Cannot Run the FTP Tool in Windows

ID: Q185332

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 4.01, 5 for Windows NT 4.0
• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 4.01, 5 for Windows 95
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 98

IMPORTANT: This article contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. For information about how to do this, view the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe.

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to run the FTP tool (Ftp.exe) by clicking Start, clicking Run, typing "ftp" in the Open box, and then clicking OK, Internet Explorer may start, and you may receive the following error message:

   Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site ftp://ftp/.
   The site was not found. Make sure the address is correct,
   and try again.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Windows Desktop Update component is not installed.

RESOLUTION

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

To work around this behavior, use either of the following methods:

Method 1

Start the FTP tool at a command prompt. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

2. At the command prompt, type "ftp" (without quotation marks), and

   then press ENTER.

Method 2

NOTE: This method applies only to Internet Explorer 4.

Install the Windows Desktop Update component. For information about how to do so, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q165695
   TITLE     : How to Add or Remove Windows Desktop Update

Method 3

Remove the "ftp" and "ftp." string values in the following registry key:

   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ 
      URL\Prefixes

Keywords          : kberrmsg kbtool msiew95 msient msiew98 
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: March 20, 1999