I just bought a new computer and am beginning to regret the decision. I cannot send an email because it keeps saying ‘default email not installed’. I can’t figure out how to do this. I have this problem only on the new Windows computer and not the old one. What is the solution?
Jacqueline Martin
Generally, the ‘default email not installed’ pops up on new computers because an email account hasn’t been set up. The requirement for having a default email account comes when you click an email link on a web page and are displayed this message.
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(For those who want to know more, a link to an email address can be created from a web page with the HTML mailto attribute). The question most people should ask is whether they can make default email from their existing accounts. This is what will be dealt with on this page.
Can you make default email from your existing account?
Typically, to make a default email for your new computer, you would install an email program and configure the account in it. Most, if not all, Windows based computers already have an email program. Outlook Express, Windows Mail and Windows Live Mail are the default (preloaded) free email software on XP, Vista and Windows 7 operating systems, respectively. Your existing email account has to be set up in the default email program of the computer.
So if you are a Windows user and have an email account, can you make that into a default on your new computer?
To answer that question, we need to look at the different types of email accounts that exist in the world. I suppose, the most popular are the free ones from services such as Hotmail, Gmail and Yahoo!Mail followed closely by ISP email accounts. So whether you can make a default email from your existing account depends on the service you use.
Thus, even though you have a default email program installed on your computer, you cannot use it unless you add and set up an email account and make it the default.
Email accounts from ISPs
By and large, email addresses provided by ISPs can be set up in an email client. You’ll find step by step instructions for the three free Windows programs – please refer links below.
- Set up a new email account in Outlook Express – for Windows XP users
- Windows Mail – for Windows Vista users
- Set up Windows Live Mail – for XP, Vista and Windows 7 users
Email address from Gmail
All free Gmail email addresses can be set up in the default Windows email clients:
Hotmail email accounts
If a Hotmail email account is your primary address for online correspondence, I strongly suggest you get Windows Live Mail because it works on XP, Vista and Windows 7. And you would be able to set up Hotmail on Windows Live Mail in a couple of minutes. There is not much good news for Outlook Express or Windows Mail users, however, because the support for Hotmail email account is still patchy.
Yahoo!Mail emails
Free Yahoo email accounts will not work with most email clients unless upgraded the Plus which costs $20 annually. No need to despair because there is a way to make Yahoo email the default email account on your computer without spending a cent. This can be done by using Yahoo’s free email program- Zimbra desktop. Though not tested by me, I’ve learnt that a Yahoo email can also be made the default with the use of the Yahoo toolbar.
