This is actually in two parts/problems; possibly (probably) interrelated.... And it's weird because it used to work (especially weird when we get to problem #1b). Problem #1aWhen I click on an embedded email address (a mailto:) in whatever (.doc .rtf, .html, etc) I have open, I want to have the system open IE, sign me in to my Windows Live Hotmail account (http://mail.live.com/....) and open the new email message page/screen. It used to do this. I somehow have messed things up; how, I don't know (duh.) Instead, it now fires up Outlook Express 6.0's New Message dialog. 1) I am running Win XP Pro SP3 with all critical updates installed. 2) I have a hotmail.com account and the system has my login credentials saved. 3) I have Windows Live Messenger and Windows Live Mail installed. 4) I have Windows Live Messenger configured (under menu item Tools/Options/Sign In tab) with: a. "Automatically run Windows Live Messenger when I log on to Windows" checked b. ""Open Windows Live Messenger main window when Windows Live Messenger starts" UNchecked c. "Allow automatic sign in when connected to the Internet" checked 5) I have Windows Live Mail configured (under menu item Tools/Options/Connections tab - Connecting to Windows Live services section) to "Stop Signing In" - i.e. the "Sign In" button is enabled and the "Stop Signing In" button is disabled (because it's already been clicked) This configuration (4 & 5) is so when I right click on the Windows Live Messenger icon in the System Notification Tray and select "E-mail Inbox" from the context menu, Messenger opens up IE at my Live Hotmail account (http://mail.live.com/....), signs me in, and puts me in my Inbox as opposed to it opening the Live Mail client. No problem, this is what I want. The only time I use the Live Mail client is when I have to compose an e-mail with pictures embedded in the body of the message, (which is rare) and then I start it (Live Mail) manually. This can't be done using IE/Live Hotmail; I can only attach pics there, not embedded them. This is how my system was config'd back when clicking on a mailto: link would open IE/Live Hotmail and not Outlook Express.Also, 6) I have: a. under Set Program Access and Defaults/Custom "Use my current e-mail program" radio button is selected, and have the "Enable access to this program" checkbox UNchecked for Outlook Express ( I also tried unchecking the "Enable..." for Windows Live Mail - no change. I then tried... b. Under "Add/Remove Windows Components" UNchecking the Outlook Express checkbox. I then let XP setup run and rebooted. The reason I did 6b is to see what runs if Outlook Express isn't installed.Now this is where is start to get weird and leads me to ... Problem #1b Can Outlook Express 6.0 (OE6.0) be uninstall under XP Pro/SP3 and if so, how? After rebooting from step 6b, I opened up a file with an embedded email link, clicked on it and lo and behold, it still opens OE6.0So I open up Win Explorer, and sure enough, the folder C:\Programs\Outlook Express is still there and complete with all of the .exes, .dlls, etc.Now I'm really scratching my head! I know I told XP setup not to install Outlook Express.So now I decide to play with fire...I open up Task Manager to see what runs when OE6.0's New Message dialog is up (it's msimn.exe)So just for grins and giggles, I rename msimn.exe to Xmsimn.exe, go back to the file with the link, click on it and what happens, you guessed it, OE6.0 runs! I switch back to Win Explorer, and the renamed file is still there, but now msimn.exe IS BAAAACK!! Now here's where it gets down right spoooooky. I created a New Folder in C:\Programs\Outlook Express, selected all of the files in C:\Programs\Outlook Express and drop them into the New Folder. And then while watching the contents of the Outlook Express folder in the right hand pane (which now empty other than the New Folder), one by one, all of the OE files RE-APPEAR back in the OE folder.WHAT IS UP WITH THAT! All of the files that I moved into New Folder are still there, including the renamed Xmsimn.exe.It's like the system won't let you delete the OE components and it's pulling them out of a .cab file somewhere, even though I said not to install Outlook Express!! Now this problem is truly secondary to #1a. I don't really need the answer, it just freaks me out that the system is doing something like this, and I'd love to know the how and why of it. I don't use OE 6.0 at all, it's just taking up disk space. (I even uninstalled Outlook from my MS Office setup) And I don't care how #1a gets resolved. I'm quite capable of firing up RegEdt32 or what ever is needed to fix it (after backing up the registry and/or setting a restore point first, of course.) Any ideas??? Thanks in advance,Paul

Well, I figured out the answer to Problem #1a myself.Somehow the IE setting for Tools/Internet Options/Programs tab/Internet Programs section/E-mail field was NOT set! It was blank. I set it to "Windows Live Hotmail" and BINGO! click on an embedded mailto: link and up pops a new IE window logged into my Hotmail account, opened to the "Compose E-Mail Message" page with the To: field filled in with the link that I clicked on.Now if only one of you gurus out there can answer Problem #1b (Can Outlook Express 6.0 (OE6.0) be uninstall under XP Pro/SP3 and if so, how? - see my OP) I'll be able sleep with out having nightmares of moved files magically reappearing in an empty folder!