How to set yahoo as Internet Options/Internet Properties Program?

August 31, 2008 10:33 AM

On Windows XP I cannot seem to set YAHOO as a preference when clicking on Internet options/Internet properties/Programs. The pull-down window gives me only two options: Windows Live Mail or Outlook Express. How do I make Yahoo mail an option? I am moderately technologically-challenged, so please "speak slowly" when you respond! many thanks.
posted by Lylo to Computers & Internet (12 answers total)

Well, Yahoo isn't a "program" it is an e-mail provider.

Go to this page and it'll show you how to configure your Outlook Express to work with your Yahoo mail.

Then set your default e-mail as Outlook Express.
posted by k8t at 10:37 AM on August 31, 2008

Oh, and this will now allow you to check your Yahoo e-mail through the Outlook Express program. You can still use your web-based Yahoo mail too.
posted by k8t at 10:38 AM on August 31, 2008

Your other option (a bit more advanced) is to make a shortcut on your desktop that goes directly to Yahoo Mail on the internet.

Here's a tutorial from CompuKiss: "Want to get to an often visited Web page without having to start your browser and type in the Web address? It is easy. Just right-click on any blank area of the computer desktop. Choose New, then choose Shortcut. Type the URL of the website you want. For instance if you want a shortcut to the Compu-KISS web site you would type in: www.compukiss.com. Click Next. Type in the name of the website. Click Finish. You will now see a shortcut to that website on your desktop. "
posted by DonSlice at 10:48 AM on August 31, 2008

The page k8t links to won't help you unless you host a website with Yahoo. If you are using free Yahoo email, then you are out of luck: you can't do anything with your Yahoo email directly on your computer unless you pay Yahoo for the privilege. You can only access your email by going to the Yahoo Mail website.

Fortunately, not all free email providers are so restrictive. You could do what k8t suggests with Gmail, for instance.

Is it correct to assume what you want to happen here is when you click on an email address on a web page a new email will open up that you can send from your Yahoo account?
posted by ssg at 10:55 AM on August 31, 2008

SSG is right.

Is you end goal to be able to click on an email address on a webpage and send an email from there?
posted by k8t at 11:04 AM on August 31, 2008

Best answer: Is it correct to assume what you want to happen here is when you click on an email address on a web page a new email will open up that you can send from your Yahoo account?

If this is a correct assumption, you can easily work around the 'email program¹'/'web-based email provider²' conundrum by right-clicking on the email link, selecting "Copy Email Address" (or "Copy Shortcut" in Internet Explorer), then navigating to Yahoo mail. Then either press CTRL-V or select Edit->Paste to insert the desired email address into the To: field of your new email.

Here's an example email link to practice on:
example

In steps:

1. Right-click on the email link you wish to send a new email to.
2. Select 'Copy Email Address' in FireFox or 'Copy Shortcut' in Internet Explorer.
3. Navigate to Yahoo Mail
4. Start a new email and select the To: field
5. Paste the email address into the To: field.

I'm sorry this doesn't address the question of adding Yahoo Mail to your Internet Options settings; as noted above this isn't possible due to the distinction between 'email programs' and 'web-based email'.
-----------------------------------------
1 - Outlook/Outlook Express, Windows Live*
2 - Yahoo mail, Gmail, Hotmail*
* I think these are the same now, right?
posted by carsonb at 11:13 AM on August 31, 2008 [2 favorites]

Best answer: Right-click...'Copy Shortcut' in Internet Explorer. copies this "mailto:[e-mail]".
You have to remove the "mailto:" after you paste it.
posted by lee at 11:26 AM on August 31, 2008

Response by poster: yes, I did want to click on an address in a website in order to send an email. I will try the copy shortcut suggestion. This has been driving me nuts and I knew there must be q way to do it. thank you so much!
posted by Lylo at 11:35 AM on August 31, 2008

Download Yahoo Messenger. Once it's installed, you'll (supposedly; I haven't tried it) have Yahoo Mail as an option in Internet options/Internet properties/Programs along with Outlook and Windows Live.
posted by niles at 2:08 PM on August 31, 2008

The pull-down window gives me only two options: Windows Live Mail or Outlook Express. How do I make Yahoo mail an option?

According to this page you just need to install Yahoo! Messenger and enable "Yahoo! Browser Services"

Note that you don't actually have to use Messenger for any of this to work. You might even be able to uninstall it, provided the uninstaller doesn't remove the Browser Services bit as well.
posted by rjt at 2:11 PM on August 31, 2008

must. type. faster.
posted by rjt at 2:12 PM on August 31, 2008

Best answer: According to this article, FireFox 3 offers Yahoo Mail as an option for default mail client (start at step 4 below). Gmail is similarly available on some installs. For the ones that don't have it automatically:

1. Type about:config in Firefox's address bar and hit Enter.
2. In the Filter field, type

gecko.handlerServiceAllowRegisterFromDifferentHost

Actually, you can simply type gecko and find the entry in the filtered list. Double-click the gecko.handlerServiceAllowRegisterFromDifferentHost entry to change it to True.

3. Cut-n-paste this line into the address bar and hit Enter:

javascript:window.navigator.registerProtocolHandler("mailto", "https://mail.google.com/mail/?extsrc=mailto&url=%s","Gmail")

A message will appear at the top of the browser window asking if you want to add Gmail as an application. Yes, you do.

4. Tools → Options → Applications Tab → Scroll down to mailto:
5. Select Yahoo Mail/Gmail
posted by carsonb at 11:46 PM on October 6, 2008