One of the Uh Oh moments

[Chris James]

Okay, I am a computer novice, I admit that. My first PC was used for word processing the stories and I guess I haven't grown much beyond that. I could probably ask any middle school kid what I am doing wrong but then I don't know any.

My "default mail client is not properly installed." This is all I get when I click on the links.

Was the bribe not big enough? Didn't I put enough stamps on it? Does MSN hate Yahoo so much that it won't allow me to use the mail links?

Mike (dude) was kind enough to pass along a reader comment, but that will get old real fast.

Hotmail has always been my long term mailbox, strictly because I like to read the news on MSN first before branching out. All the reader responses go to the Yahoo mailbox to keep from cluttering up the Hotmail. Perhaps if Yahoo was my homepage things would be different, but I just don't know. Help anyone?

[Camy]

So, if I'm getting this right, the address you're using for feedback is a yahoo address. But you're trying to collect the mail via your pc's mail program?

If this is the case then the easy fix is to read your yahoo email online. Go to Yahoo, login, and look at your email.

Problems with a desktop smtp/imap client aren't easy to sort out from afar. ;)

Locally, on my computer, I use Google's Gmail (free) in conjunction with Mozilla's Thunderbird. Thunderbird deals with Gmail accounts easily - all you need are the login and password and Thunderbird does the rest. If I'm away from my computer then either my android phone get's a copy of the email (gmail app) or I can check it from any internet cafe or mates computer via a browser.

Hope this helps.

Camy

[Hoskins]

Questions:

- What operating system: XP, Vista, or 7?

- What email client are you expecting to open? Outlook, Outlook Express, Windows Mail, or Windows Live Mail?

The issue is that Internet Explorer has forgotten which program you use for mail. You need to tell it which program to open. The place where you set this will vary slightly based on which program you use, but the essence of it is to locate the "default programs" control panel and make sure that the proper program is listed for opening links.

As an example, here's Microsoft's article about Outlook Express: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=306098

[E.J.]

If you are using windows 7, it does not come with an e-mail client (at least there isn't one on my computer). So you may have to load that program separately. Windows Live Mail is available from Microsoft and Thunderbird is available from Mozilla. I believe both are free downloads.

[Gee Whillickers]

Seriously if Microsoft was an author on AD, we'd all kick him out. Their hilariously useless error messages are not only almost always inaccurate, but also cryptic beyond belief.

However, when you work with computers long enough, you get to kind of learn how to read the error messages like an old sage reads wind and clouds and can magically predict the coming storm. (Yeah, I read Marathon Gold. Awesome story!)

Everyone above me pretty much answered this already. That message is saying A) Your browser (well, your OS, since your browser asks your OS the answer to this question) doesn't know what email client you want to use or B) you don't have any email program installed, or C) both.

Like EJ, Hoskins, and Camy said, you need to open your email program (or install it, and then open it) and then find the preferences for it and make sure, somewhere in the preferences, that it's checked as the default mail program for windows. Then when you click an email link it should pop up with that address already in the To: field.

[dude]

Incredimail is the official AwesomeDude email client as well ... for nearly five years, I guess. Sometimes it's a bit cutesy... but you can do a lot with it.

[Chris James]

My thanks for all the viable suggestions, but my real concern is that I cannot click on an author link here on the site and send mail to one of the persons writing a story. Like many of you I know the importance of feedback from a reader and how it inspires. But now as I read things here and there, think to reach out to the author with my praise, I cannot. How terribly frustrating.

My default mail client is not properly installed and so I can say nothing to those of you I admire. I guess you will just have to take my word for that...

[Gee Whillickers]

My thanks for all the viable suggestions, but my real concern is that I cannot click on an author link here on the site and send mail to one of the persons writing a story. Like many of you I know the importance of feedback from a reader and how it inspires. But now as I read things here and there, think to reach out to the author with my praise, I cannot. How terribly frustrating.

My default mail client is not properly installed and so I can say nothing to those of you I admire. I guess you will just have to take my word for that...

Well, the next best thing then would be to use a gmail account, or yahoo or hotmail, or some such. A web based account. They're generally easy to set up an account and simple to use. Then, to email me about how I really need to work on my dialogue in my stories, you can just copy and paste the email address into the web mail page and send away.