How to redirect Windows Mail to Desktop program

I have installed a third-party popmail client on 8.1 that I use for email. This works fine and I prefer it. I don't want to be forced into the cloud.
The problem is that forum email links always bring up Windows Mail when I click on them, which always wants to sign me up to a Gmail account. Is there any way to make Windows Mail open my preferred email client instead? I have found how to change Windows Mail defaults, but only three options are available. My program is not in Windows Store and I don't use Outlook. How can I make Windows Mail use a program of my choosing? Otherwise I have to manually copy the email link, open my email program, and paste the link in order to reply. I don't understand why Microsoft goes out of its way to limit the choices of people who pay good money for its software.

 

Why are you clicking on the e-mail link. Click on the link to the forum and it should take you right to the post in that section. At least mine do and always have for all the forums that I am on and always have. I have done nothing special. Are you sure you are clicking on the right link?

 

Thanks for your reply. I don't think I'm clicking on the wrong link because it is the same one that works correctly on the Win7 machine. When I click any forum email reply link, I want my preferred email client to come up just like it did with earlier Windows versions. What happens here, though, is that I keep getting Windows Mail which keeps wanting to create a Gmail account. I just want to change the association so it won't automatically bring up Windows Mail. That used to be easy. Now it seems not to be.

 

Thanks, I tried that and a list of programs does come up but not the one I want. That is Opera Mail, which is correctly installed (it shows up on uninstall in the Control Panel) and works normally, except for the link issue. I guess my question should be how do I get a third-party program I have installed myself onto the list that appears when I try to change the default app? There seems to be a real lack of flexibility in 8.1 when you want to do anything that hasn't been pre-ordained by Microsoft and I don't have enough experience with it to hack it.