Default mail client is not properly installed vista

A common issue!

The "default mail client" refers to the email client that is set as the default application to handle email links and protocols in Windows Vista. If the default mail client is not properly installed, you may experience issues such as:

To troubleshoot and fix the issue, follow these steps:

  1. Check if Outlook Express is installed: Outlook Express is the default mail client in Windows Vista. If it's not installed, you can download and install it from the Microsoft website.
  2. Check if Outlook is installed: If you have Outlook installed, try setting it as the default mail client. To do this:
    • Go to Start > Control Panel > Default Programs > Set your default programs.
    • Click on "Outlook" and then click "Set as default".
  3. Check the registry: Sometimes, the registry entries for the default mail client can become corrupted. You can try resetting the registry entries:
    • Go to Start > Run (or press the Windows key + R) and type "regedit" to open the Registry Editor.
    • Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\DefaultEmailClient
    • Right-click on the "DefaultEmailClient" key and select "Delete".
    • Restart your computer and try setting the default mail client again.
  4. Check for conflicts with other email clients: If you have multiple email clients installed, one of them might be conflicting with the default mail client. Try uninstalling or disabling any other email clients and see if the issue resolves.
  5. Re-register the default mail client: You can try re-registering the default mail client using the following command:
    • Go to Start > Run (or press the Windows key + R) and type "rundll32.exe shell32.dll,Control_RunDLL defaultmail.dll" and press Enter.

If none of these steps resolve the issue, you may want to try reinstalling your email client or seeking further assistance from Microsoft Support or a Windows expert.