A deleted hyperlink remains in the HTML source of an email message if you create the email message by using OWA in an Exchange Server 2007 environment

Symptoms

Consider the following scenario:

• You create an email message by using Outlook Web Access (OWA) in a Microsoft Exchange Server 2007 environment.

• The email message body contains a hyperlink.

• You select the hyperlink, and then you right-click to open the shortcut menu.

• You click Cut or you click Delete in the shortcut menu, and then you send the email message to a recipient.

• The recipient views the HTML source of the email message.

In this scenario, the deleted hyperlink is still visible in the HTML source. For example, you delete the hyperlink someone@123.com from the email message body, and then you send the email message. The hyperlink that remains in an anchor element in the HTML source resembles the following:

<A href=mailto:someone@123.com"></A>
Note This issue does not occur in third-party browsers, such as Firefox.

Cause

This issue occurs because of a problem in Microsoft Internet Explorer.

Resolution

To resolve this issue, install the following update rollup:

2602324 Description of Update Rollup 5 for Exchange Server 2007 Service Pack 3

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

322756 How to back up and restore the registry in WindowsAfter you install the hotfix package, follow these steps to disable Cut and Delete in the shortcut menu:

1. Click Start , type regedit in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.

2. Locate and then click the following registry key:
   

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\services\MSExchange OWA

3. On the Edit menu, point to New, click DWORDValue, type DisableCutAndDeleteMenu, and then press ENTER.

4. Right-click DisableCutAndDeleteMenu, and then click Modify.

5. In the Value data box, type 1, and then click OK.

6. Exit Registry Editor.

Status

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

Workaround

To work around this issue, expand the selection of the hyperlink to one more character, and then delete the character before you send the email message.

More Information

The third-party products that this article discusses are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, about the performance or reliability of these products.