diff --git a/xpfe/components/xremote/src/XRemoteService.cpp b/xpfe/components/xremote/src/XRemoteService.cpp
index b0a62261ca1..3d27e78a39c 100644
--- a/xpfe/components/xremote/src/XRemoteService.cpp
+++ b/xpfe/components/xremote/src/XRemoteService.cpp
@@ -724,10 +724,6 @@ XRemoteService::OpenURL(nsCString &aArgument,
 			nsIDOMWindowInternal *aParent,
 			PRBool aOpenBrowser)
 {
-  // check if we can handle this type of URL
-  if (!MayOpenURL(aArgument))
-    return NS_ERROR_ABORT;
-
   // the eventual toplevel target of the load
   nsCOMPtr<nsIDOMWindowInternal> finalWindow = aParent;
 
@@ -768,6 +764,10 @@ XRemoteService::OpenURL(nsCString &aArgument,
       newWindow = PR_TRUE;
   }
 
+  // check if we can handle this type of URL
+  if (!MayOpenURL(aArgument))
+    return NS_ERROR_ABORT;
+
   // try to fixup the argument passed in
   nsString url;
   url.AssignWithConversion(aArgument.get());