Not properly installed?? 'Mailto' doesn't work

[Jeff Olsen]

Hello:

When I click a 'mailto:' link in another application, Excel for example:
- I.E. comes to the foreground,
- then an error message pops up, saying "Could not perform this operation
because the default mail client is not properly installed."
- then a new I.E. tab is created, with the 'mailto' statement in its
address bar. The html page says 'Internet Explorer cannot display the
webpage.

Windows Mail *is* the default mail program, and it works normally for all
other mail tasks.
Also, in I.E., when I use the 'Set Program Associations' tool, it shows that
Windows Mail *is* the default program for the 'mailto' protocol.

I can't figure out what else might be wrong?!

Many thanks ...
Jeff

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

Hello:

When I click a 'mailto:' link in another application, Excel for example:
- I.E. comes to the foreground,
- then an error message pops up, saying "Could not perform this
operation
because the default mail client is not properly installed."
- then a new I.E. tab is created, with the 'mailto' statement in its
address bar. The html page says 'Internet Explorer cannot display the
webpage.

Windows Mail *is* the default mail program, and it works normally for all
other mail tasks.
Also, in I.E., when I use the 'Set Program Associations' tool, it shows
that
Windows Mail *is* the default program for the 'mailto' protocol.

I can't figure out what else might be wrong?!

Many thanks ...
Jeff

Save the part between the lines below as MailTo.reg, right click it and
choose Merge.

---------------------------------------MailRo.reg----------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]
@="URL:Mail Protocol"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"URL Protocol"=""
"FriendlyTypeName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,\
00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,\
77,00,73,00,20,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,77,00,69,00,6e,00,6d,00,61,\
00,69,00,6c,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,31,00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\
00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,4d,00,\
61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,2e,00,65,\
00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open\command]
@=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\
00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,\
4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,2e,\
00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,00,6d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,75,00,72,00,\
6c,00,3a,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,00,00
____________________________________________________________________

 

[Jeff Olsen]

Beautiful! That worked; thank you!

Any guesses as to how the registry got messed up in the first place?? Vista
Mail is the only mail program I've ever used on this machine.

Thanks again ...
Jeff

Hello:

When I click a 'mailto:' link in another application, Excel for example:
- I.E. comes to the foreground,
- then an error message pops up, saying "Could not perform this
operation
because the default mail client is not properly installed."
- then a new I.E. tab is created, with the 'mailto' statement in its
address bar. The html page says 'Internet Explorer cannot display the
webpage.

Windows Mail *is* the default mail program, and it works normally for all
other mail tasks.
Also, in I.E., when I use the 'Set Program Associations' tool, it shows
that
Windows Mail *is* the default program for the 'mailto' protocol.

I can't figure out what else might be wrong?!

Many thanks ...
Jeff

Save the part between the lines below as MailTo.reg, right click it and
choose Merge.

---------------------------------------MailRo.reg----------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]
@="URL:Mail Protocol"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"URL Protocol"=""
"FriendlyTypeName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,\

00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,\

77,00,73,00,20,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,77,00,69,00,6e,00,6d,00,61,\

00,69,00,6c,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,31,00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\

00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,4d,00,\

61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,2e,00,65,\
00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open\command]
@=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\

00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,\

4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,2e,\

00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,00,6d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,75,00,72,00,\
6c,00,3a,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,00,00
____________________________________________________________________

 

[gw]

Hello:

When I click a 'mailto:' link in another application, Excel for example:
- I.E. comes to the foreground,
- then an error message pops up, saying "Could not perform this
operation
because the default mail client is not properly installed."
- then a new I.E. tab is created, with the 'mailto' statement in its
address bar. The html page says 'Internet Explorer cannot display the
webpage.

Windows Mail *is* the default mail program, and it works normally for all
other mail tasks.
Also, in I.E., when I use the 'Set Program Associations' tool, it shows
that
Windows Mail *is* the default program for the 'mailto' protocol.

I can't figure out what else might be wrong?!

Many thanks ...
Jeff

Save the part between the lines below as MailTo.reg, right click it and
choose Merge.

---------------------------------------MailRo.reg----------------------------------------------------
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto]
@="URL:Mail Protocol"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"URL Protocol"=""
"FriendlyTypeName"=hex(2):40,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,\
00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,\
77,00,73,00,20,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,77,00,69,00,6e,00,6d,00,61,\
00,69,00,6c,00,2e,00,65,00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,31,00,31,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@=hex(2):25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,00,65,\
00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,4d,00,\
61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,2e,00,65,\
00,78,00,65,00,2c,00,2d,00,32,00,00,00

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open]

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\mailto\shell\open\command]
@=hex(2):22,00,25,00,50,00,72,00,6f,00,67,00,72,00,61,00,6d,00,46,00,69,00,6c,\
00,65,00,73,00,25,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,64,00,6f,00,77,00,73,00,20,00,\
4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,5c,00,57,00,69,00,6e,00,4d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,2e,\
00,65,00,78,00,65,00,22,00,20,00,2f,00,6d,00,61,00,69,00,6c,00,75,00,72,00,\
6c,00,3a,00,22,00,25,00,31,00,22,00,00,00
____________________________________________________________________

HI!

I have the same problem and it didn't work for me. :-(
AFAIR I had the same problem few months ago after I'd uninstalled MS
Office Trial and these registry entries had help, but now I have this
problem again and it didn't help now. I have no mailto protocol in
"default programs". I use Windows Vista x64 PL. How can I add mailto
protocol?

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

Beautiful! That worked; thank you!

Any guesses as to how the registry got messed up in the first place??
Vista Mail is the only mail program I've ever used on this machine.

Most likely some piece of malware.

Do a thorough check for malware, following all of the steps at one of these
Web pages.
Help with malware:
All MS-MVP Sites.
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/darnit.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm

Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827315

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
For quite a few people it's by installing programs like Messenger Plus,
whose ads for malware don't identify the malware as such and try to convince
you that you owe it to the author. See also:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=27971
Don't ever do a "default" install of anything. Always choose Custom and see
what else is being carried along. Don't install any extras you're not sure
of.

 

[Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM]

HI!

I have the same problem and it didn't work for me. :-(
AFAIR I had the same problem few months ago after I'd uninstalled MS
Office Trial and these registry entries had help, but now I have this
problem again and it didn't help now. I have no mailto protocol in
"default programs". I use Windows Vista x64 PL. How can I add mailto
protocol?

I have no idea why that didn't do it, but I haven't installed and tried
Vista 64 yet, even though I bought a machine especially for that purpose.