Shortcuts won't open IE

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Guest

Hi

Can anyone help? If I send a web page to my desktop by creating a shortcut,
when I click on that shortcut it is not opening the page. Instead I am
getting an error message telling me it can't find the web link. If I receive
an email with a link inside, I get the same error.

Some extra info might help. For a few days I was receiving a run time error
when I tried to lanuch IE 6. I downloaded Firefox to enable me access to the
Internet. When I found the fix for the IE problem (I had to uninstall a
google hotbar) I reverted to IE 6. The problem with my shortcuts happened
after this. It may be of some relevance.
 
Hi

I did what the document suggested by going into windows
explorer\tools\folder options\file types to check url path name. The path
name had ~ and % and a 1 at the end so I retyped it correctly. There was also
a * in the third box, which I removed (because the notes say it should be
left blank) but I still have the problem.

The problem is with shortcuts and hyperlinks. For example, when I receive an
email notification that someone has responded to my thread on this forum, I
usually click 'read response' and it launches IE6 and takes me to my forum
question. Now it takes me to My Documents with the message 'locate link
browser'.

The other message I'm getting when I launch IE is 'Internet Explorer is not
currently your default browser. Would you like to make it your default?'. I
keep choosing 'yes' to make it my default browser but I still get the
message. I have had this a couple of times which I presume is because I was
using Firefox for a little while.

Does this throw any light on to my problem?
--


Many thanks
JD


Don Varnau said:
Hi,
See: http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFAQ.htm Tips #7,40,41.

If unsuccessful with those steps, try http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/nolinks.htm

Hope this helps,
Don
[MS MVP- IE]

Jackie D said:
Hi

Can anyone help? If I send a web page to my desktop by creating a shortcut,
when I click on that shortcut it is not opening the page. Instead I am
getting an error message telling me it can't find the web link. If I receive
an email with a link inside, I get the same error.

Some extra info might help. For a few days I was receiving a run time error
when I tried to lanuch IE 6. I downloaded Firefox to enable me access to the
Internet. When I found the fix for the IE problem (I had to uninstall a
google hotbar) I reverted to IE 6. The problem with my shortcuts happened
after this. It may be of some relevance.
Many thanks
JD
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
Hi,
A few more steps to try:
From IE> Tools> Internet Options> Programs tab, choose Reset Web Settings.
Click OK, OK.

Windows XP? (You didn't say...)
Control panel> Add/remove programs> Set Program Access and Defaults, choose
Microsoft Windows or Custom. Make sure IE is selected as the default
browser.

Are you seeing the Locate Link Browser dialog box regularly? Next time,
click on Browse then locate the Iexplore.exe file, click it, then click
Open. Iexplore.exe is probably located in the c:\Program Files\Internet
Explorer folder.

Firefox> Tools> Options> General [check] Firefox should check to see if it
is the default browser. Click on "Check now" then answer No.

Let me know if any of this helps.

Don
[MS MVP- IE]
 
Not really wishing to interrupt Don but...

You must not have a path with ~ and % and a 1 at the end
You may have a path with ~ and a 1 at the end

If you are referring to the details at
http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/nolinks.htm then you should follow them
closely and use the quoted path if it is applicable.

What is the exact path you entered?

....Alan
 
Hi Alan

The path name is: "C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~\IEXPLO~1.EXE"%

When I hit a short cut to an IE page or a hyperlink it can't find the Link
Browser. I donj't know what the link browser is but is it possible that
spybot or ad-aware has removed it by mistake? I run both of these once a week.

I have to find the url in word pad and cut and paste it into my browser to
find the page. It is a bit of a faff!

Thank you for your interruption!
 
Hi Jackie

With respect...that MUST be wrong.

It could not possibly be:
"C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~\IEXPLO~1.EXE"%

It could be:
"C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~1\IEXPLORE.EXE"

Please use what Frank has at his site.

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\iexplore.exe" -nohome

That is what your path should be.
Please copy and paste it as it must be exact.

