When I press Escape twice, then Alt-F B. I see that I currently have Microsoft Windows Live Mail Version 2011 (Build 15.4.3555.0308) Copyright © 2010 Microsoft Corporation.

I do not run the entire Windows Essentials suite but just Windows Live Mail (it's all I care about) so as manage and sort my various business and personal email accounts.  However, as is well reported here,  WLM is no longer a satisfactory program.  One can create hyper-linked text but hyper-linked text can not be copied and pasted into an email.  Not even copied and pasted into the same email one is composing.  According to people at this web site this has been a problem ever since Explorer 8.  The only fix reported is to mess with the registry.  The instructions are tricky enough but I am not about to go down that dangerous road in any event and others are equally circumspect.   But way is all that even necessary?

  I  now discover that Windows Essentials has new versions of Live mail for Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1. http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-live/download-windows-essentials#wetabs=we2012

 So why are people even talking about messing with the registry? Surely these new  versions  do not carry the old flaws re: hyperlinks. Whether I keep this computer with Windows 7 or buy a new computer with Windows 8,  or 8.1 can't I just install that new Windows Mail program and import all my current WLM data and storage folders into it?