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Family computer support question: I have a relative who's a hotmail user. I'd like to setup his machine (IE 8 Vista) so that when he clicks on a mailto URL it opens a new page/tab for composing mail in the normal hotmail mail composing window. Introducing a new progam like Windows Mail is way too complicated. It needs to be dead simple. Do I need "Live Mail" to do this? Or is there something even simpler than that?
Mark Zeren
Posted 2009-12-12T01:27:39.423
Reputation: 53
6
Officially Windows does no longer support "mailto webmail", but that doesn't mean it cannot be done.
i'm using Gmail as my default client in Windows 7 with IE8, here is what i did:
download and import this registry file (credit to limneos at sevenforums.com), which is written with Yahoo! Mail in mind.
go to Default Programs > Set your default programs > Internet Explorer > Choose defaults for this program, under Protocols MAILTO is now available, check the box and Save.
right now, all mailto links will open Internet Explorer with Yahoo! Mail/Compose, to change this, open the registry editor and navigate to
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\Yahoo.Mailto\shell\open\command
double click the default value, the following part (url) of the value data has to be replaced:
http://us.mc01g.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?.rand=947383854&to=%1
for Gmail, i'm using this URL instead:
https://mail.google.com/mail?extsrc=mailto&url=%1
for Hotmail use this URL:
http://hotmail.msn.com/secure/start?action=compose&to=%1
voilá, Hotmail as default email client in Windows.
p.s.: i have tested Hotmail as default email client in only in Windows 7 & IE8, but this workaround should work for Vista just as well. i don't use Firefox, but i'm pretty sure this can be done with FF as well if you change the value data of the default key accordingly (FF may require %s instead of %1 at the end):
C:\Program Files\Mozilla Firefox\firefox.exe http://hotmail.msn.com/secure/start?action=compose&to=%1
of course you will have to associate FF with the MAILTO protocol.
note: as usual, you should backup the registry before making changes.
Update: Google provide a list of all current mailto URLs: http://code.google.com/p/mailto-chromeextension/wiki/AddCustomUrl#Examples
– mythofechelon – 2013-02-08T00:17:07.070Sigh, this sounded promising, but didn't work for me on Vista. There's a dialog that comes up asking if it's ok to launch IE not in "protected mode". Clicking on "Allow" seems to do nothing. – Mark Zeren – 2009-12-30T23:40:11.473
hmm ... it works grand for me in XP and Windows 7 (i'm not using protected mode but Sandboxie), unfortunately i don't have the option to check it with Vista. can you try with Firefox as this browser doesn't use Protected Mode? – None – 2009-12-31T00:01:43.863
0
In Windows XP/IE8, navigate to Tools/Internet Options... | Programs Then select "Windows Live Mail" from the dropdown box next to Email.
I have not tried this in Windows 7 or Vista.
qxotk
Posted 2009-12-12T01:27:39.423
Reputation: 865
Unable to understand why you wrote about family/relative. Its right or wrong, you could have asked it directly. Hotmail is feature-rich and faster than Gmail. So, Hotmail is no longer a shame.. – Apple II – 2012-03-04T12:51:13.940
1@Sachin it's just his reasoning - a lot of grandparents can't handle change to their computer well – Simon Sheehan – 2012-03-04T13:39:15.120