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Whenever I click on a mailto link, my computer gets whacko and starts a recurrent series of calls that open more and more instances of iexplorer. I need to manually enter the task manager and kill the process tree. Then the new iexplorer instances stop appearing.

I'm using FireFox to browse and Windows Live Mail for e-mail on Windows 7. I have Outlook 2013 installed but don't use it (haven't even configured it).

Don't know when the misbehavior started or what I could've done right before. Installed all updates. Reinstalled the obvious things.

How do I stop it?
What can be causing it?

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Konrad Viltersten
  • 1,383

3 Answers3

12

I've had the same problem and managed to solve it, so hopefully this helps someone.

I tracked down the problem and apparently a registry entry for handling of mailto: protocol has been removed. Probable culprit is IE10 installer, but I'm not sure about that.

Here's a fix:

  1. Open Registry Editor (type regedit in start menu).
  2. Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes branch.
  3. Check if mailto key is present and has a string value of URL Protocol attached. Note: keys are alphabetically sorted, so first there are the ones prefixed with a dot (file extensions), look for mailto farther down.
  4. If HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\mailto key is not missing in your registry, then the cause of your problem is somewhere else, try uninstalling IE10 (Programs and Fetures -> View installed updates -> locate IE10 and uninstall). EDIT: see comments - there's a solution even if mailto is present.
  5. If HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\mailto is missing as it was in my case, you have to restore it. In parent branch (Classes) right click, select New -> Key, name it mailto. In this new key create a string value (right click, New -> String value), give it name URL Protocol and you're done. Close regedit and see if it worked.
Community
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toonczyk
  • 221
1

If the mailto: links that you are clicking which cause this behavior are local links that you are clicking on your desktop or in a "Windows Explorer" window, then follow the suggestion from Oliver Salzburg and check the association setting for the MAILTO protocol. On my computer (Windows 7 Home Premium x64), I found it at Control Panel\Default Programs\Associate a file type or protocol with a program.

If the mailto: links are on a webpage that you are viewing in your browser (IE or Firefox) then it could be an Add-on which is malfunctioning. Disable all add-ons in your browser and try clicking the mailto: links again.

For IE, you can start IE in No Add-ons mode which temporarily disables all add-ons.

Click Start button (orb) then in the Start/Run textbox, type No Add-ons to locate the link to start IE in No Add-ons mode. Or, from a Command Prompt window type: iexplore.exe -extoff.

Kevin Fegan
  • 4,997
1

I found- Outlook Email was missing. As soon as I added( using MS Office 2010 DVD), problem was fixed. And yes, after that, you can go to Default Program and pickup your preferred e-mail client instead of outlook. ( For example Lotus notes client)

user250976
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