Re: IE launching when Firefox is default browser

Hi M :-)

Well...I know understand your links set up, and what you are explaining. I
set up a similar situation here in my Favorites>Links folders, created a new
folder in the Links folder and copied a couple of links into it. I then
made FireFox that I keep as a backup my default browser and then went to the
folder using Windows Explorer and clicked the link to see if it would open
it in IE or FireFox. It opened it in FireFox as it should have. Thus, I
can not reproduce the problem here.

I am not sure what else to suggest at this point, as I don't know why it is
not opening as it should in the default browser, unless the install of
FireFox is not good. I can only suggest that you uninstall FireFox via
Add/Remove Programs, reboot, and then reinstall it and see if that helps.

Hope this helps.

Jan :)
MS MVP - IE [DTS/AumHa]
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that's why they're so contagious.

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Hi again.

Well, as you know, the Links folder is just a standard subdirectory of the
Windows Favorites folder, and it is possible (via the taskbar) to set up a
desktop toolbar that points direct to it. This toolbar can be docked on
the desktop in the usual manner. And, as with any folder, you can use
Windows Explorer to create subdirectories within the folder. So,
basically, it's just another subdirectory as with any other in the filing
system.

Now, when the Links folder is viewed from the desktop Links toolbar, it
displays everything that you'd see if you were viewing it from a Windows
Explorer window - i.e. files in the immediate directory plus the names of
any subdirectories that it contains.

If, via the toolbar, you click on any of the website shortcuts that are
contained immediately within Links (i.e. not within any of its
subdirectories), then the explorer process calls up your default browser
and launches the URL into it. (Fine.)

If (again via the Links toolbar) you select a subdirectory of the Links
folder, however, then a drop-down list of the contents of that
subdirectory appears. (Fine so far.) If you then select a website
shortcut from that drop-down list, then this time round svchost is the
process that stirs into action, only this time it launches the website
into IE, irrespective of the default browser chosen. That's what I'm
trying to understand/fix!

I have no idea why it is svchost that initiates the browser launch when
the selection is made from subdirectories of the Links folder, when
explorer is the process used for non-subdirectory selections, but clearly
svchost ignores the default browser selection (presumably an oversight on
the part of the Windows programmers?) and I'm wondering whether there is a
workaround.

A bit long-winded, but I hope that makes more sense. If you're still not
sure what I'm babbling on about, try it for yourself - only takes a
moment:

1. Right click on the Desktop Taskbar > Toolbars > Links
2. Then drag the Links toolbar out onto the desktop or dock it to the
screen edge somewhere

From within Windows Explorer C:.../Favorites/Links,
3a. Deposit some URL shortcuts within Links itself
3b. Right click > New > Folder > give it a name to set up an arbitrary
subdirectory of Links
3c. Deposit some URL shortcuts within that subdirectory.

4. Now, via the desktop toolbar you set up above (*not* via Windows
Explorer), select:
4a one of the links from 3a --> explorer process will launch them into the
default browser
4b one of the links from 3c --> svchost process will launch them into IE,
irrespective of the default browser setting

It's got me baffled!

Thanks again!
M



"Jan Il" <abuseSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:O9nSoRdLGHA.3756@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi M :-)

Perhaps I am misunderstanding what you mean by 'subdirectories' of the
links. Could you please elaborate a bit more on these subdirectories and
where they are located when you try them for clarification?

Jan :)
MS MVP - IE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other
readers.
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Hi Jan

Thanks for those suggestions.

I'm afraid it doesn't seem help with this particular problem, though!
Firefox is already set up as the default browser (and I've
double-checked the items you mentioned). The trouble seems to stem from
the fact that when accessing shortcuts that are located in
*subdirectories* of the Links desktop toolbar, the call (for some reason
that baffles me) is made from svchost.exe (rather than explorer.exe),
but this does not appear to respect the default browser setting as it
always launches IE.

If you have any other suggestions to try, I'll be happy to give them a
shot!

Thanks again
M



"Jan Il" <abuseSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:O9gj4eZLGHA.648@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi M :-)

Firefox> Tools> Options> General> Default browser> click the "Check
now"
button and select "Yes."

then...

Go to Control Panel> Add/Remove programs> Set program access
and defaults> Select either Microsoft or Custom, tick the box next to
FireFox
and make it the default browser, enable access to IE
(you may need to be in Admin account to make this change.)

also..

Hyperlinks Open in Internet Explorer Instead of in the Default Browser
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;810649

Hope this helps.

Jan :)
MS MVP - IE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other
readers.
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http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


I have Firefox set as my default browser, although IE is still
available on the computer (Windows XP Pro).

Now, I have a copy of the Links toolbar on my desktop, from which I
can quick-launch various links. If I click on a link that appears
direct on the toolbar, it launches into FF (explorer.exe being the
parent process). However, the Links folder also contains
subdirectories and if I select a shortcut located within one of the
subdirectories from the toolbar, then it's IE that's launched instead.
I've noticed that, in these cases, the parent process is svchost.exe.

Does anyone know of any way to force such launches into FF instead of
IE (short of dragging the link into an existing FF window)? It's got
me baffled!

Thanks to anyone who can advise on this.

Regards












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