Outlook Express link no longer functions

Jolly_Roger

An irritant this, but annoying nevertheless.
On the Internet Explorer page, there is an icon which allows you to access mail on Outlook Express. Mine used to work, but no longer does and resists all attempts at correction. You click on the icon, the drop down menu including "read mail" descends, but try clicking on it and nothing happens. Can anybody walk me through the process of reconnecting this link?
Many thanks.
Frustrated pirate.

mellyp

In the first instance, check this

Click Tools on the menu bar>Internet Options>click programs tab>check that outlook express is selected against E-Mail

Jolly_Roger

MellyP,
Thank you for that! In the email section, not only is Outlook Express not on the relevant drop-down menu, but there is absolutely nothing in that drop down menu either! Peversely, under newsgroups, OE is available, even though I don't use newsgroups! Can anybody help restore the linke?
Thanks.
Jolly Roger

mellyp

Can you start OE remotely, i.e. from a desktop icon or from the start menu?

-TangleFoot-

Hmm... try this: start Outlook Express another way, then on the menu select Tools -> Options. On the General tab, click the button alongside the words 'This application is the default mail handler' marked 'Make Default'.

If that doesn't work, then you might need to reinstall OE, IE, or both. Take a look here for instructions on how to do that.

Jolly_Roger

MellyP,
Yes, I can start Outlook Express from a desktop icon of that name, it is just that it will not work through IE.
Tanglefoot,
I cannot do as you suggest because the box in question is dulled, ie it cannot be activated in any way. Why not?
This isn't such a big headache that I want to un/re-install anything. It is just a minor irritant that I wouldn't mind correcting.

mellyp

Sorry, other than uninstalling and re-installing, which i appreciate you don't really want to do, i'm afraid i am stumped.

Hope someone else can shed some light on it for you.

elvis_bloggs

Jolly_Roger wrote:

An irritant this, but annoying nevertheless.
On the Internet Explorer page, there is an icon which allows you to access mail on Outlook Express. Mine used to work, but no longer does and resists all attempts at correction. You click on the icon, the drop down menu including "read mail" descends, but try clicking on it and nothing happens. Can anybody walk me through the process of reconnecting this link?
Many thanks.
Frustrated pirate.

Right click your start button and then select properties, make sure the start menu tab is up and click on the customise button, put a tick in the box next to "E-mail" if there is not a tick in there already, then click ok then apply. That's all I can think of.

Jolly_Roger

Thanks Elvis, but the tick is already there!
Anybody else?

elvis_bloggs

Erm....chuck your puter in the bin, teehee, only joking, I'm all out of ideas but I'm sure the cavelry will arrive soon.

Pollen

Jolly_Roger

I had the same problem - would only function with Outlook and would not let me use Outlook Express despite changing mail defaults. However, if you go here it gives another option.

• From the Run line (if the Outlook Express and Internet Options methods do not register Outlook Express as the default e-mail program, use this method):

1. Click Start.
2. Click Run.
3. Type the following line, including the quotation marks, where drive is the letter of the drive in which Outlook Express is installed, and then click OK:
"drive:\program files\outlook express\msimn.exe" /reg

I did "c:\program files\outlook express\msimn.exe" /reg

this seems to have fixed it. I now have a choice of Outlook Express or Outlook for my mail and can set defaults on either.

Hope this helps.