Links In Email Help Pleae

[Prudie]

I use Microsoft Outlook 2010 as my e-mail client on my Dell laptop running Windows 7. Although I use Chrome as my default browser I didn't used to and all links/urls within e-mails automatically opened using IE. I haven't ever changed this (mainly because I didn't know how).
Anyway last few days every link I try to open within an e-mail now comes up with a dialogue box 'Google Chrome is unresponsive. Relaunch now?'. Selecting OK does nothing however and the links won't open. How can I resolve, I need access to some stuff (button press links to another website so I can't just c&p the link)

[Buenchico]

Click 'Start'.

Type 'def' into the box.

Click on 'Default programs'

Click on 'Associate a file type or protocol with a program'

Scroll down to the entries for '.htm' and '.html'.
That will show you what Windows will try to open web pages with. You can change an entry via double-clicking on it and then selecting the program of your choice.

If Internet Explorer is shown, try changing both entries to Chrome. If Chrome is shown but you're happy enough for links to open in Internet Explorer, try changing them to IE. If Chrome is shown and you'd really like to use Chrome to open links, try changing them to IE, restarting your computer and then changing them back to Chrome again.

If none of that works, check the registry entry referred to in Archer's post here:
http://www.sevenforums.com/microsoft-office/317028-outlook-2010-wont-open-hyperlinks-chrome-win-7-home-premium-64-a.html

(PS: As a short term fix, you might be able to copy a link from a 'button' via right-clicking on it but, as it's a long time since I've used Outlook, I can't be sure).

[Prudie]

Thanks Chris that has worked. It was showing Chrome for both, I changed back to IE and now the links open. Very strange though as somehow that had been changed. Now this is a serious question - could the cat have done it? She's always opening all sorts of things just by sitting on the keyboard, quite often all downloads, AB going to HTML at the bottom of the screen, incognito browsing, windows mobility centre, all sorts of peculiar things I can't do.
I realise she couldn't have done it through default progs on the start menu but maybe by some other route?

[Buenchico]

Well it's tricky but I suppose not impossible!
http://www.wikihow.com/Set-Google-Chrome-As-Your-Default-Browser

It's probably more likely to have been a small power surge (or even radiation from a solar flare) that caused a corruption of your computer's registry. However, given that I've had a cat dial 999 from my phone (shortly after I'd offered him a cheap brand of cat food), anything's possible!