This appendix provides detailed information for troubleshooting Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6, including an effective troubleshooting strategy and a description of the most commonly reported problems. For easy troubleshooting, problems are categorized into several broad areas.

Related Information in the Resource Kit

• For more information about setting up a pilot program, which enables you to troubleshoot potential Internet Explorer issues before deployment, see "Setting Up and Administering a Pilot Program." 

• For more information about installing Microsoft® Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Tools and assisting users with setup issues, see "Deploying Microsoft Internet Explorer 6." 

Overview: Troubleshooting Strategy

You can follow four basic steps when you troubleshoot any problem with Internet Explorer.

To troubleshoot problems with Internet Explorer

1. Identify and analyze the problem. 

2. Check to see whether the problem is a common one by reviewing this appendix, Internet Explorer Help, the Microsoft Knowledge Base ( http://support.microsoft.com/directory/), and the Readme file included with this product. 

3. Isolate and test the error conditions. 

4. If you still cannot resolve the problem, consult online troubleshooting and support options. 

Identifying and Analyzing the Problem

Start the troubleshooting process by analyzing symptoms to determine a strategy for resolving the problem. Consider the following questions:

• Are there any error messages? 

• When does the problem occur? 

• Is the problem reproducible or random? 

• Is the problem specific to an Internet Explorer feature, such as privacy settings? 

• Does the problem occur in any or all other applications? 

• Have you changed any applications, programs, or settings on your computer, for example, by adding or removing programs or adding new hardware? 

• Has Internet Explorer worked previously? If so, what behavior has changed? 

• Does the problem occur on only one computer, on only one operating system, or on only one Web site, or does it occur on many? 

• Does your computer meet the necessary hardware and software requirements for running Internet Explorer 6? (For a list of requirements, see "Planning the Deployment" in this Resource Kit.) 

Checking for Common Problems

Check whether the problem is a commonly reported one described in this appendix, the Internet Explorer Help, the Microsoft Knowledge Base (http://support.microsoft.com/directory/), or the Internet Explorer Readme file. Internet Explorer Help includes topics that can help you solve problems related to Internet Explorer features and components.

To use Internet Explorer Help

1. In Internet Explorer, click Help, and then click Contents and Index. 

2. Click the Contents, Index, or Search tab, and then select the topic you want. 

Isolating and Testing Error Conditions

You can resolve a problem more quickly by systematically isolating and testing error conditions. To isolate your error conditions, use the following methods:

• Eliminating variables helps to determine a problem's cause. For example, consider closing all other programs except Internet Explorer to eliminate the other programs as the potential cause of your problem. 

• You can isolate the cause by changing a specific value and then testing to see whether the problem is corrected or altered. For example, if you are unable to play videos or animations, changing the Multimedia options in the Internet Options dialog box might resolve the issue. 

• If a component does not work properly after you upgrade to new hardware or software, replace the new version with the original item and then retest it. For example, if you install a new sound card driver and lose audio capability, you can replace the new driver with the original version and retest it to see whether the problem still occurs. 

Test each modification individually to see whether the change resolves your problem. Make note of all modifications and their effect on symptoms. If you contact product support personnel, this information helps them troubleshoot your problem. Also, the information provides an excellent reference for future troubleshooting.

Consulting Online Troubleshooting and Support Options

Whenever possible, check the appropriate online forum. Other users might have discovered and reported your problem and found workarounds for it. Suggestions from others could save you time when you attempt to track the source of the problem, and they might give you ideas that can help with troubleshooting.

To get online support

• On the Internet Explorer Help menu, click Online Support. 

  Internet Explorer displays the Microsoft Product Support Services Web page. From this page, you can choose from several topics, including Knowledge Base articles, Frequently Asked Questions, Troubleshooting wizards, newsgroups, and other support options. 

Installation and Uninstallation

This section describes some of the problems you might encounter during and after installation and uninstallation of Internet Explorer and Internet Tools. Troubleshooting topics include:

• Problems occur because of out-of-date, deleted, or corrupted files. 

• The Internet Explorer setup process fails. 

• The download server connection times out. 

• You cannot install Internet Explorer and Internet Tools after download. 

• The Internet Explorer uninstall process fails. 

Problems occur because of out-of-date, deleted, or corrupted files

Internet Explorer 6 includes a Repair tool, which you can use to diagnose and possibly fix problems that you might have with Internet Explorer. You can use this tool to do the following:

• Identify problems with Internet Explorer caused by files that are out-of-date. 

• Fix problems caused by the incorrect or incomplete registration of Internet Explorer files. 

• Restore or repair the desktop or Start menu shortcuts for Internet Explorer that have been deleted or do not function properly. 

The results of the repair process are logged in the Fix IE Log.txt file in the Microsoft® Windows® folder. The error checking done by the Repair tool varies slightly from one operating system to another. The following procedure describes how to start the Internet Explorer Repair tool.

To use the Internet Explorer Repair tool on Microsoft Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Windows

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 

2. Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon. 

3. Click Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Tools. 

4. Click Change/Remove (Microsoft® Windows® 2000). 

   -Or- 

   Click Add/Remove (Microsoft® Windows® 95, Microsoft® Windows® 98, and Microsoft® Windows NT® 4.0). 

5. Click Repair Internet Explorer. 

If the Repair tool detects an error, it might generate the following error message or one similar to it:

Internet Explorer 6 cannot be repaired. Please reinstall Internet Explorer 6. 

