Link Sent by E-mail Is Incomplete in Subject Line and Does Not Appear in Message Body

When you point to Send on the File menu in Internet Explorer and then click Link by E-mail to send a link to the current Web page by e-mail, the URL in the Subject box of the e-mail message is incomplete and the link does not appear in the body of the message. As a result, the message recipient may not be able to visit the Web site when they click the link in the e-mail message.

This problem occurs because in Windows XP and Windows XP Service Pack 1 (SP1), the Send Mail dynamic-link library (DLL) file, Sendmail.dll, does not include the complete URL in the subject line or in the body of the e-mail message. An Internet Shortcut (.url) file is attached to the message, but the .url file attachment may be blocked by your e-mail program because it is a potentially-unsafe attachment. By default, Microsoft Outlook 2002 blocks potentially-unsafe attachments. Additionally, Microsoft Outlook Express 6 can be configured to block potentially-unsafe attachments.

A supported hotfix is available from Microsoft. However, this hotfix is intended to correct only the problem that is described in this article. Apply this hotfix only to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix might receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next software update that contains this hotfix.

If the hotfix is available for download, there is a "Hotfix download available" section at the top of this Knowledge Base article. If this section does not appear, contact Microsoft Customer Service and Support to obtain the hotfix.

Note If additional issues occur or if any troubleshooting is required, you might have to create a separate service request. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for this specific hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Customer Service and Support telephone numbers or to create a separate service request, visit the following Microsoft Web site: Note The "Hotfix download available" form displays the languages for which the hotfix is available. If you do not see your language, it is because a hotfix is not available for that language.
The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel.

Windows XP

Windows XP 64-bit version

Note Because of file dependences, this hotfix requires Windows XP Service Pack 1.

After you apply this hotfix, the URL appears correctly in the Subject box and in the body of the e-mail message. Additionally, the following note is inserted in the body of the e-mail message:If you do not want to display this note in the body of e-mail messages or if you want to create your own warning message, add the following String value to the registry:To do so:

WARNING: If you use Registry Editor incorrectly, you may cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that you can solve problems that result from using Registry Editor incorrectly. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
3. Locate, and then click the following registry key:
   HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\System
   If this registry key does not exist, create it. To do so:
   1. Click the following registry key:
      HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies
   2. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click Key.
   3. Type System, and then press ENTER.
4. On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click String Value.
5. Type WarningMsgInBody, and then press ENTER.
6. On the Edit menu, click Modify.
7. Verify that the Value data box is blank, and then click OK.
8. Quit Registry Editor.

If you want to display the note in the body of e-mail messages, type a value in the Value data box of the WarningMsgInBody registry value. For example, type 1. After you do so, the note is inserted in the body of e-mail messages.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.