IE 6.0 Just Won't Load!

[Tom Jensen]

More troubles with IE 6.0. I left the computer on for several weeks and everything was fine. Today I had the audacity to shut down, and after restart IE 6.0 SIMPLY WON'T LOAD no matter what I do. I click on the icon in the Start menu, the icon in "Programs," and no dice. Dozens of times, nothing.

I have uninstalled Windows SP 2 (again!), restarted, and still no help. To get to this browser window for writing this post, I had to go to an old e-mail in Outlook and click on a link to a website. For some reason, that worked.

How much worse can this stuff get? How do I simply get my computer to work when I want to load the browser? What am I doing wrong? Help...........

[Panama Red]

This might help

http://support.microsoft.com/default...b;en-us;318378

[a_rele]

start using Mozilla Firefox 1.0 the best bowser u can ever get.. and juz forget internet explorer

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

[CarlS]

I second the FireFox recommendation. I have been using about a week now. Excellent browser and faster than IE.

[HAL9000]

Geez... so if my car wont start because of a dead battery, lets change the engine right? Firefox is not the end all cure. IE is integrated into the system and therefor if there is a problem, the problem should be fixed as it may be causing other problems in the system.... go with the advice from PR first, THEN if you wish to try Firefox, go ahead.

[Tom Jensen]

Thanks for all of the feedback. I'm afraid that if I repair/reinstall IE/Windows XP, it will eradicate everything on my hard drive.

Remember, all I did to bring this on was to reboot! Seems that everyhting was fine, then I reboot and it goes to hell in a handbag. That is what puzzles me.

Also, the way I load IE now is go to an e-mail in Outlook and click on a browser link. If IE were broken (needing repair), then why would this method work?

It seems there must be a very simple and easy explanation for all of this. Any additional ideas?

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by Tom Jensen I'm afraid that if I repair/reinstall IE/Windows XP, it will eradicate everything on my hard drive.

Your fears are unfounded, if you carryout an install/repair it does exactly what it says, and that is repair. When you boot from the XP cd you choose install and during the setup proccess of install it will detect the old installation, it will then give you the oportunity to carryout a repair. From what you are saying IE is still working so the chances are all you have is a broken shortcut link and an install/repair should correct this fault for you.

[Tom Jensen]

RJ. Thanks. I tried rebooting from the CD provided. It is not a Windows XP CD. But rather, it is a "Restore CD" provided when I bought the machine. The first message I got when booting with it was, "Your hard drive will be restored to its original contents when you bought the machine." My fear is that this will wipe out all my files. True? How do I prevent? If I really want to repair IE, why do I need to restore Windows XP?

[rjfvillarosa]

Tom don't use that cd, that is going to wipe your hard drive. can you get hold of an original copy of XP? I think you can do a repair without causing problems with the cd key but I am not sure I have never had to do it.
The reason for the XP repair option is that it will repair everything in the XP installation, your IE problem maybe the only problem you are aware of, there could be others.

[Tom Jensen]

RJ, I do not have the original CD. I bought this machine from a reconditioning house. How can I repair only IE without requiring the XP CD?

[rjfvillarosa]

See if this works for you, "click" start>programs>accessories>windows explorer>local disk C>programs>internet explorer. In this folder there is a short cut to internet explorer click on it and see if IE starts, if it does go back to the start menu and delete the icon for IE, go back to the IE folder and this time right click the IE icon and click "pin to start menu"

[HAL9000]

What if you create a new shortcut?


Target: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

Start in: %HOMEDRIVE%%HOMEPATH%

[Tom Jensen]

RJ and HAL, I tried both. No dice. This is absolutely perplexing. Why would it launch when I click on a link in an e-mail, but NOT launch when I go right to the app file? What now?

[rjfvillarosa]

You could try "system restore" and set your machine back to a known good point, maybe before the three weeks that you left it running for.

[Tom Jensen]

I do not know how to so system restore. And I'm sure I would lose work from the last several weeks.

Does anyone have any idea why IE can launch from an e-mail link, but not from its icon or the actual executable file?

[HAL9000]

You don't lose data with System Restore, but you will lose any programs that you installed during that time. Say you back up one week and have installed MS Word during that one week period, MS Word would need to be re-installed, but documents created would be retained.

Go to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > System Restore and just follow instruction on screen.

[Tom Jensen]

OK. Believe it or not, I have it fixed. I use "Stopzilla" pop-up blocker. For some reason it was blocking the loading of the browser, but only when I tried to load using the icon. I cleared the block list, and now it's fine. I guess they don't make the pop-up blockers user-friendly.

Anyway, thanks to all for the help.

[rjfvillarosa]

Originally Posted by Tom Jensen OK. Believe it or not, I have it fixed. I use "Stopzilla" pop-up blocker. For some reason it was blocking the loading of the browser, but only when I tried to load using the icon. I cleared the block list, and now it's fine. I guess they don't make the pop-up blockers user-friendly.

Any body care to elaborate on this? why would Stopzilla block the loading of IE?