Windows Mail in Win7

[kiran]

Hi Friends,

If this not the right group please point me to one.

We have an application which allows to add email accounts to default
email client installed in the machine. We are getting the default
email client information from the registry. In Win7, the registry
entries for Windows mail are present even though the actual
application is not usable.

Right now I am looking for WindowsMailGadget.exe in Windows Mail
folder and if this is present I assume that the installation is
proper? Is there any other way I can figure out that Windows Mail is
not completely installed ??

Thanks

 

[David B.]

Windows Mail is not part of Windows 7, you can download it's replacement as
part of Windows Live Essentials.

 

[DL]

I believe MS removed Windows Mail from Win7(final edition), along with some
other apps
Windows Live being an optional download/install

 

[Sam Hobbs]

You probably know that you should always use documented techniques unless
you are sure you need to do what you are doing and that there is not a
documented solution. I don't know the details of what you are doing but it
is probably that there is a documented solution. Most documented solutions
don't use the registry directly.

There are many APIs for email, including MAPI and a few called CDO. Note
that there are more than one APIs called CDO that are not the same. I don't
know if either can create accounts but you can look for the documentation.

For programming, you will likely get better answers in a programming
newsgroup or forum. The programming newsgroup for messaging that seems the
most active is:
microsoft.public.win32.programmer.messaging
Note that it is inactive relative to most newsgroups, but it does get some
activity. You can look through and search the previous answers there.

Also note that newgroup people prefer plain-text format, not HTML, for
newsgroup messages.

 

[t-4-2]

Correct me if I am wrong.
From what I understand, WIN7 does not support Windows mail, only Windows
Live Mail.
However, I also remembered some ones, including one of the MVPs, managed to
"tweek" WIN7 into accepting WM.
t-4-2

 

[Rainald Taesler]

Correct me if I am wrong.
From what I understand, WIN7 does not support Windows mail, only
Windows Live Mail.
However, I also remembered some ones, including one of the MVPs,
managed to "tweek" WIN7 into accepting WM.
t-4-2

Right!
Under Win7 there is a program directory for WinMail but the application
stored therein dies not run.
Therefore the program files from Vista have to be used instead.

The MVP you have in mind is Gary VanderMolen.
When opening one of his postings' source code you will see that he is
running Win7 and uses WinMail as his newsreader.

There is another positive report from the German MVP Helmut Rohrbeck.

His recipe goes some like this:
- Rename the existing folder of the WinMail program (for enabling a
future return to the original setup);
- copy the whole of the directory holding WinMail (by default %Program
Files%\Windows Mail) from a computer running under Vista to
%ProgramFiles% on the Win7 machine.

Now WinMail should run fine.

Rainald
P.S. OE-Quotefix (which is an essential add-on IMHO) does also run fine
after a little extra tweak.

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

Windows Mail is not officially supported in Windows 7.
It still includes a Windows Mail directory for backward
compatibility with wab.exe (Windows Contacts).

 

[Steve Cochran]

I don't think the WinMail gadget is supported in Win7. They have disabled
much of WinMail in Win7 and I find it strange that the default mail client
is listed as Windows Mail, if that is the case.

Also, you might check in the final, which has just been released to MSDN and
Technet subscribers.

steve

 

[Sam Hobbs]

What you are saying is very confusing. Your original question said "add
email accounts to default email client installed in the machine", implying
you want a solution that is as general-purpose as possible. Yet you ask
about Windows Mail and are trying to force it to be used with Windows 7 even
if it is not supported.

You need to define your requirements; do you need to require your users to
use Windows Mail in Windows 7 or do you need to design your software so it
is as flexible and practical as possible?

Also, you need to decide whether you want to get help from specialists that
are most qualified to help you. If you do, then you need to use a more
appropriate newsgroup or forum. The people here are specialists in Windows
Mail but the development specialists are usually elsewhere. The programmer
messaging newsgroup is one possibility and there are some MSDN forums that
could also be useful; see the following.

Software Development for Windows Client Category
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/category/windev

General Windows Development Issues Forum
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowsgeneraldevelopmentissues/threads

Application Compatibility for Windows Development Forum
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/windowscompatibility/threads

Also see:

Where is the Forum For.?
http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/whatforum/threads

 

[t-4-2]

You have confused me ( t-4-2 ) with the original poster ( whoever he/she
is ).
t-4-2

 

[Sam Hobbs]

Oh, sorry. I should be more observant. Thank you for straightening me out.

