I want my Thunderbird Portable 3.1.6 to be a default mail client in Windows 7. The main problem why I can not do this is that there is no Thunderbird Portable in default programs list in Windows 7. There is Thunderbird in the list but it is not portable one. The same story was when I wanted to make my Firefox Portable browser as a default browser. This helped me https://sites.google.com/site/firefoxuniversal/brauzer-po-umolcaniu (written in russian, but there are pictures that can help you to understand).
If someone finds the solution, please write it here. Thank you.
p.s. sorry my broken English.
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Thunderbird Portable 3.1.6 as a default mail client in Windows 7
December 8, 2010 - 10:55am
#1
Thunderbird Portable 3.1.6 as a default mail client in Windows 7
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you might find lot of instruction for that, like
https://portableapps.com/node/25189
https://portableapps.com/node/16454
but the question here always the same? Why someone want do such thing ? Damage the portable Version and get the windows mixed up by that as well.
You can well edit all the mailto keys, but then windows will try to use it, it will not be able to use anything else. The portable version will become non portable by that action too. So what is the general use of it?
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I have special button on my laptop (hp pavilion dv6) that runs up default mail client. I want this button to work properly and run up my Thunderbird Portable. I need exactly Portable version because sometimes I travel from one country to another without my laptop. I keep my mail client in the dropbox, so I can reach it anywhere if there is an Internet connection.
Have you tried this?
https://portableapps.com/node/17483
neutron1132 (at) usa (dot) com
No, I used another solution to make my FF Portable default browser. Someone created special program for the purpose.
well I understand.
The buttons do just call the mailto handling, so they have to call for a mail client.
You could register the Thunderbird itself, this can be done from the thunderbird itself inside the settings, but this will register the thunderbird.exe and not the launcher.
But ThunderbirdPortable.exe is not a mail client as such, it is a launcher for a mailclient making it portable.
So I am not aware of any automatic way of doing it simple at the moment, someone else might have experience with other method.
So you can just change the path in the command for mailto protocol in registry.
AFAIK there are 4 keys having the entry in it, just search regsitry for mailto and you will find the command there which you can replace with the path to your ThunderbirdPortable.exe, since in local installed dropbox, it should have fixed path.
I don't know exactly if the keys look the same in w7, but simply it has to be something similar.
you will find one somewhere like:
HKLM\software\classes\mailto\shell\command
It looks like the graphical interface for the portable firefox is doing similar thing, simply entering the launcher to the registry instead of the browser itself. The situation there is similar, windows will register itself only apps which can act as handlers for the task in question, not just any xyz.exe
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland
I tried a lot of different files like this one:
Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird]
@="Mozilla Thunderbird"
"DLLPath"="H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\mozMapi32.dll"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Capabilities]
"ApplicationIcon"="H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe,0"
"ApplicationName"="Thunderbird"
"ApplicationDescription"="Thunderbird is a full-featured email application. Thunderbird supports IMAP and POP mail protocols, as well as HTML mail formatting. Built-in junk mail controls, RSS capabilities, powerful quick search, spell check as you type, global inbox, and advanced message filtering round out Thunderbird's modern feature set."
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Capabilities\FileAssociations]
".eml"="ThunderbirdEML"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Capabilities\StartMenu]
"Mail"="Mozilla Thunderbird"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Capabilities\URLAssociations]
"mailto"="Thunderbird.Url.mailto"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\DefaultIcon]
@="H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe,0"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\InstallInfo]
"HideIconsCommand"="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\uninstall\\helper.exe\" /HideShortcuts"
"ShowIconsCommand"="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\uninstall\\helper.exe\" /ShowShortcuts"
"ReinstallCommand"="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\uninstall\\helper.exe\" /SetAsDefaultAppGlobal"
"IconsVisible"=dword:00000001
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Protocols]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Protocols\mailto]
@="Thunderbird URL"
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002
"URL Protocol"=""
"FriendlyTypeName"="Thunderbird URL"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Protocols\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe,0"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Protocols\mailto\shell]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Protocols\mailto\shell\open]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\Protocols\mailto\shell\open\command]
@="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe\" -osint -compose \"%1\""
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\open]
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\open\command]
@="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe\" -mail"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\properties]
@="Mozilla Thunderbird &Options"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\properties\command]
@="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe\" -options"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\safemode]
@="Safe Mode"
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\safemode\command]
@="\"H:\\Documents\\My Dropbox\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\Thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe\" -safe-mode"
but it didn't help me
This looks like that you have either a local version thuderbird registered or you attempted to register the portable version, but the thunderbird.exe itself.
What ever I see, it points to thunderbird.exe, looks like automatic registering has taken place.
Under noraml circuumstancies, when you exit Thunderbird Portable, all entries are deleted if they were any.
That is what I meant to mess up operating system and the client as well.
For your function, only the handling of mailto protocol is relevant, not the rest.
This keys were taken while Thunderbird was running Ok?
Check them when it is not running.
And see what is in the mailto keys.
what abt those two?:
HKCR mailto\shell\open\command
HKLM software\Classes\mailto\shell\open\command
Otto Sykora
Basel, Switzerland