If you receive this error message, it is recommended that you reinstall Internet Explorer 6. To read a description of the problem, click Details. For example, you might receive the following types of explanations:

• Internet Explorer 6 cannot be repaired due to the following errors: File file name is missing. 

• Internet Explorer 6 cannot be repaired due to the following errors: Version 4.72.3110.0 of file file name exists but needs to be greater than 6.0.20x.xxxx. 

The version number listed for a file is the minimum version required by Internet Explorer 6. If no version number is associated with a file, the Repair tool verifies the existence of the file but not its version.

The Internet Explorer setup process fails

If the Internet Explorer setup process fails, you can troubleshoot setup errors by using the appropriate log files for your operating systems—Active Setup Log.txt, SetupAPI.log, IE Setup Log.txt, or RunOnceEx Log.txt.

Active Setup Log.txt

The file Active Setup Log.txt contains a log of the setup process from the moment IE6Setup.exe is executed until the last .cab file is downloaded. When IE6Setup.exe is executed, Active Setup Log.txt is created in the folder where Windows is installed (typically, C:\Windows or C:\Winnt). If a file Active Setup Log.txt from a previous Internet Explorer setup session exists, it is renamed to Active Setup Log.bak.

The file Active Setup Log.txt begins with the date and time Windows Update Setup for Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Tools is started and ends with the date and time it successfully downloads the last .cab file. As you go through the Setup Wizard, logging entries are continually written to this file. It is the most informative log file for determining the cause of a download failure and when the failure occurred. Most entries logged in this file are also written to the registry; this data is recorded to assist with safe recovery.

The following HResult error codes identify the download phases when errors occur. This information can help you determine what Setup was doing when it failed and also help you determine the cause of the failure.

The following table identifies other common error codes.

SetupAPI.log and IE Setup Log.txt

After Active Setup is completed, Acme Setup starts for all installations except Windows XP and Windows 2000, which have .inf file-based installations. These operating systems use SetupAPI and log installation information in the file SetupAPI.log. On other Windows 32-bit platforms, Acme Setup unpacks the individual .cab files and copies the files to their appropriate locations. The file IE Setup Log.txt provides a log of the Acme Setup steps.

RunOnceEx Log.txt

In Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0, the file RunOnceEx Log.txt records the files that Setup registers during the final restart of your computer. You can use the file RunOnceEx Log.txt to identify whether or not a file is successfully registered when your computer is restarted the first time during Internet Explorer 6 Setup. Setup can also use RunOnceEx Log.txt to register the files again without reinstalling Internet Explorer.

RunOnceEx Log.txt contains two sections. The first section contains a copy of the registry section that Setup is modifying with Internet Explorer 6 registration information. Specifically, it logs information about the settings of the current browser prior to the installation of Internet Explorer. The second section contains the file registration information that Setup will add when it processes the RunOnceEx section of the registry during the first restart of your computer.

The file RunOnceEx Log.txt uses the same HResult error codes as the file Active Setup Log.txt.

The download server connection times out

Setup can switch servers during an installation to maintain maximum throughput or recover from a download site that is not responding. Switching of servers occurs when Setup detects no throughput or the throughput of less than one byte in two minutes.

If a connection times out, Setup attempts to connect to the next download site in the list and continue the setup process at the beginning of the partially downloaded .cab file.

If a connection times out and Setup does not switch servers, Setup attempts to reconnect to the download site and continue the setup process where it left off. If Setup cannot establish a connection to the download site, it prompts you about whether you want to cancel the installation or try again.

You cannot install Microsoft Internet Explorer and Internet Tools after download

When you download Internet Explorer and Internet Tools, Setup determines the version of the operating system that is currently running on your computer and automatically downloads the appropriate files. Because these files are unique to the operating system, you typically cannot download the Internet Explorer installation files by using one operating system and then install Internet Explorer and Internet Tools on a different operating system.

If you try to install Internet Explorer and Internet Tools from files that were downloaded by using a different operating system than the one you are currently running, the following error message might appear:

The Internet Explorer files on your computer are not the correct files for your operating system. To continue, you must download the correct files from the Internet. Do you want to continue? 

To quit Setup, click No. Or, to resolve this installation issue, you can do one of the following:

• To continue Setup and try to download the appropriate files from the Internet, click Yes. You must be connected to the Internet for the download to continue. 

• To download the installation files for both operating systems in one session on Windows 95, Windows 98, and Windows NT 4.0, select Install Minimal, or customize your browser, click the Advanced button, and then select the appropriate operating systems in the Download Options dialog box. 

• To download the installation files for both operating systems in one session on Windows 2000, you do not have the Install Minimal, or customize your browser option available during Setup. To access the Download Options dialog box in Windows XP and Windows 2000, use the following command line: 

  Ie6setup.exe /c:"ie6wzd.exe /d /s:""#e""" 

• To create an installation package that includes files for all versions of the Windows 32-bit platform, use the Internet Explorer Customization Wizard to create a custom browser package for your Internet Explorer installation. 

The Internet Explorer uninstall process fails

When you uninstall Internet Explorer 6 on Windows 2000 or an earlier version of Windows, your computer is restored to the previous version of Internet Explorer that is named in the uninstall information. On Windows XP, you cannot restore a previous version of Internet Explorer because Internet Explorer 6 is the browser version installed with Windows XP.

