Thank you for being a valued part of the CNET community. As of December 1, 2020, the forums are in read-only format. In early 2021, CNET Forums will no longer be available. We are grateful for the participation and advice you have provided to one another over the years.

Thanks,

CNET Support

Question

Links in emails

Jun 7, 2012 7:36PM PDT

Please help a Silver Surfer to resolve a minor problem.

When I receive an email with a link to a website (HTTP etcetera) and I click on it to go to that website, MS word opens and gives a load of gobbledigook text !

As far as I know, I have not changed any settings - but it used to work OK.

IT capability around Minus 10 so please help me with step by step resolution !!

T I A

MikeS

Discussion is locked

- Collapse -
Answer
Good news
Jun 8, 2012 5:16AM PDT

Good news in a sense, that a good solution to your problem is also far more likely to prevent you from picking up some nasty malware or inadvertently giving out sensitive information to a site only set up to LOOK like some other site.

So just highlight the URL (the http part), then copy and paste that into the web browser's address bar at the top. I would also give it a quick once over to make sure you don't spot a second http part somewhere along the way, which could mean that the link is a scam, and there you go. Just clicking on the link directly from the email makes it much easier for someone to hide some kind of extra bit onto the URL that takes you to a completely different website than you think you're going to. Then you may wake up one day to find someone cleaned out your bank account or took out a bunch of credit cards in your name and is ruining your credit rating, etc. Always a good idea to give it that quick once over with a set of human eyes.

- Collapse -
Links in emails
Jun 8, 2012 7:07PM PDT

Hi JImmy,

Thanks for your comments and advice.

Your suggestion is greatly appreciated and useful - I had never given it a thought that there may have been this risk in the past when I was able to click the link directly in the email.

MikeS

- Collapse -
Links in E Mails.
Jul 1, 2012 5:39AM PDT

Further on this matter.

My laptop is a Toshiba using vista Home.

I use Orange as my provider via IE 8.

The problem regarding not being able to use links in e-mails still persists.

For example I recieved an email today from Princess Cruise Line giving details of special offers where it said - "Click here for details". As I am presently looking to book a cruise I clicked on the link which only opened in Microsoft word and did not provide information on what was available..

Another email arrived from from Vintage Inns offering a free drink and a summer sweet if I had a meal at one of their pubs. "Click here for voucher" was the text in the link but again , all I got was another word document.

I appreciate Jimmy;s comment on the security angle of these links but I only do it on emails from people and companies I have had dealings for many years.

It is only recently that this has started happening.

Any further help available out there ?

MikeS

- Collapse -
Re: links
Jul 1, 2012 5:58AM PDT

It might help to tell what email program you use (like Thunderbird or Outlook Express, or maybe you only use webmail in Internet Explorer or Chrome or whatever browser).

Then please right click on such link and see if there is some choice like "copy link to clipboard" or "copy link location". If so, do that. Then open Notepad and paste it and tell us what it is, so we can check.
Then open your browser, and paste it (again) into the address and press enter. What happens?

Kees

- Collapse -
Answer
Just one idea. Fix the .HTML file association.
Jul 1, 2012 5:52AM PDT
- Collapse -
Fix the .HTML file association
Jul 7, 2012 10:05PM PDT

I have just loaded the htm fix and (my fingers are crossed ) it looks as if it has worked.

I will give it a few days and if all is well I will confirm so that others mat benefit from this small fix.

Thanks to all for your comments and advice.

MikeS

- Collapse -
Fixed the .HTML file association
Jul 15, 2012 7:29PM PDT

Hello C-Netters !

Just to confirm that the htm fix has done the job and I can now use the links in emails/webpages to go to those sites.

Thanks for your help in solving this glitch .

And Jimmy Greystone, your advice has been noted and I will take even more care in decidig whether or not to use those lnks.

MikeS