Microsoft KB Archive/178692

= Internet Explorer Starts Unexpectedly =

Article ID: 178692

Article Last Modified on 12/5/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 1.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.2
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 2.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.01 128-Bit Edition
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
 * Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5

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This article was previously published under Q178692



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 start your computer, Internet Explorer may start unexpectedly, and you may receive one or more of the following error messages:

Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site ftp://

Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site http://

Internet Explorer cannot open the Internet site gopher://

You may also receive one of these error messages if you attempt to start a program by using the Run command on the Start menu.



CAUSE
This behavior can occur if Internet Explorer incorrectly interprets a command as an Internet-related command. For example, this behavior can occur if a program listed on the "Load=" or "Run=" line in the Win.ini file begins with any of the following letter combinations:


 * ftp
 * gopher
 * www
 * home
 * mosaic

This behavior can also occur if you use the Run command on the Start menu and the command you type begins with any of the letter combinations listed above.



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 resolve this behavior, use the appropriate method:

Using the Run Command on the Start Menu
If you want to start a program that contains any of the letter combinations listed above, follow these steps:
 * 1) Click Start, and then click Run.
 * 2) Type the complete path to the program you want to start in the Open box, and then press ENTER.

Using a Shortcut to the Program
If you want to start a program that contains any of the letter combinations listed above, start the program using a shortcut. For information about how to create a shortcut to a program, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

152122 How to Customize the Start or Programs Menu

140443 How to Create a Shortcut on the Desktop

Using the "Load=" or "Run=" Line in the Win.ini File
Disable the "Load=" or "Run=" line in the Win.ini file. To do so, follow these steps:

 Click Start, click Run, type sysedit, and then click OK. On the Window menu, click Win.ini. On the Search menu, click Find, type the following line, and then press ENTER:

load=

 Place a semicolon at the beginning of the "Load=" line if it contains one of the letter combinations listed above. Repeat steps 3-4, but substitute "run=" for "load=". On the File menu, click Save.</li> On the File menu, click Exit.</li> Restart your computer.</li></ol>

Using the Registry
Remove the string value that matches the letter combination in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\ URL\Prefixes

NOTE: This causes Internet Explorer to not add the appropriate protocol prefix (for example, ftp:// or http://) to the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) when you try to access resources on the Internet. For example, if you type www.example.microsoft.com in the Internet Explorer Address box, Internet Explorer automatically adds http:// to the beginning of the URL. If you type ftp.example.microsoft.com in the Internet Explorer Address box, Internet Explorer automatically adds ftp:// to the beginning of the URL. If you remove a protocol prefix from the registry key, Internet Explorer can no longer add it to URLs you type.

Additional query words: launch boot

Keywords: kberrmsg kbenv KB178692

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