If you are using an operating system other than Windows 2000, when the uninstall process fails, your most important troubleshooting tool is the uninstall log, IE6 Uninstall Log.txt, which is located in the Windows folder. This log covers the entire uninstall process, including every file addition or removal; every registry addition, change, or removal; and any dialog boxes shown to the user.

The log is divided into Passes, which denote the different phases of the uninstall process. Entries in the log also include an Object number that corresponds to the line entry in Setup.stf. Lines without an Object number result from custom actions specific to Internet Explorer 6 and are contained in the IE6.inf file or in an .inf file from an uninstall process for an external component.

Note Setup does not create the file IE6 Uninstall Log.txt in Windows 2000.

Browser Features and Functions

This section describes some of the problems you might encounter when you use the features and functions of the browser. Troubleshooting topics include:

• Temporary Internet Files use more disk space than specified. 

• The Media bar is unavailable on Internet Explorer 6 for Windows NT 4.0. 

• The Don't display online media content in the media bar option does not take effect. 

• You are unable to move Internet Explorer toolbars. 

• You want to disable third-party browser features. 

• You do not want to disconnect from the Internet when closing Internet programs. 

• You are unable to remove a Microsoft® ActiveX® control. 

• You cannot enable or disable style sheets in Internet Explorer. 

• An ActiveX control does not run properly. 

• You cannot connect to the Internet because the proxy server configuration is not working. 

Temporary Internet Files use more disk space than specified

You might experience the following problems with the Temporary Internet Files folder:

• Your Temporary Internet Files folder might use more disk space than you specified in Amount of disk space to use (in the Internet Options dialog box, click the General tab, and then click Settings). 

• After you click Delete Files on the General tab in the Internet Options dialog box and then select the Delete all offline content check box, files that are downloaded from Web sites might remain in your Temporary Internet Files folder. 

These problems can occur when the content of a Web page is only partially downloaded (for example, if you click Stop while the browser is opening a page, or if you navigate to another page before the browser completely downloads a page).

To work around these problems, move your Temporary Internet Files folder to another location, delete the old folder, and then (if you want to) move your Temporary Internet Files folder back to the original location.

To relocate the Temporary Internet Files folder

1. In either My Computer or Windows Explorer, create a new folder. 

2. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

3. On the General tab, under Temporary Internet Files, click Settings. 

4. Click Move Folder. 

5. Select the folder that you created in step 1, and then click OK. 

6. If you are prompted to log off, click Yes, and then log on to Windows again. If you are not prompted to log off, click OK to close all of the dialog boxes. 

7. In either My Computer or Windows Explorer, delete the old Temporary Internet Files folder, and then create a new folder in the same location with the same name. 

8. Repeat steps 2 through 6, but in step 5, select the new folder that you created in step 7. 

The Media bar is unavailable on Internet Explorer 6 for Windows NT 4.0

The Media bar depends on the Microsoft® Windows Media™ Player, which is not available for the Windows NT 4.0 operating system. Therefore, in Internet Explorer 6 for Windows NT 4.0, the Media bar is not available to users. Also, on the Advanced tab in the Internet Options dialog box, the Don't display online media content in the media bar check box in the Multimedia area does not work.

The "Don't display online media content in the media bar" option does not take effect

If you select or clear the Don't display online media content in the media bar check box, this option might not take effect. Also, the Help topic that is associated with the Don't display online media content in the media bar check box might be missing.

When you select the Don't display online media content in the media bar check box, you must restart your computer for this option to take effect.

You are unable to move Internet Explorer toolbars

You might be unable to rearrange or move the toolbars in Internet Explorer 6. This behavior occurs because the toolbars are locked by default.

To resolve this issue, unlock the toolbars.

To unlock the Internet Explorer toolbars

1. In Internet Explorer 6, right-click any toolbar. 

2. Clear the Lock the Toolbars check box. 

3. Move the toolbars to the desired locations. 

You want to disable third-party browser features

When you troubleshoot Internet Explorer problems, you might need to disable the third-party Tool Bands and Browser Helper Objects features that you installed for use with Internet Explorer.

Tool Bands support the Radio Toolbar in Internet Explorer. This feature can place a window on a band contained by the Rebar control that holds the toolbars in Internet Explorer. Browser Helper objects are Component Object Model (COM) components that Internet Explorer loads whenever it starts. These objects run in the same memory context as the browser, and they can perform any action on the available windows and modules.

To disable the Tool Bands and Browser Helper Objects features on Windows XP

1. Close all instances of Internet Explorer. 

2. Click Start, and then click Control Panel. 

3. Click Network and Internet Connections. 

4. Click Internet Options. 

5. Click the Advanced tab. 

6. Under Browsing, clear the Enable third-party browser extensions (requires restart) check box, and then click OK. 

7. Restart Internet Explorer. 

To disable the Tool Bands and Browser Helper Objects features on Windows 2000

1. Close all instances of Internet Explorer. 

2. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 

3. Double-click Internet Options. 

4. Click the Advanced tab. 

5. Under Browsing, clear the Enable third-party browser extensions (requires restart) check box, and then click OK. 

6. Restart Internet Explorer. 

You do not want to disconnect from the Internet when closing Internet programs

For dial-up connections, you might be prompted to disconnect from the Internet when you close all Internet programs, such as Microsoft® Outlook® Express and Internet Explorer. You can change this setting on a per-connection basis. For example, you can specify that a dial-up connection to your corporate network does not disconnect when an ISP connection prompts you to disconnect from the Internet.