....Alan
 
Alan

I missed off the last digit. This is what it says.

"C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~1\IEXPLO~1.EXE" %1

I've used copy & paste so it IS what it says! Maybe this is why I'm having
the problem?

I will copy & paste the correct path again but I did this yesterday and it
reverted back to the version with the % mark when I rebooted.

I'll let you know how I get on...
 
Hi Jackie

I think you are missing the point.
What you have, no matter if you copy and paste it, is invalid.
It is wrong. There is no doubt. I cannot say it clearer.
It cannot have IEXPLO~1.EXE if it should have IEXPLORE.EXE
Please (pretty please) copy and paste this line and replace your
incorrect one:

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\iexplore.exe" -nohome

Ensure everything is as you see it on Frank's site.

....Alan
 
Hi Alan

I do appreciate your help but I am compelled to answer your claim that I
have missed the point. Let's get pedantic for a moment. Clarity is cleary a
bit of a problem.

I was merely answering your original comment, which was:

With respect...that MUST be wrong. It could not possibly be:
"C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~\IEXPLO~1.EXE"%

It may not be the correct path but it IS what the path name says in the
Transfer Protocol box! How it got corrupted, who knows? I don't.

Moreover, I have pasted the correct path on top of the incorrect one, twice
now, and the problem has gone away - until I rebooted. When I reboot , the
path name that 'MUST be wrong' reappears with the % sign and the missing
letters etc. And, much to my annoyance, the problem reappears also.

For some reason the correct path name is not 'sticking'. This must indicate
a more complex problem with the software, wouldn't you agree? Unfortunately I
have absolutely no idea how to fix it despite all the much appreciated
support I have recevied.
 
OK. Bear with me. We may have a language barrier.
I am more concerned with what it should be than what it is.
I am gradually getting on the same wavelength.
It may be corrupted due to malware as previously intimated.
IEXPLO~1.EXE is not an abbreviation of IEXPLORE.EXE but it could be an
abbreviation of some nasty like IEXPLORER.EXE
Can you look and see if any such file exists?
Have a look in C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER

If it changes at startup then....

Check in Msconfig for any oddities.
(Start-Run-MSCONFIG-Startup tab)
If you cannot see anything in Msconfig then:

Start-Run-msinfo32
Click the + beside Software Environment to expand.
Click Startup Programs
Ctrl+A to Select All, Ctrl+C to Copy.
Paste that information in your message.

Be back in 6 or 8 hours as it is 23:30 here and I am closing down.

....Alan
 
Jackie D said:
Hi Alan

I do appreciate your help but I am compelled to answer your claim that I
have missed the point. Let's get pedantic for a moment. Clarity is cleary a
bit of a problem.

I was merely answering your original comment, which was:

With respect...that MUST be wrong. It could not possibly be:
"C:\PROGRA~1\INTERN~\IEXPLO~1.EXE"%

It may not be the correct path but it IS what the path name says in the
Transfer Protocol box! How it got corrupted, who knows? I don't.

Moreover, I have pasted the correct path on top of the incorrect one, twice
now, and the problem has gone away - until I rebooted. When I reboot , the
path name that 'MUST be wrong' reappears with the % sign and the missing
letters etc. And, much to my annoyance, the problem reappears also.

For some reason the correct path name is not 'sticking'. This must indicate
a more complex problem with the software, wouldn't you agree?
Click to expand...


Well, it could be (very likely is) an indication that you have malware on board.
E.g. the reason that Alan thinks that the program name "must be" IEXPLORE.EXE
is because it is exactly 8 characters with no lower case letters.
Therefore, there is no need to create a 8.3 alias for it.
However, if the real program in that directory is IExplorer.exe (e.g.)
that would be a well-known Trojan. The fact that your file type associations
keep changing similarly would be indicative that you have some other
mechanism present in your Start up procedures which is re-instating the
malware.

Search others' posts for reference to spyware, malware, etc.
for tips on how to deal with such problems.



Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
---
 
Hi Robert

I've searched for the suspected malware but it's not coming up, and it's not
in the IE program folder. I'll run Ad-aware again and see what comes up.
 
Hi Alan

Yes, I think we've been misunderstanding each other. I can't find the
suspected malware but I'll run Ad-Aware in safe mode and see what comes up.

I now have the correct file path (sort of) but this keeps inserting itself
after 'nohome'

%1

I delete it and it comes back.

I've found these things in msconfig that I don't recognise. But it doesn't
mean they are not legitimate.

Under the service tab I have:

"Auboertfi" listed with no known manufacturer.
"Aic_uers" with no known manufacturer


Under the Start Up Tab I have:

Skype listed even though I uninstalled the software a long time ago.
There is another item that is not named and just says "\PROGRAM\" in the
next column.

Apart from that, here is what appeared in msinfo:

Adobe Gamma Loader c:\progra~1\common~1\adobe\calibr~1\adobeg~1.exe All
Users Common Startup
Adobe Reader Speed
Launch c:\progra~1\adobe\acroba~3.0\reader\reader~1.exe All Users Common
Startup
C-Media Mixer mixer.exe /startup All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
CTFMON.EXE c:\windows\system32\ctfmon.exe NT
AUTHORITY\SYSTEM HKU\S-1-5-18\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Ru
CTFMON.EXE c:\windows\system32\ctfmon.exe .DEFAULT HKU\.DEFAULT\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
H/PC Connection Agent "c:\program files\microsoft
activesync\wcescomm.exe" JACKIE-PC\Jackie
Dietrich HKU\S-1-5-21-628561905-3648311874-1484021187-1007\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
InCD c:\program files\ahead\incd\incd.exe All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
LDM \program\ JACKIE-PC\Jackie
Dietrich HKU\S-1-5-21-628561905-3648311874-1484021187-1007\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
LWBMOUSE c:\program files\browser mouse\browser mouse\1.1\mouse32a.exe All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Logitech Desktop
Messenger c:\progra~1\logitech\deskto~1\8876480\program\ldmconf.exe
/start All Users Common Startup
Logitech Hardware Abstraction Layer khalmnpr.exe All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Logitech SetPoint c:\progra~1\logitech\setpoint\setpoint.exe All
Users Common Startup
MSConfig c:\windows\pchealth\helpctr\binaries\msconfig.exe /auto All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
MsnMsgr "c:\program files\msn messenger\msnmsgr.exe"
/background JACKIE-PC\Jackie
Dietrich HKU\S-1-5-21-628561905-3648311874-1484021187-1007\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
NeroFilterCheck c:\windows\system32\nerocheck.exe All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
NvCplDaemon rundll32.exe c:\windows\system32\nvcpl.dll,nvstartup All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
NvMediaCenter rundll32.exe c:\windows\system32\nvmctray.dll,nvtaskbarinit NT
AUTHORITY\SYSTEM HKU\S-1-5-18\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
NvMediaCenter rundll32.exe
c:\windows\system32\nvmctray.dll,nvtaskbarinit .DEFAULT HKU\.DEFAULT\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
NvMediaCenter rundll32.exe
c:\windows\system32\nvmctray.dll,nvtaskbarinit All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Omnipage c:\program files\scansoft\omnipagepro11.0\opware32.exe All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
PCMService "c:\program files\logitech\medialife\medialifeservice.exe" All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
PhotoShow Deluxe Media
Manager c:\progra~1\ahead\neroph~2\data\xtras\mssysmgr.exe JACKIE-PC\Jackie
Dietrich HKU\S-1-5-21-628561905-3648311874-1484021187-1007\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
PopUpStopperFreeEdition "c:\progra~1\panicw~1\pop-up~1\psfree.exe" JACKIE-PC\Jackie
Dietrich HKU\S-1-5-21-628561905-3648311874-1484021187-1007\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
QuickTime Task "c:\program files\quicktime\qttask.exe" -atboottime All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
RemoteControl "c:\program files\cyberlink dvd
solution\powerdvd\pdvdserv.exe" All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
SunJavaUpdateSched c:\program files\java\jre1.5.0_04\bin\jusched.exe All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Symantec NetDriver Monitor c:\progra~1\symnet~1\sndmon.exe /consumer All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
TkBellExe "c:\program files\common files\real\update_ob\realsched.exe"
-osboot All Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
WM VCR c:\program files\wm recorder 10.2\wmvcr.exe -quiet JACKIE-PC\Jackie
Dietrich HKU\S-1-5-21-628561905-3648311874-1484021187-1007\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
ccApp "c:\program files\common files\symantec shared\ccapp.exe" All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
desktop desktop.ini NT AUTHORITY\SYSTEM Startup
desktop desktop.ini JACKIE-PC\Jackie Dietrich Startup
desktop desktop.ini .DEFAULT Startup
desktop desktop.ini All Users Common Startup
type32 "c:\program files\microsoft intellitype pro\type32.exe" All
Users HKLM\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run

