oulook error

8/7/2019 oulook error

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Outlook Hyperlinks Fail to Work

Sometimes you dont realize how much you appreciate a feature until it breaks. One example isOutlook hyperlinks in an email. Its so convenient to click the link in the email and have the

correct web page open. What I dislike is when a hyperlink in Outlook doesnt work and I get

some error or no action. Below, Ive listed 3 solutions to this link problem.

Why Do Hyperlinks Stop Working in Outlook?

Over the years, Ive not found what process causes Microsoft Outlook links to break. The last

time, the URL links broke after I did a Windows update and installed the Internet Explorer 8beta. Because I didnt test Outlook email in between the downloads, I couldnt tell you which

activity contributed to the problem.

I have noticed certain activities may break my Outlook hyperlinks such as:

y Installing Windows updatesy Installing or uninstalling browsersy Installing browser add-onsy Installing various Outlook plugins or addinsy Using aggressive Windows Registry cleaners

Note: Microsoft also has a global setting that disables hyperlinks by default for email items

classified as junk. The setting is underActions | Junk E-mail | Junk E-mail Options... Thissetting is designed to protect you from phishing attempts and malware. If you click an email, you

should get a security warning message telling you the message has been converted to plain text

and links are disabled. To resolve this issue, drag the email from your junk email folder to yourinbox.

Fix 1: Start by Resetting Your Default Browser

Most times, I can fix my Outlook hyperlink problem by resetting my default browser to Internet

Explorer. I start with this step even if I plan to use Firefox as my browser. The reason I choosethis path is Ive had better success and it takes me closer to my end goal.

To make IE your default browser,

1. Open Internet Explorer

2. ClickTools from the menu

3. Select Internet Options.

4. Click the Programs tab


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5. Click the button labeledMake Default.

6. ClickOK.

7. Test a hyperlink in Outlook to see if the web page opens in Internet Explorer.

Fix 2: Reregister Windows DLL Files

Even after resetting your default browser you still cant open hyperlink in Outlook, it could be

one or more registry keys is damaged. The solution is to reregister some of your DLL files. Theprocess may sound intimidating, but its easy. There are 6 files to register based on your system.

Some configurations use shdocvw.dll and others use shdoc401.dll.

To reregister the DLL files,

1. Close all open programs.

2. Click the Start button.

3. Select the Run command. Vista users can type run in the Start Search textbox.

4. In the Open: textbox, type regsvr32 followed by a space and the file name.

In the screen snap below, Ive used the first file Shdocvw.dll.

5. Click the OKbutton. You should see a message showing the process succeeded.

6. ClickOKto dismiss the message.

7. Repeat the procedure for the other DLL files.

y regsvr32 Shdocvw.dll (Some system use Shdoc401.dll instead)y regsvr32 Oleaut32.dlly regsvr32 Actxprxy.dlly regsvr32 Mshtml.dll


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y regsvr32 Urlmon.dlly regsvr32 Shell32.dll

8. As before, test to see if your Outlook hyperlink problem has been resolved.

Fix 3: Reset the (NONE) URL File Types

If youve gotten to this part, I have to figure your Outlook hyperlinks are still broken. Dont fretas I have another fix to try. My guess is someplace along the line your file associations broke.

This is the mapping Windows uses to a file type to program. A common mapping might be .XLSfiles with Microsoft Excel. In this case, we need to check URL mappings.

To set URL file associations,

1. OpenMy Computer.

2. From the Tools menu, select Folder Options

3. Click the File Types tab. A long list of Extensions and File Types appears.

4. Scroll down till you get to (NONE) URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol

5. Click the Advanced button.


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6. Select the bold open item. *

7. ClickEdit

8. Click the Browse button

9. Navigate to where Internet Explorer is located. (For most PC, its at C:\Program Files\InternetExplorer\iexplore.exe)

10. Add a space and %1 to the end of the file name. (e.g. "C:\Program Files\Internet

Explorer\iexplore.exe" %1)

11. ClickOK.

12. ClickClose.

13. Repeat the process for(NONE) URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy.

* If open doesnt show, clickNew and type open in the action box.

Back to Firefox (Optional)


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Once you get the Outlook links to open in Internet Explorer, you can change your defaultbrowser to Firefox. This should roll down to Outlook so any embedded hyperlinks will open in

the correct browser.

To set Firefox 3 as your default browser,

1. Open Firefox

2. Select Tools from the menu

3. Select Options

4. ClickAdvanced

5. Click the Check Now button

6. ClickYes if the default browser is not set.

7. ClickOK.

Note: For Firefox 2.x users, click Main instead of Advanced.

If this step doesnt work, you might check the Mozilla Knowledgebase article, Setting Firefox

as the default browser does not work .

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