When you look in Application options, is Windows Live Mail listed there?

This is the place I'm referring to:

• orange Firefox button or Tools > Options > Applications tab

• In the search box, type or paste mailto and then pause for Firefox to filter the list.

• Click the value on the right to reveal a drop-down list. Is it there?

If you do have Windows Live Mail set up and selecting it doesn't work, then there could be a problem with the URL.

If you do not have Windows Live Mail on the list, then you can add it, but this involves a few steps. These steps are only needed if you do not already have Windows Live Mail on your list.

First, select and copy the following line of script to the clipboard (it's all one really long line, don't click the link):

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

Next, open Windows Live Mail in a tab.

Second, open a new tab (Ctrl+t), type about:config in the location bar, and press Enter. Click the button promising to be careful if it appears.

In the Filter box, type different and then pause while Firefox filters the list.

The line "gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost" should be set to false. Double-click it to set it to true. This is temporary and you will come back and double-click it again to restore it to false in a few minutes.

Return to the Windows Live Mail tab. Press Ctrl+Shift+k to open the Web Console. A little area slides open above the page with a command line that starts with ">".

Click in the command line and paste the script. Press Enter. Firefox should display a bar asking "Add Windows Live Mail (mail.live.com) as an application for mailto links?" Click the "Add Application" button to accept the new handler.

Press Ctrl+Shift+k to close the Web Console.

Switch back to the tab with about:config and double-click "gecko.handlerService.allowRegisterFromDifferentHost" to set it back to false. (Or right-click it and choose Reset.) You're done with this tab and you can close it.

Finally, return to Application options, search on mailto again, and choose Windows Live Mail from the drop-down.

Phew. I think it's easier to do than to explain.

Thanks for your reply. Yes, Windows live Mail is in the application list and is listed as the default mail handler. But, links still do not work. Do I need to follow the instructions you added to this reply to add Windows Live Mail?

You could remove it and add it again and see whether that helps. The "Application Details" choice at the bottom of the drop down will allow you to remove the one you currently have.

When I click on the Application List and select Mailto: Windows live is listed as the default. When I click the little down arrow and then "application details" it only lists "Gmail" and"Yahoo Mail" to remove.

I'm hoping this really is solved -- maybe just adding it again worked. But if it isn't solved, could you update the status of the problem?

No, problem still not solved. I don't know how to remove the Windows live mail application from the application menu. The only choices I had when I clicked on application details was Gmail and Yahoo mail. I couldn't remove Windows live mail.

If you try the procedure to add it, does it work?

If not, you could try resetting your application list to default handling. The steps are in this article: Unable to download or save files | Troubleshooting > Reset download actions for all file types.