To change whether you are prompted to disconnect from the Internet when closing Internet programs

1. On the Internet Explorer Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab. 

2. Under Dial-up and Virtual Private Network Settings, select the connection that you want to change. 

3. Click Settings, and then under Dial-up Settings, click Advanced. 

4. Select or clear the Disconnect when connection may no longer be needed check box, as appropriate. 

You are unable to remove an ActiveX control

Internet Explorer includes the Occache.dll file, which is used to enumerate, update, and safely uninstall ActiveX controls by using a shell folder. Internet Explorer supports multiple Occache folders. The list of Occache folders is located in the following registry key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \SOFTWARE \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Internet Settings\ActiveX Cache 

By default, Internet Explorer stores ActiveX controls in the Windows\Downloaded Program Files or Winnt\Downloaded Program Files folder. If you upgraded from Internet Explorer 3.x, both an Occache and Downloaded Program Files folder might exist. In this case, all new ActiveX controls are installed in the Downloaded Program Files folder. Previously installed ActiveX controls in the Occache folder appear in the Downloaded Program Files folder but still run from the Occache folder.

Restoring the ability to easily uninstall ActiveX controls

The Downloaded Program Files folder contains functionality that enables you to easily uninstall ActiveX controls. When this folder is deleted, a new Downloaded Program Files folder is created the next time Internet Explorer downloads new program files. However, the newly created folder does not contain the functionality to easily uninstall ActiveX controls. You can restore this ability to the Downloaded Program Files folder by using the Internet Explorer Repair tool. For more information about the Repair tool, see the topic "Problems occur because of out-of-date, deleted, or corrupted files" under "Installation and Uninstallation" earlier in this appendix.

You receive an error message when removing an ActiveX control

When you attempt to remove an ActiveX control by using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel (in Windows 2000 and earlier versions of Windows), you might receive an error message because of share violations. In this case, the following message appears:

These program files are currently being used by one or more programs. Please close some programs, and try again. You may need to restart Windows. 

This message occurs if the ActiveX control you are trying to remove is currently loaded in memory by Internet Explorer or an Internet Explorer desktop component.

To resolve this share violation

1. Close all open Internet Explorer windows. 

2. To disable the Internet Explorer desktop, right-click an empty area on the desktop, point to Active Desktop, and then click Show Web Content (Windows 2000) or View as Web Page (Windows 9.x and Windows NT 4.0) to clear the check mark. 

3. Restart Windows. 

4. To remove the ActiveX control, click the Add/Remove Programs icon in Control Panel. 

You cannot enable or disable style sheets in Internet Explorer

When you use Internet Explorer, you might experience the following symptoms:

• You disabled the use of style sheets in Internet Explorer 3.x, but you cannot re-enable them in Internet Explorer 6. 

• You cannot disable the use of style sheets in Internet Explorer 6. 

These symptoms can occur when the ability to disable style sheets has been removed from Internet properties. You can resolve this problem by setting registry values to disable or re-enable the use of style sheets.

Warning This section contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure that you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. Before you edit the registry, always make a backup copy. If you are running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

For more information about how to restore the registry, see the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe. For more information about how to edit the registry, see the "Change Keys and Values" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and the "Edit Registry Information" Help topics in Regedt32.exe.

To disable or re-enable the use of style sheets

1. Open Windows Registry Editor and locate the following registry key: 

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer\Main 

2. To disable the use of style sheets, set the string value of Use StyleSheets to no. 

   To enable the use of style sheets, set the string value of Use StyleSheets to yes. 

Note When you disable the use of style sheets, it can affect the appearance of Web sites or the Internet Explorer desktop.

An ActiveX control doesn't run properly

If a Web page is not displayed properly, an ActiveX control might not have loaded or might be out-of-date. The following procedure helps you determine whether an ActiveX control is the cause of the problem.

To determine whether an ActiveX control may not have loaded or may be out-of-date

1. On the Internet Explorer View menu, click Source. 

2. Look for source code similar to the following code: 

   
   
   <OBJECT ID=NewsBrowser WIDTH=92 HEIGHT=244 BORDER=0
   STANDBY="Click here for help installing MSNBC News Menu"
   CLASSID=CLSID:2FF18E10-DE11-11d1-8161-00A0C90DD90C
   CODEBASE=/download/nm0713.cab#Version=3,0,0713,0>
   

   
   

   This source code indicates that the MSNBC NewsBrowser is an ActiveX control by listing the CLASSID (CLSID) where it is stored in the registry under HKCR\CLSID. It also lists the CODEBASE, which indicates where to retrieve the .cab file for installing the control and the version that it currently needs. 

   The control is loaded from the Downloaded Program Items folder. This process is not visible to the user. If the control cannot be loaded from this folder, Internet Explorer tries to download the control from the CODEBASE. If the control is corrupted, it might not load and will not display the proper control needed to view the Web page properly. 

After you check the source code to determine whether an ActiveX control might not have loaded or might be out-of-date, update the control, if necessary.

To update the ActiveX control

1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. In the Temporary Internet Files area, click Settings. 

