IE bookmarks convert to firefox automatically

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I use a public computer (one used by several people). Using IE6.0. Some of
the other people use Firefox on the same computer. I find that all my
favorites have converted to firefox bookmarks (when i open a bookmark it
opens in firefox window and not in IE window). I thought may be the other guy
had converted the favorites file to firefox file. So, I copied my IE
favorites folder from the other computer on a USB drive (E:) and wanted to
copy it over this messed up file. But as I looked in the E: drive, I find
that the computer is reading the bookmarks in that folder as firefox files. I
opened a file di rectly from the E:. It opens in Firefox.

What is wrong and how can i fix the problem? Thanks for the help.
 
john said:
I use a public computer (one used by several people). Using IE6.0.
Some of the other people use Firefox on the same computer. I find
that all my favorites have converted to firefox bookmarks (when i
open a bookmark it opens in firefox window and not in IE window). I
thought may be the other guy had converted the favorites file to
firefox file. So, I copied my IE favorites folder from the other
computer on a USB drive (E:) and wanted to copy it over this messed
up file. But as I looked in the E: drive, I find that the computer is
reading the bookmarks in that folder as firefox files. I opened a
file di rectly from the E:. It opens in Firefox.

What is wrong and how can i fix the problem? Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...

From http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/nolinks.htm

Open Windows Explorer.
Go to Tools | Folder Options | File Types.
Scroll down to URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol and select it.
Click Edit or Advanced, depending on your Windows version.
Select 'open'.
Click Edit.

"Application used to perform this action" should read:

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\iexplore.exe" -nohome
(Check the path to iexplore.exe to make sure that is correct and use the
double quotes.)

DDE should be checked and in the boxes below it you should have:

#1:
"%1",,-1,0,,,,
#2
IExplore
#3 (blank)

#4
WWW_OpenURL

URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy should be the same.

Sometimes it is necessary to uncheck Use DDE.

If that doesn't fix it, go to Start | Run and type

regsvr32 urlmon.dll

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
 
If it is a "public computer", who controls what is loaded onto it?
Someone with, or without, permission is changing the system standards.
If you fix it without permission, your are going to be in trouble too.
If it is your responsibility to maintain the computer, then you will have to
restrict the rights of other users.
Others will tell you how to fix the problem, but do you have permission?
 
Thank you for your response. I followed the steps you recomemnded. Here is
what happened (I am running Windows 2000, professional):

going to windows explorer, tools, folder options, file types, URL (against
this selection the "hypertext .... " is not written, instead there is
internet shortcut. Any way, i highlighted this option, then clicked advanced,
open, edit. In application ... it read "rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll, open url%,
I changed this to c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe, i think i
did it without quotes, is it supposed to be in quotes? Any way clicking on
"OK" gave this message "the specified program could not be found". Does it
matter if the path is typed in caps or all lower case as indicated in your
resoponse?

Now I did "search" function and found that there are two sets of
"iexplore.exe" one is in c:\program files\internet explorer\iexplore.exe but
the words "iexplore.exe is in all caps. The other path is
c:\winnt\system32\dllcache. I tried both. It did not work. I also followed
the DDE instructions as you have posted. I tried to ran the regsvr.... and it
said succeded.

But the problem still exists.

Please help. Otherwise I will be forced to just stop using IE and go to
Firefox.
 
Well, you changed the wrong one!

URL:Internet Shortcut should be
rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL %l

URL:HyperText Transfer Protocol is listed with those having no file type
association.
 
That fixed part of the problem. The shortcut now opens into IE window but you
know how there is a small icon for each short cut or in front of the short
cut description. Even though I had copied the favorites folder from a
computer that does not even have Firefox and the folder had E icons on that
computer but loading that drive on this other computer shows them as firefox
icons. Now even though files are opening in IE window, the icons are still
Firefox. Is there any way to fix that.

Is there a reason why one should not be able to use both IE and firefox on
the same computer. The two browser use different folders for there short
cuts, the IE uses "favorites" and Firefox uses "bookmarks". Is that not
correct?

