topbanner_forum
  *

avatar image

Welcome, Guest. Please login or register.
Did you miss your activation email?

Login with username, password and session length
  • Thursday March 28, 2024, 2:22 pm
  • Proudly celebrating 15+ years online.
  • Donate now to become a lifetime supporting member of the site and get a non-expiring license key for all of our programs.
  • donate

Author Topic: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.  (Read 6319 times)

lakemono

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2013
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
In Windows/Microsoft, I have tried to change my preferred e-mail client from Outlook to AOL, but the place for creating changes stubbornly will not untick any of the boxes.

Any suggestions? Maybe even a suggestion on how to untick each and every box? I am following these steps:

Control Panel Home > Default Programs > Set Default Programs > Microsoft Office Outlook

Thanks in advance for suggestions.


skwire

  • Global Moderator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 5,286
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #1 on: August 29, 2013, 02:59 PM »
Does AOL even offer a stand-alone mail client that you CAN make the default?  As in, a client that is non-browser based?  If so, does it show up in the list of programs (on the left side of the Set Default Programs window) you can choose from?

lakemono

  • Participant
  • Joined in 2013
  • *
  • Posts: 2
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #2 on: August 29, 2013, 03:05 PM »
Not sure about AOL - I can access my AOL email through Internet Explorer, as well as through AOL (the actual bloatware program). As for a list of programs showing up on the left side of the "Set Default Programs" window --- there is no list. Nothing at all to choose from.

40hz

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 11,857
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #3 on: August 29, 2013, 05:51 PM »
If you don't have an eligible replacement program installed - or Windows can't find it - it won't appear as a choice for default app.

AOL isn't recognized as a standalone e-mail app as skwire hinted earlier.

If you had something like Thunderbird or similar installed, you should be allowed to switch to it.

I don't think "none" is an option for the defaults. If you don't pick something, Microsoft will use its own products as the defaults.
 :)

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #4 on: August 29, 2013, 05:57 PM »
I wonder if it would be possible to make a little utility that is eligible to register itself as a default mail handler, and which could invoke a browser-based mail thing like aol or gmail (presumably by opening a url with the recipient in the url)?  Might have some limitations such as not being able to carry over the body of the message, but that might not be important for most uses?

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11,186
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #5 on: August 29, 2013, 06:31 PM »
I wonder if it would be possible to make a little utility that is eligible to register itself as a default mail handler, and which could invoke a browser-based mail thing like aol or gmail (presumably by opening a url with the recipient in the url)?  Might have some limitations such as not being able to carry over the body of the message, but that might not be important for most uses?

It is... google does the same thing for gmail.

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #6 on: August 29, 2013, 06:40 PM »
google does the same thing for gmail.

Can you clarify what you are saying?

4wd

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • Posts: 5,641
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #7 on: August 29, 2013, 07:06 PM »
Possibly this may help: GmailDefaultMaker

Note: It's not only for GMail.

Supported Web-Based Email Service Providers:
  • Gmail
  • Google Apps
  • Yahoo
  • Hotmail
  • AOL
  • QQ Mail

mouser

  • First Author
  • Administrator
  • Joined in 2005
  • *****
  • Posts: 40,896
    • View Profile
    • Mouser's Software Zone on DonationCoder.com
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #8 on: August 29, 2013, 07:08 PM »
There we go, it looks like you found exactly what is needed.

lakemono, give it a try!

x16wda

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2007
  • **
  • Posts: 888
  • what am I doing in this handbasket?
    • View Profile
    • Read more about this member.
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #9 on: August 29, 2013, 07:30 PM »
This is not an answer to the original question, but OWAtray does the same thing for Outlook Web App if you're doing Exchange based email.
vi vi vi - editor of the beast

wraith808

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2006
  • **
  • default avatar
  • Posts: 11,186
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #10 on: August 29, 2013, 09:53 PM »
google does the same thing for gmail.

Can you clarify what you are saying?

Google has an extension that makes it the default handler for mail.  It is not a browser, but a little app that sits in your tray.  I think they may have deprecated it so you have to use google talk (which is registered the same way).

Google Notifier

app103

  • That scary taskbar girl
  • Global Moderator
  • Joined in 2006
  • *****
  • Posts: 5,884
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #11 on: September 30, 2013, 03:35 PM »
In case you don't know, you can use ANY desktop email client for AOL mail.

http://help.aol.com/...amp;externalId=73219

I suggest if you plan on switching back and forth between using desktop email software and the AOL software (or webmail), that you configure your email client to use IMAP instead of POP3. That way your mail stays stored on their servers, like you are used to.

Does AOL even offer a stand-alone mail client that you CAN make the default?  As in, a client that is non-browser based?  If so, does it show up in the list of programs (on the left side of the Set Default Programs window) you can choose from?

They used to, but they killed off AOL Communicator (which was actually quite nice) when they opened up IMAP access to their users, allowing them to pretty much use whatever software they wanted.

TaoPhoenix

  • Supporting Member
  • Joined in 2011
  • **
  • Posts: 4,642
    • View Profile
    • Donate to Member
Re: Microsoft demands default email be Outlook. I can't change this.
« Reply #12 on: September 30, 2013, 05:57 PM »
Possibly this may help: GmailDefaultMaker

Note: It's not only for GMail.

Supported Web-Based Email Service Providers:
    ...
    • Yahoo
    ...

I was never worried about this, but this looks like a nice finesse I may try because I am tired of keeping getting Outlook Express in certain contexts.