3. To view the ActiveX control installed on the computer, click View Objects. 

4. Right-click the ActiveX control, and then click Update. 

   If you are not sure which control in the Downloaded Program Files folder is associated with the control identified in the source code, you can check the registry under HKCR\CLSID\<clsid number that is listed in the source>. Click the number, and it will list the name of the control at that registry key. 

5. Try to view the Web page. 

6. If the Web page is still not being displayed correctly, repeat steps 1 through 3, right-click the ActiveX control, and then click Remove. 

7. Try to view the Web page again. Internet Explorer should automatically reinstall the control based on the CODEBASE information. 

You cannot connect to the Internet because the proxy server configuration is not working

Your organization might use a proxy server on a local area network (LAN) to connect to the Internet. A proxy server acts as a gateway for the computers on the network to access the Internet. A proxy server does not prevent other people on the Internet from accessing your network—a firewall can serve this purpose.

To successfully connect to the Internet, you must correctly configure Internet Explorer to use your proxy server. If Internet Explorer is configured for your proxy server but you cannot connect to the Internet, complete the troubleshooting steps described in the following sections.

Step 1: Verify the proxy server address.

If you configured the settings for the proxy server manually within the browser, verify the proxy server address.

To verify your proxy server address

1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab. 

2. Click Settings or LAN Settings. 

3. In the Proxy server area, verify the address. 

Step 2: Verify that automatic detection and automatic configuration are enabled within the browser.

If you are using automatic detection and automatic configuration, the Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) and Domain Name System (DNS) servers should automatically detect and configure the browser's proxy settings on a per-connection basis. Verify that automatic detection and automatic configuration are enabled within the browser. Your DHCP server must support the DHCPINFORM message; otherwise, use DNS.

To verify that automatic detection and automatic configuration are enabled

1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab. 

2. Click Settings or LAN Settings. 

3. In the Automatic configuration area, verify that the Automatically detect settings check box is selected. 

   Note that automatic detection is enabled by default for LAN connections and disabled by default for RAS connections. For more information about automatic detection and automatic configuration, see "Using Automatic Configuration, Automatic Proxy, and Automatic Detection" in this Resource Kit. For more information about setting up DHCP and DNS servers for automatic detection and automatic configuration, see "Setting Up Servers" in this Resource Kit. 

If you determine that automatic detection and automatic configuration are configured correctly and the proxy server detection still fails, click Detect my network settings on the error dialog box to attempt the proxy server detection again.

Step 3: Verify that the browser is configured with the correct URL address.

If you are using an auto-proxy URL, verify that the browser is configured with the correct URL address.

To verify that the browser is configured with the correct auto-proxy URL address

1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab. 

2. Click Settings or LAN Settings. 

3. In the Automatic Configuration area, verify that the Use automatic configuration script check box is selected and that the address is correct for your auto-proxy URL. 

Privacy and Security

This section describes some of the problems you might encounter when you use privacy and security settings in Internet Explorer 6. Troubleshooting topics include:

• Cookie settings are not retained after upgrading to Internet Explorer 6. 

• A Web site reports that you must enable cookies. 

• Privacy tab settings affect only the Internet zone. 

• Cookie Pal from Kookaburra Software requires advanced privacy settings. 

• Existing cookies can still be read by Web sites after you select the Block option. 

• The Privacy icon displays in the status bar even though privacy settings allow cookies. 

• Per-site privacy actions do not work as expected. 

• You are unable to remove per-site privacy actions for Web sites in the Local intranet zone. 

• Cookies are unexpectedly blocked or saved on the computer. 

• The Privacy report changes after you cancel a file download. 

• You cannot export custom privacy settings. 

• You want to restore default settings after importing custom privacy settings. 

• All security zones are set to Custom after upgrading to Internet Explorer 6. 

• You cannot negotiate Kerberos authentication after upgrading to Internet Explorer 6. 

Cookie settings are not retained after upgrading to Internet Explorer 6

After you upgrade from an earlier version of Microsoft Internet Explorer to Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, your cookies settings are not retained as expected. This behavior occurs because cookie settings are configured differently in Internet Explorer 6. In Internet Explorer 4 and Internet Explorer 5.x, security levels for cookie settings are configured on a per-zone basis on the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box. These settings are removed when you upgrade to Internet Explorer 6.

In Internet Explorer 6, a new Privacy tab in the Internet Options dialog box enables you to configure the cookie settings for the Internet zone. For more information about using the new Privacy tab, see "Users' Privacy" in this Resource Kit.

A Web site reports that you must enable cookies

When you attempt to use services on a secondary Web site that you access through a frameset (or portal) on a primary Web site, Internet Explorer might block cookies that the secondary Web site attempts to set depending on the privacy settings.

Internet Explorer determines that the secondary Web site is in the third-party context. The Medium privacy level blocks third-party cookies that do not have a compact policy or third-party cookies that have a compact policy specifying that personally identifiable information is used without your implicit consent.

This behavior is by design. To work around it, connect to the secondary Web site directly, add the site on the Per-Site Privacy Actions dialog box with a setting of Always Allow, or set your privacy level to Low or to accept all cookies.

To add the site on the Per-Site Privacy Actions dialog box

1. On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Privacy tab. 

2. Click Edit. 

3. In the Address of Web site box, type the URL for the Web site, and then click Allow. 

   Internet Explorer adds the site to the Managed Web sites list with a setting of Always Allow. 

