"Jeff Strickland" <> wrote in message
news:ZPqLj.4715$NM.4453@trnddc01...
>
> "Paul" <> wrote in message news:ftkdjo$12k$...
>> Jeff Strickland wrote:
>>> Links that I get in messages (news or mail) in Outlook Express do not
>>> open when they are double-clicked.
>>>
>>> I recently played around with Safari -- a browser from the fine folks
>>> over at Apple Systems via the iTunes Automatic Updater -- and when I
>>> uninstalled Safari, I found that links no longer open. The links are
>>> blue, and underlined, and the cursor changes to a finger when it flies
>>> over them, but they do not work. I have to right click and copy the
>>> shortcut, then open an instance of the browser and paste the link into
>>> the address line.
>>>
>>> If the link is a mailto, then a New Message window opens when
>>> double-clicked, but if the link is a URL then nothing happens.
>>
>> Try this one.
>>
>> "Internet shortcuts in Outlook Express do not start Web browser"
>> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/177054/en-us
>>
>> Maybe something in there will work.
>>
>> Paul
>>
>
> Standby ...
> I have to copy and paste the link because it won't start from here.
>
The link did not solve the problem, but it put me on the right path.
I found a File Association that was hosed up, and figured out a way to get
it back.
I have dozens of Registered Extensions in the File Association dialog that
are shown as (I'm quoting) {NONE} and are followed with an entry in the
Opens With column. One of these was an Opens With that was directed to
Internet Explorer, and the action of Open was not directed to a valid path
to IEXPLORE.
Ironically, there was a Registered Extension further down the list that was
"URL" that also points to IE, and this one has the correct path associated
with it. (I don't know if this association is a mirror of the one where the
Registered Extension was {NONE}, or not, so I do not know if it formerly
held an invalid path that was fixed at the same time.)
Anyway, file this one away for when your customers can't open links in mail
or news messages.
How do I clean up the File Association List? I am not able to delete the
associations where the Registered Extension is listed as NONE, but I can
easily delete the ones where the extension is valid. I also have a different
expereince in editing the associations vis a vis associations that are valid
and ones that are not valid. The valid associations have an opportunity to
Reset, and this option is not available on the invalid extensions.