Repair links function in email

This article will tell you what to do if links you receive in emails no longer automatically open when clicked. I would like to remind my readers that clicking a hyperlink (the blue-text, clickable URL’s, [such as this one]) you receive via email is a habit you should break yourself from — it is a dangerous thing to do these days. I urge my readers to, instead of clicking links in email, Copy the link and then Paste it into the address bar of your favorite browser.
That said, if you do click on a link in an email and IE does not open to the webpage (basically, nothing happens), this indicates a problem.

Tip of the day: Restore email hyperlink functionality with these steps. The first thing to look at is your file extension settings and make sure they’re set correctly. (To read my article on file extensions advice, click here.) Open the Folder Options category in your Control Panel by clicking Start >Control Panel, select “Classic View”, and then click on Folder Options. Click on the File Types tab.

Let the list ‘propagate’ and then scroll down to “HTM”, as shown above. Both “HTM” and “HTML” need to be set to “Open with” a browser (typically IE, but you can set it to your ‘alternative’ browser if you are shunning IE).

The screenshot shows a properly configured file-type association for an Internet Explorer user, but if yours is different — or you want to change it from IE to Firefox — click on the “Change” button in the “Opens with:” area.

Find IE (or your ‘alternative’) on the list of programs and double-click on it, and then click “OK”.
If for some reason your Web browser isn’t listed here, click on the “Browse” button and navigate to your Program Files folder and locate iexplore.exe (usually found in C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer) and double-click on it (or/and hit “OK”, as necessary).

Now close IE, if you had it running, and then open the email containing the link and try clicking it. Internet Explorer should now open to the appropriate webpage, and you are done troubleshooting. But if it still doesn’t work properly… you have another option (a slightly more “advanced geek” method) to try.

Open a Command Prompt (Start >Programs >Accessories >Command prompt) and type in “regsvr32 urlmon.dll” (no quotes) and hit Enter. Then enter the following commands, hitting your Enter key after each one.
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll
regsvr32 actxprxy.dll
regsvr32 oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 shell32.dll

Now reboot your computer so that these changes can take effect.
These actions will repair your hyperlink function 99 times out of a hundred, and if they do not this may be indicative of a more serious problem and you may want to consult with a Tech Support type (Shameless plug: such as myself, at Aplus Computer Aid).

Todays free link: In doing research for my not-forgotten, upcoming article(s) on purchasing a HDTV, I have found an excellent resource for those shopping for new audio/visual devices: complete with product reviews. This very respected place is Crutchfield, and to visit their shopper’s advice area, click here.

Copyright 2007 © Tech Paul. All rights reserved.

Share this post :