why is "send page by email" greyed out in Internet Explorer 8?

Does anyone know why "send page by email" is greyed out in Internet Explorer 8?

This add-on is installed and enabled in IE 8, but it still will not work.

I normally use Firefox and even though I read a few bad reviews about it's “Email the Web” add-on, I went ahead and installed it because there is no alternative now for the newest update for Firefox because the "Send Page by Email" Firefox add-on isn't yet compatible with the newest 3.6.12 Firefox update... it appears that I'll have to install Safari to use the built-in send page by email feature.

Though Internet Explorer 8 comes with a "send page by email" add-on pre-installed, it does not seem work anymore... even though it’s "send page by email" add-on is enabled, the option is still grayed-out and inaccessible under “file”.

The “Email the Web” add-on for Firefox installs and has a nice interface button, as well as the file menu choice, but that’s where the good things end and the problems start. The initial interface is a bit cumbersome, then it takes me to a webpage to log-in to a Google account, and if I don’t already have a Google account, I have to jump through all the hoops to create one, then I must be logged in to that anytime I want to send a webpage by email, then instead of working with my default email app, I need to enter email addresses manually unless I have a gmail account to import addresses from... then after the 10 minutes that it takes to get through all that mess, the topper is that it tells me that it sent the webpage with “minimal formatting”... then the page shows up on an email all jacked up... even if I sent a YouTube page, it is messed up and sometimes doesn’t even show the screen where a video is supposed to play... ironic since the “Email the Web” add-on for Firefox is driven by Google who owns YouTube... I like Google, but this is a poor effort at trying to advertise one more way that just interferes with and destroys what used to be a simple built-in feature in Firefox and Internet Explorer.

I guess, just to send a webpage by email, I’ll need to install Safari on this PC... I like Firefox and how it has all the features that one can add, but for this simple common feature, it looks like Safari is the only way to go since Firefox has left it out and the feature doesn’t seem to work at all in Internet Explorer 8.

Does anyone know what the problem might be with IE 8's send page by email feature?

Thanks,

digiday

digiday,
See if either of these help you -

*In IE / TOOLS/INTERNET OPTIONS/ADVANCED and Hit the RESET button.
This returns IE to it's original state!

*Go to TOOLS /INTERNET OPTIONS /PROGRAMS Tab /INTERNET PROGRAMS /SET PROGRAMS /SET PROGRAM ACCESS AND COMPUTER DEFAULTS / CUSTOM /CHOOSE A DEFAULT EMAIL PROGRAM / and select your email program there. Make sure "Enable access to this program" is checked.

Let us know how you go.

Hi JMH,

Thanks allot for your reply... part two of your solution fixed it... I hadn't changed any of the defaults in IE 8 since I am mainly using Firefox, so I didn't think it was that, but setting WLM 2011 as my default within IE 8 is what solved the problem.

It is a little strange since I did already have WLM 2011 set as my default email app in Control Panel<Default Programs and it is the only email program currently on this machine, but this is a PC, and your solution solved the problem, so I won't complain.

That is, I won't complain, but one strange behavior once a webpage is loaded in to the body of an email, then I click and highlight the subject line to change it, WLM 2011 is stunned for about 30 seconds and the cursor disappears, the window turns pale transparent white and the little wheel appears and spins indicating that this app is not responding... then after 30 seconds it releases and goes back to a normal operational state.

Back when I used to create online email brochures as webpages and then send them via Outlook in Windows XP, there were a few little eccentricities, so I guess it will be that way in Windows 7 ULT.

The webpage still images much better this way with IE 8 than when using the antiquated "Email the Web" add-on for Firefox... it is a bit surprising that Firefox has eliminated this built-in feature and one is forced to use a malfunctioning add-on that requires a Google account, log-ins, no email client app support, etc, as I went on about in my original post.

It is good to see that this reliable function still does work in IE 8 anyway.

I wonder when or if there will ever be support for Javascript within email apps like WLM 2011 so that webpages will display as they are intended to within an email... the email brochures that I designed, created and sent out via Outlook on WXP used to be purposely void of any Javascript for that reason.

Anyway, thanks so much for your answer... I figured there must be a solution, but since I already had WLM 2011 set as default via the Control Panel, and it is the only email currently on this machine, I thought maybe the feature was just a non-functioning remnant of the past.

Thanks,

digiday

Don't be surprised if you have to do the Default Programs Dance again.

digiday said:

Hi JMH,

Thanks allot for your reply... part two of your solution fixed it... I hadn't changed any of the defaults in IE 8 since I am mainly using Firefox, so I didn't think it was that, but setting WLM 2011 as my default within IE 8 is what solved the problem.

It is a little strange since I did already have WLM 2011 set as my default email app in Control Panel<Default Programs and it is the only email program currently on this machine, but this is a PC, and your solution solved the problem, so I won't complain.

That is, I won't complain, but one strange behavior once a webpage is loaded in to the body of an email, then I click and highlight the subject line to change it, WLM 2011 is stunned for about 30 seconds and the cursor disappears, the window turns pale transparent white and the little wheel appears and spins indicating that this app is not responding... then after 30 seconds it releases and goes back to a normal operational state.

Back when I used to create online email brochures as webpages and then send them via Outlook in Windows XP, there were a few little eccentricities, so I guess it will be that way in Windows 7 ULT.

The webpage still images much better this way with IE 8 than when using the antiquated "Email the Web" add-on for Firefox... it is a bit surprising that Firefox has eliminated this built-in feature and one is forced to use a malfunctioning add-on that requires a Google account, log-ins, no email client app support, etc, as I went on about in my original post.

It is good to see that this reliable function still does work in IE 8 anyway.

I wonder when or if there will ever be support for Javascript within email apps like WLM 2011 so that webpages will display as they are intended to within an email... the email brochures that I designed, created and sent out via Outlook on WXP used to be purposely void of any Javascript for that reason.

Anyway, thanks so much for your answer... I figured there must be a solution, but since I already had WLM 2011 set as default via the Control Panel, and it is the only email currently on this machine, I thought maybe the feature was just a non-functioning remnant of the past.

Thanks,

digiday

You are welcome.
Safe surfing & enjoy Win 7.