You Cannot Open a MHTML URL After You Install the April, 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express (825803)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0 SP1, when used with:
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows XP SP1
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000 SP2
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 SP6a
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 6.0, when used with:
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows XP
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 for Windows 98 Second Edition
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 for Windows Millennium Edition
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 for Windows 2000
  • Microsoft Outlook Express 5.5 for Windows NT 4.0

SYMPTOMS

If the following conditions are true
  • You are using one of the versions of Microsoft Outlook Express that is listed at the beginning of this article.

    -and-
  • You have the April, 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express installed.
and you click a URL that is similar to one of the following URLs

mhtml:file://<path>\test.eml

- or -

<path>\test.eml

- or -

http://<path>/test.eml

the URL does not open as expected, and you receive an Invalid syntax error message reporting that the page could not be found.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the April, 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express helps to block the MIME Encapsulation of Aggregate HTML (MHTML) URL type.

Note MHTML is an Internet standard that defines the MIME structure that is used to send Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) content in the body of e-mail messages. The MHTML URL Handler in Microsoft Windows is part of Outlook Express and provides a URL type that can be used on the local computer. With the URL type (MHTML://), you can start documents by clicking Start, clicking Run, and then typing a command line in the Open box in Microsoft Windows Explorer or Microsoft Internet Explorer.

For additional information about how the April, 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express helps to block the MHTML URL type, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

330994 MS03-014: April, 2003, Cumulative Patch for Outlook Express

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, rename the .EML file that the URL links to so that it has a .MHT file name extension, and then update the URL to reflect the change to the file name. To do this:
  1. In Windows Explorer, locate and then select the .EML file that the URL links.
  2. Right-click the .EML file, and then click Rename.
  3. Change the file name so that the .EML file uses a .MHT file name extension, and then press ENTER.
  4. Updated the URL that links to the file to reflect the new file name extension.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:9/27/2004
Keywords:kbnofix kbprb KB825803
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