Vista - Please help, I'm going insane!

Hi everyone -

I'm not even sure if this is where I should post this but I'll give it a go.

I purchased a new PC last week with Vista Home Premium on it.

I have (for years) used MSN Premium software as my email program. Now, it seems I can't make this my default email program with Vista.

I am going nuts! I have spoken to MSN support who tell me to do the same things over and over. I have also spoken to Microsoft support who told me I have to use Outlook or Windows Live mail instead.

It's really hard. I have taught my elderly parents how to use the MSN software and now we have to change - or do we?

I've tried the email settings in MSN itself, I've tried associations for programs in Vista and also the default programs. Nothing is working.

Surely, one Microsoft program should work with another?

We pay for this software so that we can also have sub accounts on our email more storage than the usual hotmail space.

I'm SO ANNOYED!

Is it time for me to just give in and cancel my subscription? This just all seems ridiculous to me.

Sorry for the rant but I'm at a loss as to what to do next.

Thanks.

Hi Billy's Mum and welcome to the Vista forums.

It is quite difficult indeed to change the default email client in Vista.
It is therefore easy if your email client has "the" function which does the trick by itself. For example if you are asked by the prog to make it your default program for what it is made for, for example in the options of many progs you can set the default associations to open files.
I do not know MSN premium software, but have you been asked to set it as your default email program? if not, try as follows:

1. Open the MSN Premium but don't login.
2. Simultaneously press CTRL + SHIFT + F9 keys on Keyboard.
3. On the next screen click 'Yes Remove my information'.
4. You will get another screen asking if you want to remove all of you Email contact and Calendar information. Click 'Yes'.
5. Close the MSN.
6. Sign in to MSN Premium again and click 'Mail and More'. You will get a Window asking if you want to set MSN as your default Email Program. Click 'Yes'.

Those infos were obtained from a friend using this email program, obviously you have first to save all your setup as everything will be deleted (email contacts, calendar, etc..)

If it works, end of story! If it doesn't we will do it through the registry, but you have to know how to play with regedit. I did it this way with my email client as it is not "compliant" with Vista for this purpose. (not many are)

Thank you for this sidney1st but it doesn't work either.

I have just had YET ANOTHER email from MSN technical support telling me yet some other way that they think it may work, however, we all seem to know better. It's driving me nuts! LOL I actually did tech support the MSN Premium software when I lived in Toronto and I can't believe that they haven't escalated this issue - they just keep on sending me the same old thing. Unreal. Anyway, back to the issue at hand...

I'm not sure I'm up for playing with regedit. This is one thing my good friend has always told me "not to touch". LOL! The only other thing I could think of is to get someone over here who knows what they are doing and let them read your instructions. I would hate to destroy anything!

Another thing you might know, when I bought this HP computer, it came pre-loaded with Vista but no discs came with it. My friend tells me this is now normal. So, what if I uninstalled Vista, loaded up XP and then one day down the track (when I have calmed down) wanted to use Vista again. Do I own that software? But no CD's...

Aghhh... it's all a bit much for me!

I might've been happy to use Windows Live mail but it doesn't seem to have a calendar or anything, which MSN does. Then I thought I could use Outlook (which looks so, so messy in this new Office suite) but could not work out how to import my contacts.

Again, thank you for your help. I think I need another coffee.

Kate

ps. Your dog is GORGEOUS!

Hi Kate,

If you are not familiar with regedit, then your friend is right.... do not touch it
Try playing (if you did not do it already) with the options of the "default programs" window.

BTW, thanks for my Labrador, i told him what you wrote...... was very happy

I'm so pleased. Tell him my dog (her name is Ocean, she's a Coolie) says hi.

Yep, I've played with that already. Didn't work. Grrr!

Thank you though, I really appreciate it.

you could try to go to control panel>default programs or whatever, (the one with the icon that its the microsoft window in a circle with a green tick) and choose as default email program that one, or none and if vista asks you, select that one, if that doesnt work, try a email client tweaker for vista on the internet, there are very useful tweaks going around!!!

Thank you. Might have a look at these.

you welcome, also you can look how to activate the administrator account, and trough there you can do anything, i didnt try it, but you are like the os god, delete protected files, change things without beeing annoyed by the UAC even activated, etc you could do that and try one of the solutions by the msn techs or one from the forum members from here.

Kate,

I've tried to go a bit deeper for this problem and i would suggest you to try this:

First step: Click Start, right click then go to Properties.



Click on Customize and you'll get the following window:



At the bottom, E-mail link: Have a look if your prog is in the list.
If not, untick the E-mail link and click OK

Then open the default programs window:




Click on Set Program Access and Computer Defaults, choose custom and you should have something like this:




In the section Choose a default Email program, untick in front of Windows mail the "Enable access to this program. Click OK

Go back and click on: Associate a file type or protocol with a program:



Browse and find the program you want to be set by default and click OK

Go back and click on Set program Associations:




Just have a look and report if you see anything regarding your email program.

Maybe it is not too clear, do not hesitate to ring the bell, hope it helps.

For the record, a similar issue can be found with the media players in Vista - particularly Winamp, which in my opinion is amazing. Windows Media Player takes all associations it's assigned every time it starts, and you can't reassign to Winamp through Vista's "Default Programs" screen.

It's not abnormal for Microsoft to just tell you to accept that as fact and move on, honestly, since that's basically the response I got when I asked around.

While there might be something more in-depth, my techincal knowledge is limited to XP and earlier I'm not going to try to advise you of anything in the registry and system files.