Google Apps Email stops working from the Start Menu

This applies to the Google Apps desktop extensions which provides (among other things) shortcuts to start your apps with Chrome in their own window. 

I use my Google Apps email as the default mail client.  It shows up as my default client in the start menu, configured via Taskbar and Start Menu Properties > Start menu > Customize > Show on Start Menu > Email:

It quit working recently, on several machines.  Perhaps something changed in Chrome’s parameters, or some other Googlestuffs. 

So I checked the Start Menu > Programs > Google Apps shortcuts, working fine.  So I copied the target on the shortcut which WORKS, something like: 

“F:Program FilesGoogleGoogle Appsgoogleapps.exe” –domain=YOURDOMAINHERE.com –mail.google.com

and found the spot in the registry where the default email client was.  This is: 

HKLMSOFTWAREClientsMailGoogle Apps (YOURDOMAINHERE.com)shellopencommand

and I noted the default string was different, as in:  F:Program FilesGoogleGoogle Appsgoogleapps.exe –domain=YOURDOMAINHERE.com

I deleted that string and pasted in the one from the shortcut.  Voila, it all works. 

As a side note, the mailto: (found here:  HKLMSOFTWAREClientsMailGoogle Apps (YOURDOMAINHERE.com)Protocolsmailtoshellopencommand) still works fine. 

Naturally, you’ll notice YOURDOMAINHERE.com is your actual domain.