Re: IE launching when Firefox is default browser

Hi Jan

May I just double-check something with you:

When you said "Then reopened Ff, went to the Links folder on my toolbar...",
do you mean you selected the Links folder from within Firefox? If so, this
will not reproduce the problem. The toolbar to which I was referring is the
Links Toolbar on the *Desktop*, not within the browser or Explorer. In
order to access this, you first have to set it up via the Desktop Taskbar
(right click on the Taskbar > select 'Toolbars' > check 'Links' then drag
the Links toolbar that appears out onto the desktop (or dock it to the
screen edge somewhere)).

Perhaps you could confirm whether this is what you tried.

Thanks again!

Regards
M


"Jan Il" <abuseSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:uUCsCI$LGHA.2416@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi M :-)

Sorry M, I guess my last reply never made it to the newsgroup. I did
indeed try the steps exactly as you outlined. After making FireFox my
default browser I created two subfolders to two existing folders in my
Links for my User account, to simulate your situation. Then I drug the
URLs from the address bar into the subdirectory folders, two URLs each and
closed FF. Then added two links to each subfolder through Windows Explorer
copying links from the Favorites list. Then reopened Ff, went to the
Links folder on my toolbar, selected the folder with the subfolders and
then opened the links in each of those subfolders one at a time. Each
link opened in FF as they should, not IE. I can't reproduce your problem
here with my XP Pro SP2, with both IE and FF installed.

There are two things that I can think of to try at this point.

1. Uninstall FireFox
2. Repair IE - (make sure your antivirus is turned off)

Courtesy of Robert Aldwinckle -

The simplest repair for XP SP2 is the following:

Go to Start>Run>type in the following and press enter (note the space
between exe and /)

iexplore.exe /rereg

If that's not enough there are additional registrations given
in KB831429 for W2K which apply equally to XP. (e.g. NT5x)
************************************************************************
Once all is working properly with IE, then reinstall FireFox, reset as the
default browser via the Control Panel>Add/Remove Programs>Set Program
Access and Defaults (may need to be in Admin account), select Microsoft or
Custom radio button, and then select default browser. Select FF as the
default browser, close out and see if the problem still exists. If so,
then I can only suggest that you do a full reinstall of IE which would
return all to default and see if that would reset whatever is not in sync.

Make sure your anti-virus is turned off.

How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in
Windows
XP
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318378
If you have SP2, follow the instuctions in the SP2 section:
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=318378#XSLTH3130121123120121120120


Hope this helps.

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

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Thanks Jan

I hope you might be able to suggest something!

M


"Jan Il" <abuseSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23pDwlqjLGHA.3164@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Hi M :-)

'k......I'll give it another try using your instructions and see what
happens. I'll report back.

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


Hi Jan

Thanks for taking the time to look at this.

Please try it one more time, but remember...

For the purpose of this particular issue, you *must* access the
subdirectory shortcuts from the *Links Toolbar* on the desktop - *not*
from Windows Explorer! If you select shortcuts via Windows Explorer
then it is naturally the explorer process that acts, and this does
respect default browser settings. It is only when accessing shortcuts
within subdirectories of the Links folder via the Links Toolbar that I
am finding problematic.

I tried it with a friend of mine yesterday (again on XP Pro) and he had
the same problem as I did.

Please report back :-)

Regards
M





"Jan Il" <abuseSPAM@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:%23pXMkHeLGHA.1288@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
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]
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.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm


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.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
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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