IE6 not shown in Task Manager

  • Thread starter Thread starter john
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john

I came across a strange problem.
After I installed a program I noticed that IE is no more in the task list !
I mean, I run IE, it runs OK but the Task Manager doesn't show it.
The problem is not that I cannot see it in the task list, but other programs
don't see it either, for example Sygate Firewall doesn't see it and, as a
result, IE cannot connect to Internet while Sygate is active. Otherwise I didn't
noticed anything wrong with IE or other programs which connect to Internet.
Any hints?
 
After I installed a program I noticed that IE is no more in the task list !

Which OS? If NTx right-click on the task in Task Manager
and choose Go to Process. That will show you the name of the
that process' main task. It's possible that you have your file type
associations set in a non-standard way so that it looks as if
explorer.exe is responsible for file types that iexplore.exe (IE)
normally handles.

The best solution would be to perform an IE Repair (Ref. KB194177)
However, XP users don't have the module that is needed to do that.

If you can't do an IE Repair close all those tasks.
I think it might even be advisable to kill explorer.exe too
but let's call that optional. Then start

regsvr32 /i mshtml.dll


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
 
Hi Robert,
Thanks for your answer
Which OS? If NTx right-click on the task in Task Manager
and choose Go to Process. That will show you the name of the
that process' main task. It's possible that you have your file type
associations set in a non-standard way so that it looks as if
explorer.exe is responsible for file types that iexplore.exe (IE)
normally handles.
Click to expand...

It's Windows XP Prof. Is it possible that the program I installed to
mess the type associations? I noticed it updated some system
files and required me to reboot.
I also wonder if some kind of virus or malicious code could be
the cause of this problem
Meantime I performed a system restore and everything is OK now
but I lost the program that I've just installed and I would like to
install again because I need it.
The best solution would be to perform an IE Repair (Ref. KB194177)
However, XP users don't have the module that is needed to do that.
Click to expand...

I have XP and I suppose I cannot do it. But what exactly does IE Repair?
If you can't do an IE Repair close all those tasks.
I think it might even be advisable to kill explorer.exe too
but let's call that optional. Then start

regsvr32 /i mshtml.dll
Click to expand...

I suppose this (re)installs the IE core, doesn't it?
 
It's Windows XP Prof.
Click to expand...

I should have also asked what maintenance level.
If XPsp2 you could do

iexplore /rereg

I would treat that one with the same care that I was suggesting
you give regsvr32 /i mshtml.dll since it is even closer to an
IE Repair (without the boot).

If you installed IE6sp1 before installing XPsp1
you would have setupwbv.dll and be able to do
a real IE repair with (adaptation of KB194177):

rundll32 setupwbv.dll,IE6Maintenance

Is it possible that the program I installed to mess
the type associations?
Click to expand...

Yes. That's what I was assuming.

I noticed it updated some system files and required me to reboot.
Click to expand...

Depending on how it was packaged that could be bad news.
However, provided the "system files" were protected by XP's WFP
(in %windir%\System32\dllcache) they would soon be replaced.
I don't know if they would be re-registered then though.

I also wonder if some kind of virus or malicious code could be
the cause of this problem
Click to expand...

Possibly but I think that the package you installed is the more likely
culprit. If the repair works you can test by observing more closely
what your package does during its install.

One simple check you could do as a check on your associations
for before and after comparison is this command pipeline:

ftype | find /i "iexplore"

what exactly does IE Repair?
Click to expand...

A whole bunch of regsvr32 commands during a boot while nothing
else is running. If you download IE6 you could extract fixie.inf
(or otherwise acquire that file). It is a mixture of the commands which
it would do for each OS but essentially any file listed with a DllRegisterServer
entry would be given the equivalent of a regsvr32 command
and any file listed with a DllInstall entry would be given the equivalent
of a regsvr32 /i command.

I suppose this (re)installs the IE core, doesn't it?
Click to expand...

Were you paying attention? <g>
mshtml.dll is the rendering engine for IE so yes it is a core IE module
but regsvr32 /i just executes the DllInstall entry point which causes
a bunch of registry entries to be checked or rewritten.

With XPsp2's new /rereg switch XP's lack of an IE Repair may not
be as much of an issue any more. For XP users who are not yet at
that level I have been suggesting that they try the regsvr32 commands
listed in KB831429. (I'm still unclear that XP's sfc command does
anything to the registry with modules which it does not replace. That's
why I suggest that modification of the KB article's actual instructions.)


Robert
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