Whenever I click on a link on a webpage that is a "mailto" link to open an
email address in Outlook, I get a message saying that Outlook isn't
properly configured as the email client. Then for some reason, internet
explorer opens about twenty or so instances of itself, some with blank
entries in the URL field, others with a message relating to the "mailto"
link.

I run Firefox as my browser. So, at the time IE isn't even running.

I used to run Eudora as my default client. When I installed Office some
time ago I had never configured Outlook. So, when we started using it at
work and I had purchased a phone and a PDA that sync with Outlook I
decided to swap over to it.

In "internet options" under Control Panel or via IE, I have set OL to be
my default email client. Firefox is my default browser and Forte Agent is
my default newsreader.

Agent and Firefox both open and perform correctly if I click on the
appropriate link in an email (http://xxx...) or (news:/alt.newsgroup...)

But when the link with "mailto" is clicked on, ie goes ape****.

And I can't open Task Manager to close down IE. PC just goes "doonk". I
have to close them all individually.

To cut a long story short, how do I configure Outlook correctly, if I've
already done it under "internet options"?

Thanks