

Many thanks for coming in on this: can I just confirm that by "what
both Steve and Bruce suggest " you mean running "C:\PROGRAM
FILES\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /reg
Is there any possibility at all that this could do any harm (assuming
that I copy and paste it accurately!)?

Many thanks
Les
Click to expand...

Nope, it should do what you want! Please post back and let us know that
all is well.
Kath

<snip>
 
J

Jack Isaacs

Kath

What I should also ask is, given what Bruce said in his reply at 15.52pm,
and the fact that my

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail

does appear to be empty, will running

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /reg

still work? I was a bit put off by Bruce's "If you don't have something that
looks like this, you have bigger problems than I can help you with."

Thanks again
Les
 
P

PA Bear

Assuming MSIMN.EXE is located in C:\Program Files\Outlook Express, no.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (Shell, IE/OE) & Security

Jack said:
Hello Kath

Many thanks for coming in on this: can I just confirm that by "what both
Steve and Bruce suggest " you mean running "C:\PROGRAM FILES\OUTLOOK
EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /reg
Is there any possibility at all that this could do any harm (assuming
that I copy and paste it accurately!)?
Click to expand...
<snip>
 
L

Leslie Isaacs

Hello PA Bear

Thank you for your reply.

I have just searched for MSIMN.EXE, and found it at each of the following 3
addresses:

C:\Program Files\Outlook Express (as expected)
C:\WINNT\$NtServicePackUninstall$
C:\WINNT\ServicePackFiles\i386

The files at the 2nd and 3rd locations are slightly smaller that at the 1st
(42 KB v 56 KB).
Does any of this matter?

Thanks again.
Les
 
K

Kath Adams

Leslie said:
Hello PA Bear

Thank you for your reply.

I have just searched for MSIMN.EXE, and found it at each of the
following 3 addresses:

C:\Program Files\Outlook Express (as expected)
C:\WINNT\$NtServicePackUninstall$
C:\WINNT\ServicePackFiles\i386

The files at the 2nd and 3rd locations are slightly smaller that at
the 1st (42 KB v 56 KB).
Does any of this matter?

Thanks again.
Les
Click to expand...

No. It all looks fine.
Just get on with it and do the deed! We're all waiting with baited
breath to see if this fixes the problem!
Kath
 
F

Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE

Leslie Isaacs said:
Hello PA Bear

Thank you for your reply.

I have just searched for MSIMN.EXE, and found it at each of the following
3
addresses:

C:\Program Files\Outlook Express (as expected)
C:\WINNT\$NtServicePackUninstall$
C:\WINNT\ServicePackFiles\i386

The files at the 2nd and 3rd locations are slightly smaller that at the
1st
(42 KB v 56 KB).
Does any of this matter?

Thanks again.
Les
Click to expand...

I'll bet the latter two are msimn.ex_, not msimn.exe - They are compressed
copies for installation and would have to be expanded to work.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
 
F

Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE

Jack Isaacs said:
Kath

What I should also ask is, given what Bruce said in his reply at 15.52pm,
and the fact that my

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail

does appear to be empty, will running

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\OUTLOOK EXPRESS\MSIMN.EXE" /reg

still work? I was a bit put off by Bruce's "If you don't have something
that
looks like this, you have bigger problems than I can help you with."

Thanks again
Les
Click to expand...

It will fix that.
Just do it. We've been recommending this for years and never, ever, heard
of it messing anything up.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP, IE/OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
 
K

Kath Adams

It's the America Online requisite that had me quaking in my boots! <vbg>
Kath

Steve said:
I guess I'm in big trouble. I can't find Cakewalk Music Software.
Among other things. <G>

steve

Screen shot. Read in HTML.

If you don't have something that looks like this, you have bigger
problems than I can help you with.
Click to expand...
<snip>
 

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