Favorites and History Not Transferred When Installing IE

ID: Q159528

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 3.0, 3.01, 3.02a for Windows 3.1

SYMPTOMS

When you install Microsoft Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1 in a different folder than an earlier version of Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1, the Favorites menu items and History list from the earlier version are not transferred to Internet Explorer.

CAUSE

By default, Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1 obtains the contents of the Favorites menu and History list from the Favorite.htm and Globhist.htm files located in the folder from which you started Internet Explorer. When you install Internet Explorer in a different folder than an earlier version of Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1, the Favorite.htm and Globhist.htm files in the folder in which the earlier version is installed are not copied to the folder in which you install Internet Explorer.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

• Copy the Favorite.htm and Globhist.htm files from the folder in which the earlier version of Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1 is installed to the folder in which Internet Explorer is installed.
• Modify the Iexplore.ini file in the Windows folder so that Internet Explorer uses the Favorite.htm and Globhist.htm files in the folder in which the earlier version of Internet Explorer is installed. To do so, use the following steps.

  NOTE: If you have multiple installations of Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1 on your computer, all the installations use the same Iexplore.ini file located in the Windows folder. Therefore, if you use the following steps to modify the Iexplore.ini file, all installations of Internet Explorer for Windows 3.1 will use the Favorite.htm and Globhist.htm files you specify.

      1. Quit Internet Explorer, if it is running.
  

      2. Use any text editor (such as Notepad) to open the Iexplore.ini file
        in the Windows folder.
  

      3. Locate the following lines:
  

           Favorite_File=favorite.htm
           History_File=globhist.htm
  
         Modify the lines so that they appear as follows
  
           Favorite_File=<drive>:\<folder>\favorite.htm
           History_File=<drive>:\<folder>\globhist.htm
  
         where <drive> and <folder> are the drive and folder where the
         earlier version of Internet Explorer is installed.
  
      4. Save and then close the Iexplore.ini file.
  
  

Keywords          : msiew31 
Version           : 3.0 3.01 3.02a
Platform          : WINDOWS

Last Reviewed: September 6, 1997