If you use a web based email system like Gmail, HotMail, or Yahoo email or any derivative of these, you more than likely run into occasions where you want to email someone from a web site. However, when you click the link (known as a mailto link), you get presented with an email system you never heard of or used asking you to enter your email particulars to send the email. Most folks usually just snarl and forget about it.

You could copy and paste the email address into your web mail. OR, if you use Mozilla Firefox as your browser, you can set it to recognized these web based systems. This tip works for Windows, Macintosh, and Ubuntu/Linux users. Here’s how:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox
2. Click Tools —> Options from the menus (Or Firefox –> Options or Preferences with a Mac)
3. Click the Applications tab
4. Scroll down until you get to the mailto option under Content Type, and click the Action column to choose Gmail or Yahoo email.
5. Click OK

If you are a MSN, Hotmail, Live Mail or similar, you need to add that system manually to the list. Here’s how:

1. Start Mozilla Firefox
2. Type:  about:config in the address bar
3. Push Enter on your keyboard
4. Click the I’ll be careful, I promise button (and please be careful…the config file in Firefox is analogous to the registry in Windows…don’t get cavalier)
5. In the filter box, type: gecko
6. The first option after you type gecko should be:  gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost  Double-click that entry to enter into an editing mode (changes its value to True)
7. Copy and paste the following line into the address bar:

javascript:navigator.registerProtocolHandler(’mailto’,'http://mail.live.com/secure/start?action=compose&to=%s’,'Live Mail’);

8.  Press Enter on your keyboard

Now check to see if the entry took:

1. Click Tools —> Options from the menus (Or Firefox –> Options or Preferences with a Mac)
2. Click the Applications tab
3. Scroll down until you get to the mailto option under Content Type, and click the Action column to choose Live Mail (again this works for any of the HotMail/MSN/Live mail systems).
4. Click OK

Lastly, you need to set that gecko string back to false (uneditable) by going back to the first gecko entry and double-clicking it.

All these steps are presented in a visual manner in the video below. Have a look and please share this tip with your friends and family

Related articles:

1. Accessing Thunderbird via Firefox (or other email programs too)
2. Dial-up users: Are you tired of waiting for email with large attachments?
3. Searching within a Web page – Video Tip
4. You can change your Internet Home Page – Video Tip
5. Check Your Email When Away from Home

Tags: Apple, email, Firefox, Macintosh, ubuntu, web, web mail

This entry was posted on Monday, September 21st, 2009 at 8:27 pm and is filed under Email Tips, Macintosh, Ubuntu Tips. You can follow any comments to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a comment, or trackback from your own site.