To set your privacy level to low or to accept all cookies

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Privacy tab, and then move the slider to Low or to Accept All Cookies. 

Privacy tab settings affect only the Internet zone

Privacy preferences that you specify on the Privacy tab in the Internet Options dialog box, including the privacy level, settings in the Advanced Privacy Settings dialog box, and settings in the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box affect only the Internet zone.

This behavior is by design. Privacy settings are designed to work only in the Internet zone. Internet Explorer automatically accepts all cookies from Web sites in both the Local intranet and the Trusted sites zones, and blocks all cookies from Web sites in the Restricted sites zone.

If you browse to a Web site in the Local intranet, Trusted sites, or Restricted sites zone using the IP address of the Web site or the Fully Qualified Domain Name (FQDN) rather than the NetBIOS name, Internet Explorer treats the Web site as if it were located in your Internet zone.

Cookie Pal from Kookaburra Software requires advanced privacy settings

When you install Cookie Pal version 1.6c from Kookaburra Software, you might experience either of the following symptoms:

• The Setup program for Cookie Pal states that it has enabled cookie warnings (or prompts) for Internet Explorer, but Internet Explorer might not be configured to prompt for cookies after you install Cookie Pal. 

• After you install Internet Explorer 6, Cookie Pal might not prompt you when an unknown Web site attempts to create a cookie on your computer. 

This problem can occur because cookie settings, which are configured on the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box in Internet Explorer 4.x and 5.x (or on the Advanced tab in Internet Explorer 3.x), are removed when you upgrade to Internet Explorer 6. In Internet Explorer 6, a new Privacy tab on the Internet Options dialog box enables you to configure cookie settings for the Internet zone.

To resolve this problem, configure Internet Explorer to prompt for cookies.

To configure Internet Explorer to prompt for cookies

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Privacy tab, and then click Advanced. 

3. Select the Override automatic cookie handling check box. 

4. Click Prompt for both First-party Cookies and Third-Party Cookies. 

Existing cookies can still be read by Web sites after you select the Block option

Any cookies that are currently stored on your computer can still be read by the Web site that created them (without a prompt). This behavior occurs even if you have selected to block or prompt for cookies by using either the Block or Prompt options for either first-party or third-party cookies on the Advanced Privacy Settings dialog box.

This occurs by design. In Internet Explorer 6, the Block and Prompt options on the Advanced Privacy Settings dialog box apply only to new cookies that Web sites attempt to create on your computer. Web sites that created existing cookies on your computer can still read them.

To work around this behavior, use one of the following methods:

• Delete any existing cookies that are stored on your computer for the Web site. 

• Add the Web site to the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box with a setting of Block. This method deletes any existing cookies that are stored on your computer for that Web site. 

• On the Privacy tab in the Internet Options dialog box, move the slider to select Block All Cookies. This setting prevents all Web sites from saving or reading any of its cookies on your computer. The Edit button on the Privacy tab becomes unavailable, because Internet Explorer ignores per-site privacy actions if you block all cookies. 

To delete any existing cookies that are stored on your computer

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. On the General tab, under Temporary Internet files, click Delete Cookies. 

To add the Web site to the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box with a setting of Block

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Privacy tab, and then click Edit. 

3. In the Address of Web site box, type the address of the Web site, and then click Block. 

The Privacy icon displays in the status bar even though privacy settings allow cookies

When you visit a Web site, the Privacy icon might display in the Microsoft Internet Explorer status bar even though your privacy settings allow cookies from this Web site and all cookies are already set or read.

By design, the Privacy icon appears in the status bar each time Internet Explorer restricts a cookie based on your privacy settings or when Internet Explorer retrieves a cached file that has a history of privacy violations from the Temporary Internet Files folder. The Privacy icon might still appear if you change your privacy settings during the current browser session so that the cookie is no longer restricted.

To work around this behavior, press F5 to refresh the Web page, or delete the contents of your Temporary Internet Files folder.

To delete the contents of your Temporary Internet Files folder

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. On the General tab, under Temporary Internet Files, click Delete Files, and then click OK. 

3. To close the Internet Options dialog box, click OK. 

4. Click the Refresh button on the browser toolbar to ensure that you are viewing the latest version of the Web page. 

Per-site privacy actions do not work as expected

When you override cookie handling for an individual Web site and then visit that site on the Web, one of the following behaviors can occur:

• The privacy icon might not be displayed on the status bar, and cookies might be saved to your computer, even though you configured Internet Explorer to block the Web site from saving cookies on your computer. 

• Cookies might not be saved to your computer, even though you configured Internet Explorer to allow the Web site to save cookies on your computer. 

This problem can occur when you incorrectly type the Uniform Resource Locator (URL)—or Web address—of the site in the Address of Web site box on the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box. When you override cookie handling for individual Web sites, Internet Explorer does not warn you if you add an incorrect or invalid URL to the Managed Web sites list, provided that it contains at least one period (.). For example, if you type 1.2 or www.microsoft.comm in the Address of Web site box, and then click either Block or Allow, Internet Explorer adds the invalid address to the Managed Web sites list.

To resolve this issue, remove the invalid address from the list, and then add the correct address for the Web site that you want to manage. You must type the exact address of the Web site (for example, type www.microsoft.com).

To remove the invalid address from the list, and then add the correct address for the Web site that you want to manage

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Privacy tab, and then click Edit. 

