Outlook Express missing from the Internet Options mail clients list
Published: June 2004Send your feedback
Symptom
When you open Internet Options Programs tab, Outlook Express may not be listed in the drop-down. Also, Outlook Express Does Not Start from the Mail Button in Internet Explorer. This is caused if the following key/sub-keys or it's (default) value is missing in the registry:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ Software \ Clients \ Mail \ Outlook Express
Resolution
To resolve the problem, follow any of the methods:
Method 1
Click Start, Run and type the following commands one by one:
- "%programfiles%\Outlook Express\msimn.exe" /reg
- regsvr32 "%ProgramFiles%\Outlook Express\msoe.dll"
This restores Outlook Express under the email clients list. The above-said registry key is now recreated. The second command registers the DLL Path for Outlook Express, as it's a requirement for MAPI calls.
Method 2
Follow the solution given in the Microsoft Knowledgebase article:
OLEXP: Outlook Express Does Not Start from the Mail Button in Internet Explorer
Once you completed any of these methods, select Outlook Express as the default mail client (from Internet Options, Programs tab) and click Apply.