Defense in depth -- the Microsoft way (part 28): yes, we can (create even empty, but properly quoted pathnames)

REGEDIT4

; PLEASE NOTICE THE PROPERLY QUOTED ALBEIT EMPTY PATHNAMES!

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook]
@="Microsoft Outlook"
"DLLPath"="MSIMNUI.DLL"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\
Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\news]
@="URL:News-Protokoll"
"URL Protocol"=""
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\news\DefaultIcon]
@=", -3"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\news\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\news\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\news\shell\open\command]
@="\"\" /outnews /newsurl:%1"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\nntp]
@="URL:NNTP-Protokoll"
"URL Protocol"=""
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\nntp\DefaultIcon]
@=", -3"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\nntp\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\nntp\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\nntp\shell\open\command]
@="\"\" /outnews /newsurl:%1"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\snews]
@="URL:Snews-Protokoll"
"URL Protocol"=""
"EditFlags"=dword:00000002

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\snews\DefaultIcon]
@=", -3"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\snews\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\snews\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\Protocols\snews\shell\open\command]
@="\"\" /outnews /newsurl:%1"

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\shell]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\shell\open]
@=""

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\News\Microsoft Outlook\shell\open\command]
@="\"\" /outnews"
--- EOF ---


JFTR: the superfluous empty unnamed (default) registry values are
      created due to a well-known bug in the tools (not only) Microsoft
      uses to build packages for the Microsoft Installer.

      See but <https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/bb165967.aspx>
      why creating an empty default registry value (not only) for the
      "open" verb is a bug:

      | When registering standard verbs, do not set the default value
      | for the Open key. The default value contains the display string
      | on the menu. The operating system supplies this string for
      | standard verbs.


regards
Stefan Kanthak


PS: Windows 7, and of course Windows 8, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10 too,
    have at least one command line with an empty but properly quoted
    pathname out-of-the-box, even before the installation of Microsoft
    Outlook 2010:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Clients\Mail\Windows Mail\InstallInfo]
"ShowIconsCommand"=expand:"\"\""