e-mailing documents

[Brian]

I run Windows XP professional, and have used Thunderbird as my default e-mail
program for two years. I often e-mail open documents (Microsoft Word, Excel,
Adobe PDF, JP G. files). Until this morning, Thunderbird was always the
default e-mail program. Suddenly, Microsoft Outlook became the program.
When I tried setting the program access and default, I found that, indeed,
Thunderbird was listed as the default program. Even if Thunderbird was open
and running, trying to e-mail from an open document opened up Outlook. I
went in to add remove programs, and changed Office 2003 to remove Outlook.
Suddenly, I couldn't e-mail any open documents. Strangely, if I right mouse
click on a file in Windows Explorer, and choose e-mail, Thunderbird is the
program used. It is only on open documents where I do a drop down menu
(file, send to) that Outlook opens up. I do not use Outlook at all, and have
no desire to use it. Can anyone tell me what the problem might be?

 

[Hal Hostetler [MVP P/I]]

One unhappy quirk of Microsoft Office is that if you have Outlook installed
AND you install an Office update through the Windows/Microsoft/Office Update
services, the update process will reset Outlook as the default email client.
Make sure Thunderbird is set as the default everywhere (Program access and
defaults, Default Programs in IE, and any "set as default" settings there
may be in Thunderbird). You'll need to keep an eye on this if you keep
Outlook installed because thee next Office update you get will reset the
defaults to Outlook again.

Hal
--
Hal Hostetler, CPBE -- (e-mail address removed)
Senior Engineer/MIS -- MS MVP-Print/Imaging -- WA7BGX
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