W2K's rundll32.exe or IE6 doesn't like .htm or .html

[J Dubya]

Hi Folks,
When I attempt to launch the default browser (IE6 w/all patches)
with a URL that ends in ".htm" or ".html" by entering (for example)
the following at the command line (or in the Run box):

rundll32 url.dll,FileProtocolHandler http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/
notes.html

I get a pop-up error titled "Problem with shortcut" with message
"Unable to open 'http://www.microsoft.com/ms.htm'".

A work-around is to change the last character in the URL (i.e.,
either 'm' or 'l') to its hex equivalent:

rundll32 url.dll,FileProtocolHandler http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/
notes.htm%6C

but since the app I am trying to debug (ImageJ) calls rundll32 from
within
Java, this substitution isn't practicable.

I am running Windows 2000 Pro w/all patches. This bug does not
affect Windows NT4 SP6 with IE6, nor Windows XP with IE7. Can
anyone shed any light on the source of the problem? I.e., is it W2K's
rundll32.exe, or is it IE6? Any idea why it doesn't affect NT4, then
it does affect W2K, then it doesn't affect XP?

MS's "solution" is to recommend a proprietary function (ShellExecute)
which requires MS's version of Java. Cf.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/283225

TIA,
-Jeremy Winston

 

[J Dubya]

[...]
rundll32 url.dll,FileProtocolHandler http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/ notes.html

I get a pop-up error titled "Problem with shortcut" with message
"Unable to open 'http://www.microsoft.com/ms.htm'".

Er, I meant
"Unable to open 'http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/ notes.html'".

-Jeremy

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

[...]
rundll32 url.dll,FileProtocolHandler http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/
notes.html

I get a pop-up error titled "Problem with shortcut" with message
"Unable to open 'http://www.microsoft.com/ms.htm'".

Er, I meant
"Unable to open 'http://rsb.info.nih.gov/ij/ notes.html'".

-Jeremy

I imagine the problem is the space before notes.html.