3. In the Managed Web sites list, click the incorrect address, click Remove, and then click OK. 

4. In the Address of Web site box, type the correct Web address, and then if you do not want to allow the Web site to save cookies on your computer, click Block. Or, if you want to allow the Web site to save cookies on your computer, click Allow. 

You are unable to remove per-site privacy actions for Web sites in the Local intranet zone

After you import a custom privacy settings file that specifies an action of "Prompt for cookies in the Local intranet zone," you might experience the following symptoms:

• Internet Explorer might automatically accept or reject cookies from a local intranet Web site without a prompt, but the local intranet Web site might not appear in the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box. 

• Re-importing the custom privacy settings file that specifies an action of "Prompt for cookies in the Local intranet zone" might not cause Internet Explorer to prompt you for cookies from a local intranet Web site. 

This problem can occur after you select the Apply my decision to all cookies from this Web site check box when you were previously prompted for cookies from the local intranet site.

Warning This section contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure that you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. Before you edit the registry, always make a backup copy. If you are running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

For more information about how to restore the registry, see the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe. For more information about how to edit the registry, see the "Changing Keys and Values" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and the "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe.

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

• Method 1. Import a custom privacy settings file that specifies the flushSiteList element (<flushSiteList/>). 

  When Internet Explorer imports the customized privacy settings, this element deletes all per-site privacy actions. 

• Method 2. Delete the registry key for the local intranet site at the following location: 

  HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Internet Settings\P3P\History 

Cookies are unexpectedly blocked or saved on the computer

On Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Microsoft® Windows® Millennium Edition, when you visit a Web site, cookies might be unexpectedly blocked or saved on your computer, and your privacy settings might be set at a level other than one you specified. This behavior can occur if the privacy settings are configured by another user on your computer and all users of your computer use the same privacy and desktop settings.

To work around this behavior, enable all users of your computer to customize their privacy settings, and then configure the cookie settings to the desired security level for each user after they log on to Windows.

To enable all users to customize their privacy settings

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel. 

2. Double-click Passwords. 

3. In the Passwords Properties dialog box, click the User Profiles tab. 

4. Click Users can customize their preferences and desktop settings. Windows switches to your personal settings when you log on. 

5. Under User profile settings, select the check boxes that correspond to the settings you want Windows to save in the user profiles, and then click OK. 

To reconfigure the privacy settings for each user

1. Log on to Windows separately for each user. 

2. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

3. Click the Privacy tab, and then configure each user's cookie settings. 

The Privacy report changes after you cancel a file download

After you cancel a file download request, the privacy report for a Web site might change. To work around this problem, press F5 to update the Web site, and then view the privacy report again.

To view a privacy report for a Web site

• In Internet Explorer, on the View menu, click Privacy Report. 

You cannot export custom privacy settings

On the Privacy tab in the Internet Options dialog box, you can use the available option to import custom privacy settings from a file, but you cannot export these settings to a file.

This behavior is by design. In Internet Explorer 6, no option is available to export custom privacy settings.

You want to restore default settings after importing custom privacy settings

You can import custom privacy settings in Internet Explorer by clicking Import on the Privacy tab in the Internet Options dialog box and then opening a custom privacy settings (.xml) file. After you import custom privacy settings, at some point, you might want to remove these settings and restore the default privacy settings for the Internet, Local intranet, or Trusted sites zones.

Warning This section contains information about editing the registry. Before you edit the registry, make sure that you understand how to restore it if a problem occurs. Before you edit the registry, always make a backup copy. If you are running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, also update your Emergency Repair Disk (ERD).

For more information about how to restore the registry, see the "Restoring the Registry" Help topic in the Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Restoring a Registry Key" Help topic in Regedt32.exe. For more information about how to edit the registry, see the "Change Keys and Values" Help topic in Regedit.exe or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and the "Edit Registry Information" Help topics in Regedt32.exe.

To remove imported custom privacy settings and restore the default privacy settings

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Privacy tab. 

3. Click Default (if available), and then click Edit. 

   The Default button will not be available if the imported custom privacy settings file does not contain a p3pCookiePolicy element that specifies zone="internet" or contains only an alwaysReplayLegacy element and your privacy level was set to Medium (the default privacy level) prior to importing the file. 

4. In the Per Site Privacy Actions dialog box, under Managed Web sites, click each Web site for which you imported per-site privacy actions, and then click Remove. 

   This step might be necessary if per-site privacy actions were imported by using the MSIESiteRules element. 

5. Click OK twice, and then run Regedit.exe. 

6. Delete any keys for Local intranet sites that exist in the following registry key: 

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Internet Settings\P3P\History 

   This step is necessary if the imported custom privacy settings file specifies an action of Prompt for Local intranet sites, and you changed this setting to Accept or Reject by using the prompt for cookies on specific Web sites. 

7. If the following DWORD value exists in the registry, delete it: 

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Internet Settings\LeashLegacyCookies 

   The LeashLegacyCookies DWORD value will exist only if the imported custom privacy settings file contains the alwaysReplayLegacy element. This setting allows all existing cookies (cookies that existed when Internet Explorer 6 was installed) to be sent in the Internet zone. If this element is not specified, legacy cookies are sent only in the first-party context for the Internet zone. 

