I am encountering behavior with Windows-Mail that I have not seen discussed anywhere.

Clicking on a "mailto" link on a webpage properly brings up Windows-Mail, but it omits the "to" address field from the blank message form. In all cases, only a semi-colon character appears in the "to" address. Thus, clicking on the link:
<A href="someone@somewhere.com">someone</A>
brings up a blank Windows-Mail message with only a ";" in the "to" address field.

Strangely, if a "subject" field is also defined in the mailto link, that subject is properly inserted. Thus, clicking on the link:
<A href="someone@somewhere.com?subject=something">someone</A>
brings up a blank Windows-Mail message with only a ";" in the "to" address field, but with "something" in the subject field.

I am using Internet Explorer 7 (Version 7.0.6000.16764) and Windows Mail (Version 6.0.6000.16386 - vista_rtm.061101-2205).

TPG

I can't reproduce your issue since MailTo links work correctly
for me. Try rewriting the default protocol assignments in the registry:

Open the Default Programs applet, then click on "Set program
access and computer defaults." Expand the Custom selection, and
select Windows Mail. Click OK.

--
Gary VanderMolen, MS-MVP (Mail)


"tpg" <guest@xxxxxx-email.com> wrote in message news:0a1b9586ea84dfdb232a2eff65fadd98@xxxxxx-gateway.com...

>
> I am encountering behavior with Windows-Mail that I have not seen
> discussed anywhere.
>
> Clicking on a "mailto" link on a webpage properly brings up
> Windows-Mail, but it omits the "to" address field from the blank message
> form. In all cases, only a semi-colon character appears in the "to"
> address. Thus, clicking on the link:
> <A
> href="someone@xxxxxx">someone</A>
> brings up a blank Windows-Mail message with only a ";" in the "to"
> address field.
>
> Strangely, if a "subject" field is also defined in the mailto link,
> that subject is properly inserted. Thus, clicking on the link:
> <A
> href="someone@xxxxxx?subject=something">someone</A>
> brings up a blank Windows-Mail message with only a ";" in the "to"
> address field, but with "something" in the subject field.
>
> I am using Internet Explorer 7 (Version 7.0.6000.16764) and Windows
> Mail (Version 6.0.6000.16386 - vista_rtm.061101-2205).
>
> TPG
>
>
> --
> tpg

Open Windows Mail Tools | Accounts | Mail | [account] | Properties | General
(tab): Make certain that all the boxes under User Information are correct
(e.g., make sure the Name box doesn't contain only a semi-colon).

tpg wrote:

> I am encountering behavior with Windows-Mail that I have not seen
> discussed anywhere.
>
> Clicking on a "mailto" link on a webpage properly brings up
> Windows-Mail, but it omits the "to" address field from the blank message
> form. In all cases, only a semi-colon character appears in the "to"
> address. Thus, clicking on the link:
> <A
> href="someone@xxxxxx">someone</A>
> brings up a blank Windows-Mail message with only a ";" in the "to"
> address field.
>
> Strangely, if a "subject" field is also defined in the mailto link,
> that subject is properly inserted. Thus, clicking on the link:
> <A
> href="someone@xxxxxx?subject=something">someone</A>
> brings up a blank Windows-Mail message with only a ";" in the "to"
> address field, but with "something" in the subject field.
>
> I am using Internet Explorer 7 (Version 7.0.6000.16764) and Windows
> Mail (Version 6.0.6000.16386 - vista_rtm.061101-2205).
>
> TPG

I had already checked the app assignments.

I have experimented further and discovered that some mailto-links actually work properly for me. If the address part before the "@" is eight characters or less, then the link properly fills in the Mail message "to" field. If, however it is more than eight characters long, then only the ";" appears.

Thus, mailto:someone@somewhere.com actually does work. But mailto:someone89@somewhere.com does not. Both, of course work in Outlook Express under XP.

tpg

Truth is even stranger than my fiction. Thinking that I had figured out what would in general work, I mis-spoke when I said that mailto:someone@somewhere.com would work. It does not.

I now have actually tried the following mailto links:

These work-
z12@d12345.com
z12@d123456789.com
z12@d12345678901.com
z12@d123456789012.com
z123@d12345678901.com
some@somewhere.com
someo@somewher.com

These do not work -
someone@somewher.com
someo@somewhere.com
z123@d123456789012.com
z12@d1234567890123.com
z12@d1234567890123456789.com

There appears to be some dependence on the length of the EMail address, but what it is escapes me.

tpg