3 Computer Questions

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BruceinFL

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1.  After updating Open Office, there is a folder on my desktop labeled Open Office 3.1 Installation Files. Do I need this folder to run OO?

2.  If I click Start-Help and Support, a window opens which says: "Windows cannot open Help and Support because a system service is not running. To fix this problem, start the service named Help and Support." Does anyone know how I do that? (Dell)

3.  When I click a mail link in my browser (both IE and Foxfire), the link does not open to a mail message. I have Tbird set as the mail default. What is wrong?

Thanks in advance,
 
1. You can safely delete the installation folder.

2. To resolve the problem, Start the Help and Support Center service and set it to Automatic. Follow these steps:

Click Start, Run and type Services.msc

Double-click Help and Support

Set the Startup type to Automatic

Start the Service

If the Help and Support service is missing in the Services.msc listing, this may be due to accidental deletion of a registry key. Download helpsvc.zip file and unzip the contents. Extract helpsvc.reg to the Desktop and double-click to merge the contents to the registry. This restores the Help and Support service entry.

3. I am not familiar with Tbird. Highlight the mail link and copy and paste it into your Tbird until someone has a better answer.
 
1. No, you can delete that folder once Open Office is installed.  However, if you should want to modify the installation later, such as adding a feature you skipped originally, you will need to rerun the installer to recreate that folder.

2. You need to find the Administrative Tools on your start menu.  Exactly where that is depends on what version of Windows and how you have configured the start menu.  In the Admin Tools menu is a Services item.  Open that, then look for a service titled "Help and Support".  Right click on it, select properties, set the Startup Type to Automatic, and the Start the service.  If you can't find the Admin tools, then, in Vista, you can press the Windows key and type services in the search box, then press enter.

3. What version of Windows?  You have to tell windows that TB is the default email client.  In Windows Vista, there is a start menu item called Default Programs.  Find TB, select it, and click on the "Set this program as default".  Then go back to the Default Programs window and click on "Set program access and computer defaults".  Click Custom and select TB as the default email program.  In Windows XP, these functions are in different locations, sorry, I don't recall exactly where.

Let us know the version of Windows and we can be more specific, if necessary.
 
Were you able to get the Help service running?

Is TB now set as the default email client?  If not, what happens when you click on an email link?  What program does open?
 
Well, since the first two have been answer, I will go ahead and elaborate on the third one. You need to have a local e-mail browser installed on your computer to be able to click the e-mail link and take you there. The most popular will be Outlook Express or Microsoft Outlook. I'm not familiar with T-Bird either but, to explain it better, T-Bird would have to be a program that you install on the PC to run and open e-mails from a web based server.
 
Fred, Thunderbird is an email (and newsgroup) client program from Mozilla.  It is a full function POP3 and IMAP client.  Email clients are not the same as web browsers and serve a different purpose.  Clicking an email URI in a browser will open a compose window in the default email program.  That function is handled by Windows (or whatever OS is running) and is independent of browser and email program.  Bruce has stated he told Thunderbird to be the default email program, but sometimes Windows doesn't honor that request and forces it to an MS program like Outlook Express or Live Mail.  In such cases, it takes a bit more work to make the default setting stick.

Bruce, one other place to check is in the browser it may have the handler for mailto links set to something other than Thunderbird.  In Firefox this is found in Options | Applications.  For IE, it's Internet Options | Programs, which opens the Windows applet for setting default programs.
 
What is weird is that I can't get either IE or Tbird to open email compose. Tried them both. Used to work but now I can't figure out why not. Maybe it's because the Congressmen I'm trying to write have an email address link but they really don't want emails.  ;D ;)
 
What does happen when you click on an email link?
 
Then Windows doesn't have any program associated with email URIs or a default email program.  The simplest thing to try is to open Thunderbird, open the Options | General and click the button to make TB check to see if it's the default email program.  If it is, uncheck the box, shut TB down, restart TB, check the box, and click the button again.
 
Somewhere in your internet options (in Firefox it's TOOLS, OPTIONS and click on the APPLICATIONS tab, then scroll down) there is a "Mail To" or "Mail" selector

Mine (IN Fox at least) Lists the mail service or application I use

Where it is in Microsoft Internet Exploder I dont' know.but I do recall it too is under teh OPTIONS menu selection.

NOTE that just not Firefox is not properly parshing Mail TO: links.. However that said.. It does parse them to the proper application.. Just I have to edit the address

(If I click on a link that is "mailto:[email protected]" it will paste "mailto:[email protected]" into the address bar.. This simply don't work, but is easily fixed (Delete mailto:)  If a subject is specified it will paste that too on the address bar.. I need to cut and paste it to the subject bar)
 
Bruce, glad to help.  Sometimes the simplest fixes are the best.
 
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