I'll let you know about my ad-aware scan. Thank you for persevering.
 
Hi Jackie

I can't see anything in your startup that could cause the problem.
I don't see Skype or your unnamed PROGRAM item, so I assume you
disabled them in Msconfig before using Msinfo32.

Robert is correct as to why I thought you had malware and has
explained it well. (Thanks Robert)

....Alan
 
Hi Alan

Just to let you knowthat I ran Ad-Aware in safe mode and it found a couple
of things that it then deleted. The problem with my shortcuts went away, came
back and went away again. I'm having a good patch at the moment. If the
problem comes back I shall post on a spyware forum and see what they think.
But thanks very much for your help.
 
Alan

I seem to be getting nowhere fast. I don't appear to have malware on my pc
so I wondered if I could ask for more help lon this forum to resolve the
issue that still hasn't gone away?

Two things that I now think may be important factors are:
1 - the 'Can't Find Link Browser' error only occurs if I don't have IE open.
If it is open, the shortcuts & hyperlinks work.
2 - When I launch IE I am told that it is not my default browser and would I
like to make it my default. No matter how many times I say "yes" to this, I
get the error message next time I launch IE.

Any further ideas? I could really do with more assistance, if I haven't
outstayed my welcome on this topic!
 
Hi Jackie,

I don't mind trying again and I am sure others will feel the same.
Can we revisit this previous thread?

-----------
If you are referring to the details at
http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/nolinks.htm then you should follow them
closely and use the quoted path if it is applicable.

What is the exact path you entered?
---------------
Can you supply EXACTLY what you have in file types?
Copy and paste it, do not retype it.

I will add this in now while I remember, though you must not use it
unless you have XP and your path for iexplore.exe is standard (the
path you paste here will tell us the latter)
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/reg/IE_Default_Browser.reg

....Alan
 
Hello Alan

I apologise for not getting back to you since your last post. I have had a
family crisis to deal with over the past few weeks, hence my lack of response
to your last offer of help. If you haven't given up on me, can I please pick
this back up?

In your last post you asked me to copy and paste the file type in hyperlink
transfer protocol. Here it is:
"C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\iexplore.exe" -nohome %1

Does this look ok to you?

The other thing I noticed is that the hyperlinks DO work if I have IE open.
They don't launch IE if it is not already open. I've had this problem for so
long that I can't remember what is normal! What do you think?
 
Jackie,

No, that is not what you should have.
You should have followed http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/nolinks.htm exactly
(as below)
-------------------------------
"Application used to perform this action" should read:

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\iexplore.exe" -nohome

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

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

#4
WWW_OpenURL
-----------------------------------
The above looks like what I had before XP and now I have:

"Application used to perform this action" should read:

"C:\PROGRAM FILES\INTERNET EXPLORER\iexplore.exe" -nohome

DDE checked:

DDE Message:
"%1",,-1,0,,,,

Application
IExplore

DDE Application not running
*

Topic:
WWW_OpenURLNewWindow


....Alan
 
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