121224 - Mozilla sets itself as standard mail client

Status: VERIFIED FIXED

(MailNews Core :: Simple MAPI, defect)

Description

[Bernd Wurst]

From Bugzilla Helper:
User-Agent: Mozilla/5.0 (Windows; U; Windows NT 5.1; en-US; rv:0.9.7+)
Gecko/20020121
BuildID:    2002012103

Mozilla Mail sets itself as the standard mail client, even if I choose this in
the options or not.
On a user-account on Windows XP, I get an error-message ever time I start up
Mozilla (browser-module!) because I've no write-access to the registry.
This happens only in today's nightly beta, the yesterday's version didn't do this.

Additionaly this should only happen if I start up the Mail client.

Now, I've got a few questions about this:
Outlook Express can set up itself as default mail handler without being an
administrator. Why? Is this because it's a Windows component? Or does Mozilla
set itself for system-wide default?

Reproducible: Always
Steps to Reproduce:
1. Install Mozilla (Browser & Mail).
2. Start it being in a user-account
3. enjoy... :)

Comment 1

[Christopher Aillon (sabbatical, not receiving bugmail)]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 11459 ***

Comment 2

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

reopen -> doesn't seem to be a dupe.


Reporter: Do you mean that mozilla try to set itself as default mail application
even if you choose it should not do that ?

Comment 3

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

-> default owner

Comment 4

[Rajiv Dayal]

This should happen only if the user account u used when running Mozilla is a
restricted user which doesnot have write access to the Registry. 

Another reason why this could happen is in the case if for some reason the
copying of Mapi.dll to  MapiDll_backup and mozMapi.dll to Mapi.dll fails since
currently the same error message is displayed in both the cases, see bug # 104256. 

Comment 5

[Rajiv Dayal]

Also Mozilla is set as the standard mail client even if u choose in the options
or not because the Mozilla pref which governs this is by default set as TRUE, see 
bug # 120134.

However the above message should not be displayed when starting the browser but
only when starting Mozilla's Mail. What was the message u saw when u start the
browser?

 

Comment 6

[Bernd Wurst]

The message I see while starting Moz (Browser) is the following:

*****
Mozilla Mail could not be set as the default mail application because a registry
key could not be updated. Verify with your system administrator that you have
write access to your system registry, and then try again.
*****

I am a resticted user and do not have write-access to the reg.
I changed Moz.'s settings a few times but it tries ALWAYS to make itself as
default mail-app.
This is only in tonight's build (2002012103), yesterday's did not do this.

But also there should be a reg-setting to change only user's
standard-mail-handler and not the system-default. Why does Moz not set this
option in user-space?

Comment 7

[Rajiv Dayal]

You get this message when the browser comes up because by default the pref that
governs this setting for Mozilla is set as TRUE. When Mozilla comes up it reads
this pref and tries to set the Windows Registry and fails since u are using a
restricted user account.

Setting only the user's setting for standard mail handler may not do the trick
for making us the default because most of the apps like Outlook Express
looks/updates only the system default settings.

The workaround for your problem is to unset the pref specifically by going into
"Edit/Preferences/Mail and Newsgroups" and unchecking the "Use Netscape Mail as
the default Mail client" pref till we resolve the bug # 120134 or use a
un-restricted user account.

Comment 8

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

[e-mail]:
I had the same problem on a win2k installation with NS4.7x.
I changed the user registry permission but it's difficult to find the correct 
registry keys.
We need a document about which registry settings mozilla want to change (to set 
the permission with regedt32).

Comment 9

[Rajiv Dayal]

You need to change the Registry key permission for :
HKLM/SOFTWARE/Clients/Mail key 
and 
HKCU/Software/Clients/Mail for Win XP,
so that these keys have write permissions as well as permissions to add sub-keys
for the restricted user account you are using.

Check your Windows System directory and check if the Mapi32.dll there is of size
128 KB (a quick check to see if the Mapi32 Dll is a smart Dll which will pass
the MAPI calls to the registered Messaging app's Mapi dll version). If not you
also need to have write permissions in the Windows System directory since the
Mapi32.dll would then need to be replaced with Mozilla's version of MAPI32 Dll. 

Comment 10

[Bernd Wurst]

In my Windows\system32 directory is a MAPI32.dll with 110 KB size.

I re-downloaded mozilla today and installed it from an admin-account so I had
write-permission. But if I do not want Mozilla to be the default mail-handler, I
get this error-message.

Comment 11

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

Reporter: 
You can do this 
a)
You must/can change the registry permisssion
start/run//Runregedt32 (Regedit 32, not the normal regedit)

Change the permission for
HKLM/SOFTWARE/Clients/Mail key 
HKCU/Software/Clients/Mail for Win XP

Click on the Mail key and then change the permission with security/Permissions

b)
"Edit/Preferences/Mail and Newsgroups" and unchecking the "Use Netscape Mail as
the default Mail client"

Comment 12

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

*** Bug 121864 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 13

[Charles Hixson]

The message I see while starting Moz (Browser) is the following:This is a restatement of my prior message (as another bug number):*****Mozilla Mail could not be set as the default mail application because a registrykey could not be updated. Verify with your system administrator that you havewrite access to your system registry, and then try again.*****N.B.:  I'm running Win95.  There *is* no administrator account.  Checking the registry proves that it isn't actually locked.  This started happening this year (so the other comment about "yesterday's build didn't do this" probably applies).And this appears to have no effect beyond the annoying dialog.  I still receive mail and send mail as well as before.

Comment 14

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

[e-mail]:
a) Do you want mozilla as your default browser ? 
If not -> comment #11 b)

If yes: It is possible that the mapi.dll is locked (opened) ?
Mozilla must replace Mapi.dll in your system folder and this breaks Groupwise
because groupwise needs this old DLL. (bug 109362 as I wrote in your bug)

Comment 15

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

*** Bug 124905 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***

Comment 16

[Rajiv Dayal]

The fix for bug # 123596 has changed the way MAPI settings are handled by 
Mozilla. When Mozilla startups you should not see any error message even if you 
are using a restricted account and donot have write access to Win registry as 
mentioned in the summary of this bug.

Also can people seeing the problem as per comment # 13 please reverify with the 
new builds. thanks.

Comment 17

[Trix Supremo]

Confirmed on Mozilla's 2002022103 build.  Rajiv, please resolve the bug so this
can be verified as fixed.

trix

Comment 18

[Rajiv Dayal]

The fix for this is part of the fix for bug # 123596. Marking this as fixed. 

Comment 19

[Trix Supremo]

When Outlook Express is the default and you launch Mozilla(as a restricted
user), no error message appears, but if select Mozilla to be the default email
client, the error message does appear and prevents the user from changing the
setting. Closing Mozilla, the registry still has Outlook Express as the default
email client.

trix

Comment 20

[Matthias Versen [:Matti]]

*** Bug 127762 has been marked as a duplicate of this bug. ***