 

[Rainald Taesler]

Correct me if I am wrong.
From what I understand, WIN7 does not support Windows mail, only
Windows Live Mail.
However, I also remembered some ones, including one of the MVPs,
managed to "tweek" WIN7 into accepting WM.
t-4-2

In addition to my previous posting:
It has been reported by users that with a Registry hack WinMail can be
assigned as the default mail client in Win7.
Pls see:
http://www.winhelponline.com/articl...issing-from-the-default-programs-listing.html

Rainald

 

[Rainald Taesler]

I don't think the WinMail gadget is supported in Win7. They have
disabled much of WinMail in Win7 and I find it strange that the
default mail client is listed as Windows Mail, if that is the case.

I can not say for the said "gadget" but it's possible to assign WinMail
as the default mail client using a Registry hack. Pls see
http://www.winhelponline.com/articl...issing-from-the-default-programs-listing.html

Also, you might check in the final, which has just been released to
MSDN and Technet subscribers.

It has been reported by the German MVP Helmut Rohrbeck that WinMail
(imported from Vista) and even OE-Quotefix run fine under the Win7 RTM.

Rainald

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

I've run that registry fix several times over the past few days,
but it does not restore Windows Mail to the "Set your default
programs" list for me. Interestingly, Windows Mail does appear
under "Set program access and computer defaults."
It's not a big deal for me since I only use Windows Mail for
newsgroups.
[Running Windows 7 RTM]

 

[Steve Cochran]

I can not say for the said "gadget" but it's possible to assign WinMail
as the default mail client using a Registry hack. Pls see
http://www.winhelponline.com/articl...issing-from-the-default-programs-listing.html

Have you verified that that works in the final release? Gary and others
indicate it does not.

It has been reported by the German MVP Helmut Rohrbeck that WinMail
(imported from Vista) and even OE-Quotefix run fine under the Win7 RTM.

There are others who are doing this as well, but I'm not sure that scenario
is condoned by MS, as it involves mixing software from different OSs. I'm
sure they don't support such. I'm not sure its advisable to suggest to
users that they pursue this route.

steve

 

[Gary VanderMolen]

There are others who are doing this as well, but I'm not sure that scenario
is condoned by MS, as it involves mixing software from different OSs. I'm
sure they don't support such. I'm not sure its advisable to suggest to
users that they pursue this route.

I agree that we should not be recommending this route to the average user.
Once you advocate it, users who no longer have access to Vista will clamor
for information on downloading the WM binaries from illegal sites.

 

[Rainald Taesler]

http://www.winhelponline.com/articl...issing-from-the-default-programs-listing.html

Have you verified that that works in the final release? Gary and
others indicate it does not.

No, I could not verify that as at present I do not yet work with this
version (difficulties with getting the RTM version through my university
channels).

I had just reported what I had read.

There are others who are doing this as well, but I'm not sure that
scenario is condoned by MS, as it involves mixing software from
different OSs. I'm sure they don't support such.

So am I.
AFAICS there will hardly be any updates/patches if one takes this route.

I'm not sure its
advisable to suggest to users that they pursue this route.

Nor am I.
But for me it's just the way to go until I find a better instrument
{siiigh}

WLM definitely will not be my news- and mail-client, come what may.
I tested it and ranked it with the category "hardly usable".
It's not usable for *working* in NGs at all.
And its UI is just awful.

Could be that I might make the move to Thunderbird. Forté Agent and
40tude are just too strange with their UIs and do not fit at all into
the look and feel of Win7.

Pls do not misunderstand me. I do not at all want to make propaganda for
using WinMail under Win7.
But I think that it's necessary to comment on the possibilities
remaining when the topic comes up.

Rainald

 

[Rainald Taesler]

I agree that we should not be recommending this route to the average
user.
Once you advocate it, users who no longer have access to Vista will
clamor for information on downloading the WM binaries from
illegal sites.

It seems that you have a valid point.

Rainald

 

[Rainald Taesler]

Rainald Taesler wrote: http://www.winhelponline.com/articl...issing-from-the-default-programs-listing.html

I've run that registry fix several times over the past few days,
but it does not restore Windows Mail to the "Set your default
programs" list for me. Interestingly, Windows Mail does appear
under "Set program access and computer defaults."

Thanks for the info!
I only reported what I read.
I will install Win7 again one of these days (now that the

It's not a big deal for me since I only use Windows Mail for
newsgroups.
[Running Windows 7 RTM]

Interesting. It seems that Live Mail really is suffering seriously if it
comes to NGs (AFAICS all of the mistakes from OE have been taken over
and OneNote the German NGs a bang on the head would be the regular
result when having posted with WLM unedited).

Just curious: What are you using for mail?

Rainald

 

[Steve Cochran]

I certainly won't be using WLM. I won't be updating all my computers to
Win7 and I still use OE most of the time and not WinMail.

steve