Open Yahoo mail by clicking Mailto: links

I don't know about everyone else, but it's been driving me nuts that if I click on a Mailto: link on a web page IE opens Outlook Express. Problem is, I use Yahoo! mail.

Yahoo has a nice little fix for this. Complete this quick download and clicking a Mailto: opens Yahoo! mail in IE and after you log in the Mailto: address shows up in the to: field of a new message.

http://help.yahoo.com/help/uk/mail/ext/ext-09.html

I hope this helps other folks out. I've been wanting this functionality for a while.

Enjoy!

Thanks Quickbeam. I've been looking for something like that for a long time. And there it was, all along.

Paul

Strange. Honest question here. Isn't there a systemwide option/preference/whatever that will tell applications what your other preferred default apps are?

I mean, in this machine if I wanted to change from Express as the default to Yahoo Mailas the default all I'd do is change that one entry on a system-level list of defaults and all my applications would know because that's where they look.

Is there something like that in the MS stuff or does it try to lock the choices in?

For mail/browser preferences, default apps can be selected from Internet Options > Programs Tab



One way to select default apps (such as word processors, image viewers etc) is to right click the icon for the relevant file (document, image etc) and select Open With

You can then choose from a list of all installed applications.

Is Yahoo! mail better than Outlook Express, or do you just want to be different?

Outlook express(or anything microsoft for that matter) is hacked all the time, it's a target. I never use a "real" email address. I use yahoo, if I start getting spammed, I throw it away and get a new one for free.

Thanks, x-ray, that's just the sort of thing I was trying to describe.

I don't use any MS stuff so I don't know what's there to use, but I figured someone familiar with how to use the OS would know. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif

"Isn't there a systemwide option/preference/whatever that will tell applications what your other preferred default apps are? "

Yes and No.

X-Ray is describing two different things. You can set up default associations for links and programs in Windows. However the method to select the program from inside IE is different. You have to have the proper DLL/Plugin for it to show up in the list in IE.

The Yahoo Download adds that DLL/Plugin so that the option is available in the list. There's no way to just "add it in via association" for a web e-mail link access since information (the address and/or subject) needs to be passed on to the mail program in a rather complex manner from the system after clicking the link in a browser page.

I'll take your word on that, Quickbeam.

I guess I'm glad there is that common listing on my system that all the apps check befor moving something to another app - even MSIE checks it, and it works correctly to link to the desired mail app, and move the info ...

Actually, with the supposed tight integration of the MS browser to the MS OS, I would expect it to work better there than in this non-MS OS, but oddly enough it turns out the opposite. Strange. /ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif