Default mail client not properly installed

[inez @mindspring]

I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How did
that happen and why?

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How did
that happen and why?

 

[Guest]

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica

 

[Guest]

I did end up creating the shell/open/command files in the registry and that
finally worked. Thanks everyone for all the information you put on tihs
website.

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How did
that happen and why?

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

Glad you got this fixed:

Multiple browser windows open when you click on a mailto: link:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/MailtoProtocol.htm

Outlook Express missing from the Internet Options mail clients list:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/oemissing.htm

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did end up creating the shell/open/command files in the registry and that
finally worked. Thanks everyone for all the information you put on tihs
website.

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same
thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the
right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to
just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet
Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area
popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How did
that happen and why?

 

[Guest]

I did add the URL Protocol but that hadn't helped. Did I need the
shell/open/command for that to work?

ANother question: I had checked in teh File Types section and after visiting
the number of recommended sites , saw something about checking the
URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol and making sureteh URL: Hypertext transfer
Protocol with Priavcy were teh same. They weren;t so I changed the URL: HTP
with Privacy and now it has disappeared from my file types and I have a "new"
one called URL:Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Are these the same?

Glad you got this fixed:

Multiple browser windows open when you click on a mailto: link:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/MailtoProtocol.htm

Outlook Express missing from the Internet Options mail clients list:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/oemissing.htm

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did end up creating the shell/open/command files in the registry and that
finally worked. Thanks everyone for all the information you put on tihs
website.

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same
thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the
right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to
just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet
Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area
popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How did
that happen and why?

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

"URL: Hypertext transfer Protocol with Privacy" is for
HKCR\https

Though I don;t have the entry you said (the new entry), both sounds same to
me. To confirm this:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\https
(default) in the right-pane tells the description

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did add the URL Protocol but that hadn't helped. Did I need the
shell/open/command for that to work?

ANother question: I had checked in teh File Types section and after visiting
the number of recommended sites , saw something about checking the
URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol and making sureteh URL: Hypertext transfer
Protocol with Priavcy were teh same. They weren;t so I changed the URL: HTP
with Privacy and now it has disappeared from my file types and I have a
"new"
one called URL:Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Are these the same?

Glad you got this fixed:

Multiple browser windows open when you click on a mailto: link:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/MailtoProtocol.htm

Outlook Express missing from the Internet Options mail clients list:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/oemissing.htm

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did end up creating the shell/open/command files in the registry and
that
finally worked. Thanks everyone for all the information you put on tihs
website.

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same
thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the
right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to
just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet
Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default
mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area
popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How
did
that happen and why?

 

[Guest]

What should teh description be?

"URL: Hypertext transfer Protocol with Privacy" is for
HKCR\https

Though I don;t have the entry you said (the new entry), both sounds same to
me. To confirm this:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\https
(default) in the right-pane tells the description

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did add the URL Protocol but that hadn't helped. Did I need the
shell/open/command for that to work?

ANother question: I had checked in teh File Types section and after visiting
the number of recommended sites , saw something about checking the
URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol and making sureteh URL: Hypertext transfer
Protocol with Priavcy were teh same. They weren;t so I changed the URL: HTP
with Privacy and now it has disappeared from my file types and I have a
"new"
one called URL:Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Are these the same?

Glad you got this fixed:

Multiple browser windows open when you click on a mailto: link:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/MailtoProtocol.htm

Outlook Express missing from the Internet Options mail clients list:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/oemissing.htm

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did end up creating the shell/open/command files in the registry and
that
finally worked. Thanks everyone for all the information you put on tihs
website.

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same
thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the
right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to
just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica



:

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet
Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default
mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area
popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How
did
that happen and why?

 

[Ramesh [MVP]]

URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


What should teh description be?

"URL: Hypertext transfer Protocol with Privacy" is for
HKCR\https

Though I don;t have the entry you said (the new entry), both sounds same
to
me. To confirm this:

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\https
(default) in the right-pane tells the description

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did add the URL Protocol but that hadn't helped. Did I need the
shell/open/command for that to work?

ANother question: I had checked in teh File Types section and after
visiting
the number of recommended sites , saw something about checking the
URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol and making sureteh URL: Hypertext transfer
Protocol with Priavcy were teh same. They weren;t so I changed the URL:
HTP
with Privacy and now it has disappeared from my file types and I have a
"new"
one called URL:Secure Hypertext Transfer Protocol. Are these the same?

Glad you got this fixed:

Multiple browser windows open when you click on a mailto: link:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/MailtoProtocol.htm

Outlook Express missing from the Internet Options mail clients list:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/oemissing.htm

--
Ramesh, MS-MVP XP Shell/UI
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I did end up creating the shell/open/command files in the registry and
that
finally worked. Thanks everyone for all the information you put on tihs
website.

How do I paste it here? BUt it really doesn't matter. I get the same
thing
and I there are no subfolders to the mailto folder and it says in the
right
box that the default (whatever it is called) has no value set.

I suppose I could create shell/open/command files, but I don't want to
just
do that unless I know it is the right thing to do. Thanks, Jessica



:

Open Registry Editor and navigate to:

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]

Right-click and choose Export to a REG file. Paste the contents
here.

--
Ramesh, Microsoft MVP
Window XP Shell/User
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k


I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet
Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default
mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area
popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How
did
that happen and why?

 

[onewillow]

I just tried to send an email to a person and a Microsoft Internet Explorer
box came up: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail
client is not properly installed." What does that mean?

Then when I tried to close this area, a notice in the task bar area popped
up with 69 Internet Explorers, each saying: " Action Cancelled." How did
that happen and why?

I had the same problem from a Vista computer using live mail - did everything in default program set all the defaults for my email. Nothing helped, spent days trying finally figured out you open start default programs; 3 choices come up select the one that says Set program access and set defaults for this computer; 3 choices came up (custom was checked changed that setting to the microsoft choice and everything works great now.good luck Glenda

 

[joecheez]

Wider fix for this problem.

Go to a properly working machine that open an email dialogue from Outlook when you click on a URL or link within webpages. Start-Run-regedit and go to the [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto] as instructed to do in Ramesh's post. Click on the 'mailto' text and then click on the FILE menu and Export it, name the file mailto, take note of where you saved it and copy to some form of media that the problem computer can read. Open the registry on the broken mailto key computer, Start-Run-regedit and then File menu and Import to the broken registry. Reboot computer and problem is resolved.

See my registry mailto key was more broken then most because of having two different mail clients installed and no proper cleanup being done between changing them, if it can be cleaned up or just importing a proper key may fix it.

I don't usually suggest registry alterations to anybody as I prefer to test it very well first. This one works for this problem and a wider range of reasons you get it. For example my problem was using an image for my office that was originally using Novell GroupWise and a Novell client, when our network converted over to Microsoft OS's on all servers I tried something fancy with the existing novell workstation image. I loaded it, removed anything novell and office XP(2002) and then deleted all folders but this left the registry key "mailto" missing from the new registry even though I installed office 2003 pro afterwards. Seeing I copied that image back to the network for two type of computers in my office and had 7 computers with the same problem I wanted to avoid laying down a new image for 3 that we did make one for but the other 4 we did not make a new image for so I still enjoyed finding this fix.

thanks for this knowledge though as I will add it to my bag of tricks as you may all do if you so desire.