Unable to View Internet Shortcuts

ID: Q175306

The information in this article applies to:

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to view a Web page by clicking an Internet shortcut on the Favorites menu in Internet Explorer, or double-clicking an Internet shortcut, Internet Explorer may not load the Web page specified in the Internet shortcut.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Internet Shortcut file association does not associate an Internet shortcut with Internet Explorer.

RESOLUTION

To restore the Internet Shortcut file association, use either of the following methods:

Reinstall Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer 3.02:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

2. On the View menu, click Options, and then click the File Types tab.

3. If it exists, click Internet Shortcut, and then click Remove.

4. Reinstall Internet Explorer 3.02.

Internet Explorer 4.x, 5:

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

2. On the View menu, click Folder Options, and then click the File Types 

   tab.
3. If it exists, click Internet Shortcut, and then click Remove.

4. Reinstall Internet Explorer 4.x or 5.

Re-create the File Association

Internet Explorer 3.02:

1. Quit Internet Explorer.

2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

3. On the View menu, click Options, and then click the File Types tab.

4. If it exists, click Internet Shortcut, and then click Remove.

5. Restart Internet Explorer.

6. In Windows Explorer, click Options on the View menu.

7. On the File Types tab, click Internet Shortcut, click Edit, click OK 

   and then click OK again.
Internet Explorer 4.x, 5:

1. Quit Internet Explorer.

2. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Windows Explorer.

3. On the View menu, click Folder Options, and then click the File Types 

   tab.
4. If it exists, click Internet Shortcut, and then click Remove.

5. Click New Type, and then in the Description Of Type box, type "Internet 

   Explorer" (without quotation marks).
6. In the Associated Extension box, type "URL" (without quotation marks).

7. Click New, and then in the Action box, type "&Edit" (without quotation 

   marks).
8. In the "Application used to perform this action" box, type the 
   following line, and then click OK:

      c:\program files\microsoft frontpage express\bin\fpxpress.exe
9. Click New, and then in the Action box, type "Open" (without quotation 
   marks).
10. In the "Application used to perform this action" box, type the 
   following line, and then click OK.

      rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL %l
11. Click New, and then in the Action box, type "Print" (without quotation 
   marks).
12. In the "Application used to perform this action" box, type the 
   following line, and then click OK:

      rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSHTML.DLL,PrintHTML "%1"
13. Click New, and then in the Action box, type "Printto" (without 
   quotation marks).
14. In the "Application used to perform this action" box, type the 
   following line, and then click OK:

   rundll32.exe C:\WINDOWS\SYSTEM\MSHTML.DLL,PrintHTML "%1" "%2" "%3" "%4"
15. Click Change Icon, and then click Browse.

16. Double-click the following file: 

      c:\Windows\System\Url.dll
17. Click the first icon in the Current Icon box, click OK, and then click 
   OK again.

MORE INFORMATION

This behavior can also occur if the following conditions are true:

To resolve this issue, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Internet, and then click the Programs tab.

3. Click to select the "Internet Explorer should check to see whether 

   it is the default browser" check box, and then click OK.
To verify that the Netscape browser is set as the default, create and run a shortcut on the desktop to any URL (you must use the format "http://address" to create a valid .url shortcut).

Additional query words: 4.00 

Keywords          : kbenv msiew95 msient 
Platform          : WINDOWS
Hardware          : x86

Last Reviewed: March 20, 1999