Default Browser Problem?

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Okay, here’s a strange one. My system seems to have suddenly forgotten that IE5.5 is my default browser. I don’t have any other browser on my system, and haven’t since the days of Netscape 4.0.

In the past, I could click on a URL in any application, newsreader, mail client, or whathaveyou, and it would launch IE and go to the selected site. Or I could manually enter a URL into the command line at Start|Run and it would launch. But as of yesterday this no longer happens. In an application, if I click on a URL (or right click on it and select “Launch selected URL”) nothing happens. If I manually enter the URL into Start|Run, it just sits there, and then if I move the cursor down onto the taskbar I see an hourglass. No pending or unresponsive tasks show up on the task list if I ctrl-alt-del.

BUT, if I manually open IE5.5, THEN all the above-mentioned operations work normally. As long as IE is open already…

I can’t imagine what would’ve broken here, why my system seems to no longer recognize IE5.5 as the default system browser.

I’d appreciate any suggestions for a remedy. Is there someplace in The Registry where I can check to see if some key has the right value?

Thanks,

–dnb

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Control Panel/Internet Options/Programs & check the box near the bottom that says “IE should check to see if it’s the default browser”. Then try it.

Hope this helps.

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Been there, done that, no joy. Thanks anyway though. Any other ideas or suggestions, other than reinstalling IE or Windows?

–dnb

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Not sure. It could be that the URL.dll is corrupt & needs replacing. It could be re-associating .htm & .html with IE.

Try My Computer/View/FolderOptions/FileTypes & scroll for HTML document. Click Edit & see what program is listed for the Open (should be the default) action. Make sure Open is the default & browse to IE.

DDE Message should read:
[ViewFolder(“%l”,”%l”,%S)]

Application is Folders &
Topic is AppProperties.

Hope this helps.

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I had a very similar problem with Win98 once, where Outlook decided that it would launch TWO copies of the browser but the first one didn’t behave. In fact it didn’t do anything but annoy me. And if I typed a URL in the address box, zilch.

Try this first:
START -> RUN
REGSVR32 shwdocvw.dll

You should get a message that it succeeded. Try rebooting and see if IE will work then.

You also have the option of going to the ‘Last Known Good’ menu under NT and restoring a previous registry, and under 98, SCANREG /RESTORE from DOS to accomplish the same.

Good luck!!

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