Are Hotmail and Windows Live Mail the same or can I delete WLM?

I'm a borderline tech Luddite esp when it comes to email.

I use two different email names in Hotmail, and I'm satisfied with how Hotmail works.

But I apparently have told my computer to use Windows Live Mail also, under certain circumstances. If I'm looking at a website and it shows me someone's email address as a link, which I click on, to send that person an email, WLM automatically launches. And in particular it automatically defaults to the one of those two names which I almost never really want to use!

What I want, instead, is for the computer to automatically just connect me to my regular Hotmail account and let me type in the message from there.

Obviously, I can just cut/paste the address that shows up as a link, and launch Hotmail myself in a new window, and do it all that way. But I'd prefer if at least part of it were automated, the way the computer seems to automatically launch WLM now.

Is there a way for me to delete WLM entirely (using the usual control panel process, which I know how to do) and just use Hotmail all the time as my email program? Or would deleting WLM have the effect of wiping out my Hotmail stuff also?

Hotmail is the browser version of Windows Live mail, Windows Live mail is what allows you to click on a link and send an email.

You can change the default email account you send from, under options, email accounts.

Thx. I understand, mostly. Sorry I'm still such a Luddite, though. I don't understand which "options" tab to go to to change my default email. I tried in Hotmail but I didn't find anything that looked right. Nothing in Firefox or IE seems to do it. Pls bear with me and help me one more time! Thx!

No problem, actually I was talking about the options in WLM, since that is actually what is being used to send mail on your computer.

On the top left is a dropdown menu, click that, options, @ email accounts.



On the next window you'll be able to change default email account.