asked on

Problem with Emails Outlook and Outlook Express

I am having problems all of a sudden with opening hyperlinks in my emails,. I have been using Microsoft Outlook and it always worked. Now it stopped. I tried to go back to Outlook Express, but the result was the same. The difference is that with Outlook I get the message: General Failure....the parameter is incorrect. With OE it just does not open the link.

I am using Windows XP Home Edition. Can anybody help to rectify this problem. I can receive and send emails with the two programs normally. But the links do not open.

karstieman

Looks like the problem is not with your Outlook or Outlook Express, but with your internet browser program.
Try to uninstall and then reinstall your internet browser ( IE / FIREFOX / etc. )

Jon von der Heyden

I had the same problem before. It happend after I uninstalled Mozilla. Mozilla was my default internet browser and after I deleted it I didn't have a default anymore so outlook didn't know what to open it in. You should be able to set your preferred browser to default in your control panel > add & remove programs

raycam48

ASKER

Doesn't work. I have been trying other email programs like Eudora and Thunderbird. They all have the same problem. The links do not open. To read your reply I had to copy the url by hand and open in Chrome. But your reply doesn't work for me.

raycam48

ASKER

Karstieman, I uninstalled Chrome which is my default browser and reinstalled. Didn't work. There is something in the registry I guess but do not know what.

ElrondCT

In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu, and click on Internet Options. Go to the Programs tab. In the middle there's a section titled "Default web browser." Does it say, "Internet Explorer is the default web browser"? If not, click on the button that says "Make default."

raycam48

ASKER

Sorry, but this did not work. Seems to be a stiff problem.

ElrondCT

I assume you're saying that IE reports that it is the default browser, but you're still unable to get links to open when you click on them in OE.

Additional possible solutions:

1) Read MSKB article http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;281679 and try the steps suggested there.

2) In IE, go to Tools -> Internet Options -> Programs Tab. Next, click Reset Web Settings, and Make sure to also uncheck "reset my home page" check box. Finally, go to Advanced tab and click Restore Defaults.

3) Go to Control Panel -> Add/Remove Programs and choose Internet Explorer; select Remove Program. You are then offered the option to Repair Internet Explorer; select Repair and reboot when the routine is finished.

I hope one of these works for you.

raycam48

ASKER

Hi, I seem to have stumbled on the solution quite by accident. I suddenly decided to upgrade to IE 8 for no other reason other than that it was available. To my great surprise, suddenly everything fell in order. All the email programs I was using trying to solve the problem started working correctly, and all hyperlinks were restored. I don't know what IE has to do with Microsoft Outlook, or Eudora or Thunderbird for that count. But now they all work. Besides I had a program, Tune-up Utilities which just would not open normally, and after upgrading to IE8 it worked perfectly as well. This is the solution, but I am still trying to figure out why IE affected all these programs.

karstieman

Looks like IE8 integrates more then the other browsers.
I don't know if its a good thing though :-)
But it's good you've got it going now !

ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION

ElrondCT

membership

This solution is only available to members.

To access this solution, you must be a member of Experts Exchange.

Start Free Trial

raycam48

ASKER

I am accepting my accidental solution as the right one.