Using Earthlink as Default Email Client (Internet Explorer 6 Win XP Word ’03)

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Hey all,

Not quite sure if this is the right place to put this. I use Earthlink’s email client for email. I just got a new XP machine (with Word 2003) and now when I try to email a document, Exchange tries to open and gives me all sorts of error messages.

I have set the Earthlink software to specify the mail program as default. I tried to go into IE to specify it there, but it doesn’t show up as a choice, only Outlook, msn, hotmail do.

Has anyone successfully changed their default email client to something other than Outlook/Microsoft stuff?

Thanks!

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This used to be an occasional problem during the very early days of the Mozilla Mail Client. The issue is that your email client has to be recognised as a MAPI mail client. From the sound of it, the Earthlink client is not having success in that department. Having had a quick look at the Earthlink site, I do not see a downloadable email client, but that may be because it is only available through the Member’s Center. Searching the Help database at Earthlink seems only to bring up references to using Outlook Express. Can you let us know a bit more about your Earthlink software?

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Hi unkamunka,

Unfortunately, I don’t know a whole lot about it (this is actually for a friend). In 2000, we were able to click the SendTo in Word and have Earthlink mail open, but under XP, we can’t do it. I have the Earthlink mail set as default in the Earthlink software, but IE doesn’t “see” Earthlink as an option in its settings. I tried dealing with Earthlink tech support and they want me to just manually attach my Word documents, but that’s not what I want to do.

I think the issue may have to do with the software being a complete “bottled” package (TotalAccess is what they call it), that is, there isn’t a separate email client. It’s probably more about the MAPI recognition, too. Do you know of any way to force a MAPI client to be recognized?

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Back when I had this problem with Mozilla, I tried setting up some extra registry keys – which was a partial solution. Looking at TotalAccess without downloading it, it does seem to me to be in fact a customised browser with a webmail feature. If that is so, I doubt that you actually can use the SendTo feature from Word for this. HTH

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Thanks. It doesn’t help, but at least I now know I should stop looking for something that isn’t there.

I’m going to try my best to convince him to move to Firefox.

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I think you mean Thunderbird (the mail client) – which definitely does work with Word. Firefox is the browser. I recommend them both thoroughly

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Ah, sorry, all the name changing has got me confused.

Still don’t know what was wrong with the name Firebird.

In any case, I meant that Mozilla thingy over at mozilla.org

Thanks again!

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>Still don’t know what was wrong with the name Firebird.
“Firebird” turns out to be the name of someone’s Open Source database product. There was the same kind of problem with “Phoenix”. Apparently, there are no prior rights to the name “Firefox” at all!

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>Still don’t know what was wrong with the name Firebird.
“Firebird” turns out to be the name of someone’s Open Source database product. There was the same kind of problem with “Phoenix”. Apparently, there are no prior rights to the name “Firefox” at all!

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Ah, sorry, all the name changing has got me confused.

Still don’t know what was wrong with the name Firebird.

In any case, I meant that Mozilla thingy over at mozilla.org

Thanks again!

Reply | Quote

I think you mean Thunderbird (the mail client) – which definitely does work with Word. Firefox is the browser. I recommend them both thoroughly

Reply | Quote

Thanks. It doesn’t help, but at least I now know I should stop looking for something that isn’t there.

I’m going to try my best to convince him to move to Firefox.

Reply | Quote

Back when I had this problem with Mozilla, I tried setting up some extra registry keys – which was a partial solution. Looking at TotalAccess without downloading it, it does seem to me to be in fact a customised browser with a webmail feature. If that is so, I doubt that you actually can use the SendTo feature from Word for this. HTH

Reply | Quote

Hi unkamunka,

Unfortunately, I don’t know a whole lot about it (this is actually for a friend). In 2000, we were able to click the SendTo in Word and have Earthlink mail open, but under XP, we can’t do it. I have the Earthlink mail set as default in the Earthlink software, but IE doesn’t “see” Earthlink as an option in its settings. I tried dealing with Earthlink tech support and they want me to just manually attach my Word documents, but that’s not what I want to do.

I think the issue may have to do with the software being a complete “bottled” package (TotalAccess is what they call it), that is, there isn’t a separate email client. It’s probably more about the MAPI recognition, too. Do you know of any way to force a MAPI client to be recognized?

Reply | Quote

This used to be an occasional problem during the very early days of the Mozilla Mail Client. The issue is that your email client has to be recognised as a MAPI mail client. From the sound of it, the Earthlink client is not having success in that department. Having had a quick look at the Earthlink site, I do not see a downloadable email client, but that may be because it is only available through the Member’s Center. Searching the Help database at Earthlink seems only to bring up references to using Outlook Express. Can you let us know a bit more about your Earthlink software?

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