Found
this info for Outlook Express - but this bit should work for standard Outlook, too as it's to do with IE settings, not the email client :
If hyperlinks are not working, it's likely one or more registered file associations are configured incorrectly. To repair the associations:
- Click Start, click My Computer, and then click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
- Click the File Types tab.
- Select URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol in the list of registered file types.
- Click the Advanced button (Windows XP), or the Edit button (other versions).
- In the list of Actions, select open and then click the Edit button.
- The Application used to perform action box should contain this, including quotation marks: ["C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -nohome]
- If instead it contains a short name version of that path, or an incorrect path, change it to the above. Click OK.
- Repeat steps 3-7 for the file type URL:Hypertext Transfer Protocol with Privacy.
- Click OK to close the Folder Options window.