311219 - Hangs when setting "default e-mail program" to Thunderbird

Status: RESOLVED DUPLICATE of bug 252971

(Thunderbird :: Preferences, defect)

Description

[Braden]

In the "Set Program Access and Defaults" dialog, when I set Thunderbird to be 
the default e-mail program and press "OK", I get a dialog box "Applying 
Changes" with a progress bar that goes to halfway and hangs. In the upper left 
corner of the screen, a Thunderbird window is open that takes up the minimum 
screen real-estate (that is it consists only of the window controls). The only 
way to get past this point is to press "Cancel" on the progress dialog or to 
close the Thunderbird window.

Once that's done, it appears as though Thunderbird is indeed the default e-
mail program. However, procedure leaves one lacking confidence that everything 
was in fact set correctly.

Comment 1

[Braden]

Attachment: Screen shot

Comment 2

[Adam Guthrie]

I really, really, really fail to see how this is a bug with Thunderbird. AFAIK
that entire process is handled entirely by Windows...

Comment 3

[Braden]

Clearly that's not true, since Thunderbird is started as part of this process.

Furthermore, this problem only happens with Thunderbird.

Comment 4

[Todd Montgomery]

It may be a Windows issue, but it's a Mozilla Product.

Also, there are equal "fixes" out there which claim changing something about
Thunderbird, and then ones talking about changing something with XP, and so far
I have got none of them to work.

It may even be an issue with Norton Internet Security, but I've still found no
reliable and functional fix to this issue.  Either Thunderbird needs to handle
Program Access correctly, or the fix to XP's aversion to allowing Thunderbird to
be set as Default email app needs to be revealed...

So if there is a fix known (either a way to tweak XP to allow Thunderbird to
retain its checkmark, for Enable Access to this Program.. or some registry work
we users need to do, to allow Set Program Access and Defaults to do its job
correctly), it would be appreciated if it were revealed or explained or linked to.


Sorry to be so wordy, but I've put about 12 hours in the last 3 days toward this
issue, and still can't find a reliable and functional reversal to this bug.

Comment 5

[Braden]

It's not Norton; I don't have any such product installed.

Comment 6

[Mike Cowperthwaite]

Seems to be a dupe of bug 252971.

Comment 7

[Braden]

*** This bug has been marked as a duplicate of 252971 ***