VISTA: make portable thunderbird default mail client (please no lectures here)

In Thunderbird look for the option to check that is the default mail client and check it...

If it works, and you want to pay... do it to portableapps.com here https://portableapps.com/donate

If you really want to hack it, check out this comment (found by searching):

https://portableapps.com/node/11238#comment-64670

One technique that suggested itself is to install the regular thunderbird and run it and tell it to be your default mail client. That should (might?) set up the registry the way Vista wants it. Then find the registry entries and change them to point instead to the ThunderbirdPortable.exe, which should accept the mailto link if it is passed that way. If it is passed as MAPI, that might take even more hacking.

Good luck, and when you get it working, write a brief "how to" so other people can do it.

Oh, and don't blame me if you mess up your registry.

There is a TechNet article at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/154359 that includes details of where to place extra clients in the registry for the "defaults" stuff to pick them up.... it's down near the bottom of the article.

Basically, you need an entry at
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\open\command
with the path (and parameters) to your exe.

Something like...

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\open\command]
@="\"c:\\PortableApps\\ThunderbirdPortable\\ThunderbirdPortable.exe\" -mail"

Good luck

Here are the registry entries which worked flawlessly for me. I have TBPortable installed on my hard drive and use it as my primary mail client.

Copy and paste the code below into a .reg file, then edit the path to match your TBP installation.

I tried this on Win XP SP3.

=== start .reg code ===

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

; Changes to make TB Portable the default e-mail client
; Make your TB Portable the default mail client: Tools > Options. Don't skip this step.
; Edit YOUR ThunderbirdPortable.exe path below. MINE is E:\\Program Files\\ThunderbirdPortable\\ThunderbirdPortable.exe
; Run this patch and you are done.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\open\command]
@="\"E:\\Program Files\\ThunderbirdPortable\\ThunderbirdPortable.exe\" -mail"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\properties]
@="Thunderbird &Options"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Mozilla Thunderbird\shell\properties\command]
@="\"E:\\Program Files\\ThunderbirdPortable\\ThunderbirdPortable.exe\" -options"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto\DefaultIcon]
@="E:\\Program Files\\ThunderbirdPortable\\App\\thunderbird\\thunderbird.exe,0"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\mailto\shell\open\command]
@="\"E:\\Program Files\\ThunderbirdPortable\\ThunderbirdPortable.exe\" \"%1\""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail]
@="Mozilla Thunderbird"

; This fixes MAPI

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Classes\CLSID\{29F458BE-8866-11D5-A3DD-00B0D0F3BAA7}\LocalServer32]
@="E:\\Program Files\\ThunderbirdPortable\\ThunderbirdPortable.exe /MAPIStartUp"

=== end .reg code ===

Leave feedback for other users if this works for you too.

Install whatever non portable version of TB that matches your portable version on your Vista computer. Once installed, do not run it an start to set it up. Type in into the command line (start, run) "thunderbird.exe -ProfileManager" (no quotes).

Select "Create Profile", click "Next", click "Choose Folder", point to your "Profile" folder wherever your Portable TB is stored and then TB will use your Portable Profile, but be happy that it is running off the installed version. All your mail, settings, calendar, etc. will still be stored in the fully functional Portable TB folder, so you can back it up and move it and run it wherever you like. If you are only using one profile, you can check the "Don't ask at statup" box.

If you are using Portable TB off of other drives besides (or instead) of the C: Drive, you can just make other profiles and put the drive letter on them. For example I have C:\ TBP and E:\ TBP as my 2 profiles. I know my Vista likes to switch up drive letters, so you can make 26 of them with different drive assignments if you want.

BTW, this was using TB 1.5.0.14 and TBP 1.5.0.14, I would think that ver. 2 and 3 would work the same.

its simpler:
Get the extension "minimizetotray" & its helper for firefox & thunderbird(tb in this case)
configure TB to run minimized on windows start.
click the "default mail client" option
voila!

Rather than changing the default "send to" -> mail option, I would add a new one linking the TBP exe file. To do that:

1-Create a ".bat" file with the following content inside:
path-to->thunderbirdportable.exe -compose attachment=%1
2-Copy a link or the .bat file itself in: %AppData%\Microsoft\Windows\SendTo
3-Enjoy it!