What parts/reg file did the trick?

The shorter, first one you posted, opera_mail_protocol.reg.txt

burnout, that did it! Thank you very much.

The only thing I'd add to your awesome directions is a general Windows tip, and that's how to change a file extension. I'd never had to do that before. Your instructions said to remove the .txt extension from a file after I downloaded it. To make that happen, I found out I had to go to Control Panel > Appearance and Personalization > Folder Options > View and under Advanced Settings, temporarily unclick "Hide extensions for known file types." Then when I changed the name on the file, I could eliminating .txt, turning it into a .reg file.

I appreciate everyone's help here. Thanks again.

Thanks for your post, burnout. I'll try these ideas. It might not be until Sunday as I'm busy with music the next two days but I can do as you advise. I'll let you know how it comes out.

Yes, I did see and read that thread, but with all the attachments now dead links, I didn't go any further. My computer skills aren't bad but that thread quickly got beyond me without the attachments, specifically the ones from Burnout.

Yes, I hope he shows up. I greatly appreciate your help, Cal.

I also tried installing another file in that directory called opera_mailto_reg_keys_win7x64.zip. I loaded its contents into my registry. No change.

There is a text file in the directory called operamail_win7x64_full.reg.txt that I haven't done anything with. Maybe Burnout can guide me in using it although I'm leary of what I've done so far. I've put a bunch of non-functioning lines of code in my clean, newly installed Windows7 registry. That goes against everything I've believed and experienced for the past 15 years. It's like I've taken a track-ready hot rod and added on air conditioning. Half of me says punt at this point and reinstall Windows7 from scratch. It wouldn't be too hard right now. I'd have to update a couple of backup files but otherwise everything I'd need is on external hard drives already.

It hasn't helped that my ISP has been funky all afternoon, with the Internet coming and going and being generally as slow as molasses. I've wondered more than once today, "WTF did I do to my computer?" Probably nothing but it gets scary when suddenly it takes half a minute for a website to load.

This situation is at least now tolerable until there is an update to Opera Mail. After these changes, I can right click on an email hyperlink and save it. I can then paste it into an email and go. I couldn't do that at the beginning of the day.

cal5760, I went to the thread in your link. Reading that thread, I opened the linked directory and downloaded the MAILTO entry. Opening it, my computer automatically added its contents to my computer's registry using Registry Editor. I then rebooted my computer.

It didn't work. Opera Mail still doesn't show up as one of the options in Set Default Programs. When I now click on an email hyperlink in the Opera browser, nothing happens. I don't get the error message but nothing shows up in Opera Mail.

When I click on an email hyperlink in Internet Explorer, I now get a Windows error message that says:

Could not perform this operation because the default mail client is not properly installed.

I don't know if this makes any difference but my Windows 7 64bit install is a fresh one. An older version of the Opera browser with Opera Mail inside it instead of as a separate program had never been installed.

I will take your advice and search "mailto" and see what I can find. If I have a positive outcome, I'll post it here.

I think I'm reporting a bug. Either that or somebody can tell me what I'm doing wrong.

I've had the separate version of Opera Mail from the browser up and running for a couple of weeks now. Everything works well and I was able to transfer over my old emails and contacts without any trouble.

My only problems is when I click on a hyperlink for an email. Even within an email on Opera Mail, I always get this Windows error message:

There is no email program associate to perform the requested action. Please install an email program or, if one is already installed, create an association the the Default Programs control panel.

So I go to Control Panel > Programs > Default Programs > Set Your Default Programs.

Unfortunately, Opera Mail isn't in the list of programs available. I can click on the top task bar to make another list of programs show up but still no Opera Mail. I see no way to add Opera Mail to the list, or any other program for that matter.

Unless someone here smarter than me can point the way to add Opera Mail to that list.

I do see Opera Stable but when I open it to see if there is a mail extension, not surprisingly there isn't. Opera Stable is just for the browser.

I hope this will be fixed in a future release of Opera Mail. I see we're still on version 1.0.