Thanks again.
 
john said:
I use a public computer (one used by several people). Using IE6.0. Some of
the other people use Firefox on the same computer. I find that all my
favorites have converted to firefox bookmarks (when i open a bookmark it
opens in firefox window and not in IE window). I thought may be the other guy
had converted the favorites file to firefox file. So, I copied my IE
favorites folder from the other computer on a USB drive (E:) and wanted to
copy it over this messed up file. But as I looked in the E: drive, I find
that the computer is reading the bookmarks in that folder as firefox files. I
opened a file di rectly from the E:. It opens in Firefox.

What is wrong and how can i fix the problem? Thanks for the help.
Click to expand...


I don't use Firefox so I can only guess. What is the filetype and extension
of a Firefox bookmark? If it is the same as "Internet Shortcut" and *.url
you would have your explanation. Then there would be two competing
associations for the same extension. What happens when you right-click
on a Favorite (or a file with a *.URL extension) and what do you see
when you right-click on a Firefox bookmark?

To see what I'm getting at open a cmd window and enter:

assoc | find /i ".URL"

That should show you any filetype(s) which are associated with that extension.

Say you found that the filetype contains the string "shortcut"
Then, to display the default action for it you could enter:

ftype | find /i "shortcut"

That may not be precise enough to list just one filetype.
Either enter exactly what the first command showed as the filetype name
(e.g. after the .URL=) or ignore any extraneous lines from the second example.

Alternatively just use the Folder Options File Types tab
and see if Firefox has assumed the default action for that
filetype. (E.g., Run... control folders) Etc.

However, I agree with Richard: don't try to change anything
on a machine you have to share with others.
Just use the information this gives you to devise an appropriate
workaround.


Robert Aldwinckle
---
 
john said:
That fixed part of the problem. The shortcut now opens into IE window
but you know how there is a small icon for each short cut or in front
of the short cut description. Even though I had copied the favorites
folder from a computer that does not even have Firefox and the folder
had E icons on that computer but loading that drive on this other
computer shows them as firefox icons. Now even though files are
opening in IE window, the icons are still Firefox. Is there any way
to fix that.

Is there a reason why one should not be able to use both IE and
firefox on the same computer. The two browser use different folders
for there short cuts, the IE uses "favorites" and Firefox uses
"bookmarks". Is that not correct?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Right click the icon and choose Properties.
Click the Change Icon button.
With the Browse button navigate to C:\Program Files\Internet
Explorer\iexplore.exe and choose whichever you'd like.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE
Please respond in Newsgroup only. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com./athome/security/protect/default.aspx
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
 
Robert Aldwinckle said:
I don't use Firefox so I can only guess. What is the filetype and extension
of a Firefox bookmark? If it is the same as "Internet Shortcut" and *.url
you would have your explanation. Then there would be two competing
associations for the same extension. What happens when you right-click
on a Favorite (or a file with a *.URL extension) and what do you see
when you right-click on a Firefox bookmark?
Click to expand...
To see what I'm getting at open a cmd window and enter:
Click to expand...
assoc | find /i ".URL"
Click to expand...
That should show you any filetype(s) which are associated with that extension.
Click to expand...
Say you found that the filetype contains the string "shortcut"
Then, to display the default action for it you could enter:
Click to expand...
ftype | find /i "shortcut"
Click to expand...
That may not be precise enough to list just one filetype.
Either enter exactly what the first command showed as the filetype name
(e.g. after the .URL=) or ignore any extraneous lines from the second example.
Click to expand...
Alternatively just use the Folder Options File Types tab
and see if Firefox has assumed the default action for that
filetype. (E.g., Run... control folders) Etc.
Click to expand...
However, I agree with Richard: don't try to change anything
on a machine you have to share with others.
Just use the information this gives you to devise an appropriate
workaround.
Click to expand...


This seems to be a slightly different situation than in the other thread,
where the original poster wanted to share bookmarks/favorites between
Firebox and IE. If your favorites are opening in Firefox, then Firefox
must be set as the default browser. Favorites are simply small files with
a .URL extension, and the relevant association determines what program
will open them. You can probably fix that by resetting the default
browser to IE, but the next user my just set it back to Firefox again.

Is this truly a public machine, where users share a common logon, or is
this a shared machine, where a number of authorized users each have their
own specific logon?
 
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