I'm having trouble with an email hyperlink on a webpage I've made. 
The email link used to work - for over a year.

Recently, now when you click on the email link, you get an Account
Wizard window that says "New account setup - in order to receive
messages, you first need to set up a mail or news group name."  It
then proceeds to ask a bunch of questions about your email, including
smtp server, etc.

Has the syntax for email hyperlinks changed recently?

Thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by mathtalk-ga on 25 Jul 2004 06:03 PDT

Hi, skip9801-ga:

Just to echo what mnemonics-ga is saying, if you wrote this page and
it contains the standard "emailto:" syntax for an href (see two-thirds
of the way down the page here:

[HTML Quick Reference]
http://academic.regis.edu/CAT/html_ref.html

for a brief description), then what has changed is not the page but
the way your computer is handling this request to initiate an email. 
Your browser will hand off such email requests to the email client
specified on your computer.

Have you possibly changed browsers, or (more likely) has something
changed in the configuration of your email client (e.g. Outlook
Express)?

regards, mathtalk-ga

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Clarification of Question by skip9801-ga on 28 Jul 2004 05:57 PDT

You hit it on the head.  I changed browsers recently, going from IE to Mozilla.

Thanks.

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Request for Question Clarification by mathtalk-ga on 28 Jul 2004 06:53 PDT

I guess it's not much of a coincidence, but I converted my kid's
computer, my mom's, my own laptop, and even my work computer to
Mozilla Firefox recently.  I've been having a bit of difficulty going
in the opposite direction, eg. clicking on a URL in the email client
(Outlook or Outlook Express) and going to the URL in the (new
default/not IE browser).   It works, but the email client pops a
dialog box with a complaint about not being able to find the
"resource".

I don't use emailto: links very often, so likely I just haven't seen
the problem yet.  I'll do a bit of testing and see if there are
effects.  But were you able to get squared away by configuring the
email client with (hopefully) your same old account information?

regards, mathtalk-ga

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Clarification of Question by skip9801-ga on 29 Jul 2004 04:12 PDT

Thanks.  It was very helpful information.

The "Account Wizard window" is coming from your default email
application (which is not setup yet and needs some information before
it can send email to the address on your webpage.

No, the syntax for e-mail hyperlinks has not recently changed.  The
problem lies within a setting of internet explorer.  It for one reason
or another USED to have a default e-mail client set up (for example
Outlook or Outlook Express) and for one reason or another that setting
has changed.  Here is how you change it back...

1.  In internet Explorer click on "tools"
2.  Go down that list till you see an option for either "options" OR
"internet Options" (depending on your version this could slightly
vary.
3.  Accross the tabs on the top of the screen you will see an option
for "Programs."  You will want to click there.
4.  In the programs listing you will see an option for "E-mail"  You
will want to set that to whatever e-mail program it is that you use
(for example outlook).

Let me know if that works.  Thanks again and good luck.