60+ copies of IE6 launched by clicking email link

[Joe101]

When I click on an email address in a web page (for example on a companies
"Contact Us" email address) over 60 instances of IE6.0 are launched. In
fact when clicking an email address in a locally stored HTML document the
same thing happens The 60+ copies of IE fill my screen one on top of
another.

Actually I get a message first, "Could not perform the operation because the
default mail client is not properly installed", after acknowledging error
is when the 60+ copies start loading.

I can close each one, one at a time, and the computer seems to function
properly again without rebooting. I'm running XP.

Another odd thing that I noticed is that when I do a CTL-ALT-DEL to bring up
the END TASK list to kill the 60+ EI instances, the END TASK window has no
name on the top line nor an X in the top right hand corner to close it.
In fact it will not close and always stays on top. If I launch multiple
copies using CTL-ALT-DEL they too will not close. However they do display
the 60+ instances of IE running and I can close each one with END TASK
button and eventually restore machine to normal, but the window stay on top
and must be move to the side to get screen work place.

Thanks in advance for any help.
Joe

 

[Joe101]

More info I just discovered......My IE6.0 Tools|Internet
Options|Programs|E-Mail has a blank line. I think it should say "Outlook
Express". Whereas, I noted that Tools|Internet
Options|Programs|Newsgroups does have and entry of "Outlook Express".

It will not let me manually make an entry directly into the missing line,
nor is "Outlook Express" in the selection list (under the little down arrow
thingy). Is there a way to do this in the registry? What is the proper way
to make IE6 aware that Outlook Express is my email program?

 

[PA Bear]

1. http://www.oehelp.com/oedef.aspx; then...

2. http://www.oehelp.com/oelnk.aspx

If still no joy, see:

SendTo and E-mail Links Do Not Work Using Outlook Express as Default
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098
--
HTH - Please Reply to This Thread

~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-Windows (IE/OE), AH-VSOP

AumHa Forums
http://forum.mvps.org/

Protect Your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

More info I just discovered......My IE6.0 Tools|Internet
Options|Programs|E-Mail has a blank line. I think it should say
"Outlook Express". Whereas, I noted that Tools|Internet
Options|Programs|Newsgroups does have and entry of "Outlook Express".

It will not let me manually make an entry directly into the missing
line, nor is "Outlook Express" in the selection list (under the
little down arrow thingy). Is there a way to do this in the
registry? What is the proper way to make IE6 aware that Outlook
Express is my email program?

From http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/defaultl.htm

Go to Start | Run and type this command, with the double quotes and spaces:

"C:\Program Files\Outlook Express\msimn.exe" /reg

and then make sure that OE is selected as the default mail program in both
IE and OE.

If that isn't enough, see this article:
"Send To" and E-mail Links Do Not Work Using Outlook Express as Default:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098

You might also want to try this:

Restores OE to the E-mail clients list in Internet Options
http://www.dougknox.com/xp/scripts_desc/oe_client.htm

To set Outlook 98, 2000 or 2002(XP) as the default mail client,- Go to
Start, Run - Type in the following with quotation marks and press OK
"C:\program files\microsoft office\office\outlook.exe" /checkclient
For more information on Outlook see:
http://www.slipstick.com/config/defaultmailer.htm

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

 

[Joe101]

When I click on an email address in a web page (for example on a companies
"Contact Us" email address) over 60 instances of IE6.0 are launched.

You guys are great. Thanks.

Do either of you have any idea what might have caused the problem. It's
like settings are being changed, but I am the only user.

My previous problem was when OE got unlinked from Word97's dictionary. I
had to fix it twice.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP]

You guys are great. Thanks.

Do either of you have any idea what might have caused the problem.
It's like settings are being changed, but I am the only user.

My previous problem was when OE got unlinked from Word97's
dictionary. I had to fix it twice.

I'm sure some other program does it, but without examining the machine
there's no way to tell.

Eliminate any scumware.
See
Dealing with Unwanted Spyware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

Note that AdAware and SpyBot S & D will each catch some things the other
won't. Also, each needs to be updated before every use, even when just
downloaded. There's also a lot more to do than just those two programs.
CWShredder is also available here:
http://www.kellys-korner-xp.com/regs_edits/cwshredder.zip
**Post your HijackThis log to
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/ or the Spyware forum at
http://forum.aumha.org/ for expert analysis, not here.**
Alternative download pages for Ad-Aware, Spybot, HijackThis and CWShredder
may be found on this page:
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.
If trying everything at that site does not fix the problem please post back
in the same thread.

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

 

[PA Bear]

YW, Joe. The problem's most often seen after installing MS Office (and,
with it, MS Outlook). YMMV.

 

[Guest]

I have same problem except need to restore Pegasus Mail to the list so can set it up for the default Email Program in IE. Any suggestions? (I dont have OE and had recently installed Outlook 97 for occasional use...I'm sure that is what caused the problem; sure with Tweak UI had put a "repair" utility for this into their utility)..

- Dan