Many iexplorer instances open when clicking on a mailto link

Question

Whenever I click on a mailto link, my computer gets whacko and starts a recurrent series of calls that open more and more instances of iexplorer. I need to manually enter the task manager and kill the process tree. Then the new iexplorer instances stop appearing.

I'm using FireFox to browse and Windows Live Mail for e-mail on Windows 7. I have Outlook 2013 installed but don't use it (haven't even configured it).

Don't know when the misbehavior started or what I could've done right before. Installed all updates. Reinstalled the obvious things.

How do I stop it?
What can be causing it?

Solution 1

I've had the same problem and managed to solve it, so hopefully this helps someone.

I tracked down the problem and apparently a registry entry for handling of mailto: protocol has been removed. Probable culprit is IE10 installer, but I'm not sure about that.

Here's a fix:

1. Open Registry Editor (type regedit in start menu).
2. Locate HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes branch.
3. Check if mailto key is present and has a string value of URL Protocol attached. Note: keys are alphabetically sorted, so first there are the ones prefixed with a dot (file extensions), look for mailto farther down.
4. If HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\mailto key is not missing in your registry, then the cause of your problem is somewhere else, try uninstalling IE10 (Programs and Fetures -> View installed updates -> locate IE10 and uninstall). EDIT: see comments - there's a solution even if mailto is present.
5. If HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Classes\mailto is missing as it was in my case, you have to restore it. In parent branch (Classes) right click, select New -> Key, name it mailto. In this new key create a string value (right click, New -> String value), give it name URL Protocol and you're done. Close regedit and see if it worked.

Solution 2

If the mailto: links that you are clicking which cause this behavior are local links that you are clicking on your desktop or in a "Windows Explorer" window, then follow the suggestion from Oliver Salzburg and check the association setting for the MAILTO protocol. On my computer (Windows 7 Home Premium x64), I found it at Control Panel\Default Programs\Associate a file type or protocol with a program.

If the mailto: links are on a webpage that you are viewing in your browser (IE or Firefox) then it could be an Add-on which is malfunctioning. Disable all add-ons in your browser and try clicking the mailto: links again.

For IE, you can start IE in No Add-ons mode which temporarily disables all add-ons.

Click Start button (orb) then in the Start/Run textbox, type No Add-ons to locate the link to start IE in No Add-ons mode. Or, from a Command Prompt window type: iexplore.exe -extoff.

Solution 3

I found- Outlook Email was missing. As soon as I added( using MS Office 2010 DVD), problem was fixed. And yes, after that, you can go to Default Program and pickup your preferred e-mail client instead of outlook. ( For example Lotus notes client)

Comments

[Admin]

Please go to the Control Panel Control Panel\Programs\Default Programs\Set Associations and check your association for the MAILTO protocol. What is it set to?

[Admin]

Please see my addition above. It's weird - I don't have the MAILTO in the list at all. Or do I and I just don't realize it?

[Admin]

Can you open regedit and tell us what HKCR\mailto\shell\open\command is set to?

[Admin]

Nothing, actually. I don't have that key in the registry at all. I'm assuming that HKCR means HKEY_Classes_Root. In fact, I made a search for mailto and there's only one reference, in PROTOCOL_Handler_\mailto with CLSID set to a guid. What does it tell us?

[Konrad Viltersten]

This is really weird. In FF, the behavior is the same as described before (despite all the plugins being inactivated). But that's not even the beginning of the weirdness. In IE (no plugins installed) I got a bunch of windows on the screen (and a bunch of processes in the Task Manager) telling me that the default mail client isn't configured. Guess what I got in Crome! Perfect behavior - the new mail window in Windows Live Mail opened. WTF?!

[Konrad Viltersten]

I have Outlook installed. 2013 to be exact. Are you saying it's got to be 2010?!

[Michal Minich]

Thank you! This really helped. I added just string key "URL Protocol" with empty value under mailto node, and Explorer now behaves normally.

[Phil_1984_]

I think #4 is wrong. I had the mailto key. The thing that fixed it for me was adding the "URL Protocol" String with empty value. As @MichalMinich says.