UNSOLVED
Desktop Internet Shortcuts Malfunctioning
I have a Dell Vostro 400 desktop computer w/2-GB ram running Windows XP/SP2, IE8, and NIS2009. My problem is that internet shortcuts stored on my desktop began to malfunction in late May, after IE8 encountered an error and shut down. I did not notice this problem until few days after this crash and so unfortunately did not think to record anything about the IE8 error at the time it occurred. Details below.
Now when I double-click any of my desktop internet shortcuts, they malfunction something like two times out of three. The malfunction occurs in a few different failure modes. The first mode is that IE8 opens for just a fraction of a second but then disappears. That's it; nothing else happens. Another mode is that, after double-clicking a desktop internet shortcut, IE8 opens to the desired web page, but then IE8 displays a yellow dialog box near the tab that says something like "This tab has been recovered. This web page has caused a problem and this tab has been closed and reopened." Finally, there is a mode where after, double-clicking a desktop internet shortcut, IE8 opens to the desired web page and everything looks fine. However, the first time I click on that page I get the same message as described above about the tab being recovered.
None of these problems appear to occur if I first open IE8 (by double-clicking on its desktop icon) and then navigate to sites of interest (for which I created the desktop shortcuts) nor do they occur if I first open IE8 and then double-click the problematic desktop shortcuts.
A possible additional manifestation of this problem:
I discovered a few days ago that all of my Windows XP restore points created earlier than a week ago have disappeared.
I would appreciate any advice and help toward fixing this problem.
Thanks,
TAH
510
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Posted June 13th, 2010 18:00
Scanned for malware lately?
Have you tried clearing the IE8 history and cache?
Tools>internet Options
Click General tab
Under Browser History, click Delete button. Put checkmark next to everything. Click ok back to desktop and then close/restart IE8.
Ron
510
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Posted June 14th, 2010 12:00
Try resetting IE8 to its default settings.
Tools>Internet Options
Cick Advanced tab
Under Reset Internet Explorer Settings, click Reset button.
Ron
510
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Posted June 14th, 2010 12:00
Have you tried re-creating them?
Ron
510
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Posted June 14th, 2010 12:00
I've tried deleting and re-creating the shortcuts and also tried creating new shortcuts. Both the re-created and new shortcuts malfunction as described in my initial post.
TAH
510
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Posted June 14th, 2010 20:00
Hi Ron,
Thanks for your continued help! When I navigated to Tools>Internet Options>Advanced>Reset, the dialog box that came up next contained a link to a detailed explanation of what happens when IE8 is reset. IE add-ons were mentioned at that link. Before resetting IE8 to its initial default settings, I thought it might useful to try disabling the add-ons and then enabling them one-by-one to see what happens. After disabling all the add-ons, the problem with the shortcuts appears to go away; repeated opening of my several shortcuts does not encounter the problem. After experimenting around, I found that I could re-enable all but one of the add-ons and still have the shortcuts function properly. The problem with the shortcuts seems to re-appear only when I re-enable the Norton Intrusion Prevention add-on (I am using NIS2009.) Based this experience, it seems that the Norton Intrusion Prevention add-on is likely the source of my shortcut problem. Any suggestions of where to go from here?
Thanks,
TAH
510
0
Posted June 15th, 2010 09:00
Glad you pinned down the cause of this problem. :emotion-21:
Since I don't use Norton, I can't be of much further help. Suggest you contact Norton tech support to see if they have a solution. But I suspect they're going to tell you to uninstall and then reinstall Norton, which is everyone's typical tech response when they don't know the answer... :emotion-5:
Ron
510
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Posted June 15th, 2010 13:00
Hi Ron,
I will check with Norton. You're probably right about the uninstall & reinstall.
Thanks so much for your help!!
TAH
TAH
43 Posts
510
0
Posted June 13th, 2010 18:00
Hi Ron,
Thanks for responding! Yes, I've scanned for malware and cleared the IE8 history and cache as you described. Unfortunately, the problem still persists.
TAH