8. If the privacy GUIDs for the Local intranet and Trusted sites zones exist under the following registry key, delete them: 

   HKEY_CURRENT_USER \Software \Microsoft \Windows \CurrentVersion \Internet Settings\Zones 

   The Local intranet zone key is named 1, and the Trusted sites zone key is named 2. For first-party cookie settings, the GUID is a binary value that is named {AEBA21FA-782A-4A90-978D-B72164C80120}. For third-party cookie settings, the GUID is a binary value that is named {A8A88C49-5EB2-4990-A1A2-0876022C854F}. 

   For the Local intranet (1) and Trusted sites (2) zones, no GUIDs exist for cookie settings by default, so they will exist only if you imported a custom privacy settings file with a p3pCookiePolicy element that specified zone="intranet" or zone="trustedSites." Internet Explorer does not allow you to customize settings for the Restricted sites (4) zone by using an imported custom privacy settings file. Also, custom settings for the Internet (3) zone are removed, except for the LeashLegacyCookies DWORD value (Step 7). 

The previous procedure does not restore cookies that are deleted or per-site privacy actions that are removed when you import a custom privacy settings file that contains flushCookies or flushSiteList elements. The flushCookies element deletes all cookies when you import custom privacy settings. The flushSiteList element deletes all per-site privacy actions when you import custom privacy settings.

All security zones are set to Custom after upgrading to Internet Explorer 6

After you upgrade to Internet Explorer 6, all security zones are set to Custom on the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box. As a result, the slider that you use to change your security settings might be missing.

This behavior can occur because the default security settings have changed in Internet Explorer 6. All security zones are set to Custom to indicate that your existing security settings do not match the new default security settings for Internet Explorer 6.

To work around this behavior, reset your security settings for each zone.

To reset your security settings for each zone

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Security tab. 

3. Select each zone, and then click Default Level. 

4. If necessary, reconfigure any custom settings that you defined for a security zone. 

You cannot negotiate Kerberos authentication after upgrading to Internet Explorer 6

After you upgrade to Internet Explorer 6, the browser might not be able to negotiate Kerberos authentication with a server that supports Kerberos (for example, Microsoft Internet Information Services version 5.0).

This problem can occur because Internet Explorer 6 for Windows 2000 does not respond to a negotiate challenge and defaults to NTLM, or Windows NT Challenge/Response, authentication by default.

To resolve this problem, enable Internet Explorer 6 to respond to a negotiate challenge and to perform Kerberos authentication.

To enable Internet Explorer 6 to respond to a negotiate challenge and perform Kerberos authentication

1. In Internet Explorer, on the Tools menu, click Internet Options. 

2. Click the Advanced tab. 

3. In the Security area, select the Enable Integrated Windows Authentication (requires restart) check box, and then click OK. 

4. Restart Internet Explorer. 

Microsoft Outlook Express

This section describes some of the problems you might encounter when you use Microsoft Outlook Express. Troubleshooting topics include:

• You cannot import an address book in Outlook Express. 

• The preview pane does not display news messages. 

• You receive the following error message: 

  The command failed to execute. 

• Windows Address Book files are changed. 

You cannot import an address book in Outlook Express

When you attempt to import an address book in Outlook Express, the address book might not be imported, so that you do not see an error message. This problem occurs when the Wabmig.exe file is missing or damaged.

If the Wabmig.exe file is damaged, rename the file, and then reinstall Outlook Express.

To rename the Wabmig.exe file on Windows XP

1. On the Start menu, point to Search, and then click All Files and Folders. 

2. In the All or part of the file name box, type Wabmig.exe, and then click Search. 

3. Right-click the file, and then click Rename. 

4. Rename the file to Wabmig. xxx . 

5. Reinstall Outlook Express. 

To rename the Wabmig.exe file on other versions of Windows

1. On the Start menu, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders. 

2. In the Named box, type Wabmig.exe, and then click Find Now. 

3. Right-click the file, and then click Rename. 

4. Rename the file to Wabmig. xxx . 

5. Reinstall Outlook Express. 

The preview pane does not display news messages

While you are reading news messages in Outlook Express, you might receive the following message in the preview pane:

Press <Space> to display the selected message. You can also choose to automatically show messages in the preview pane from the Options command. 

To redisplay the message, press the SPACEBAR. If you double-click the news message to open it, you might receive the following error message:

There was an error opening the message. 

This problem occurs when there is not enough free space on your hard disk to open the news message. To resolve this problem, increase the amount of free space on your hard disk by using one or more of the following methods, and then attempt to open the news message again:

• Remove any unnecessary files from the hard disk. 

• Empty the Recycle Bin. 

• Delete unnecessary files from the Internet Explorer 6 Setup folder. Deleting this entire folder is not recommended. Although it does not affect the performance of Internet Explorer, you will not be able to reinstall or uninstall Internet Explorer and Internet Tools from the hard disk. In this case, you must download another copy from the Microsoft Windows Technologies Internet Explorer Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/. 

Warning The Setup folder contains important backup files that are necessary for reinstalling and uninstalling Internet Explorer and Internet Tools. The following files are critical: IE6bak.dat, IE6bak.ini, and, if Windows Desktop Update is installed, Integrated Browser.dat and Integrated Browser.ini. It is recommended that you not delete these files. If you need to free up more disk space, it is recommended that you delete other files in the folder.

You receive the following error message: The command failed to execute

When you attempt to save a mail attachment to your hard disk in Outlook Express, you might receive the following error message:

The command failed to execute. 

This problem occurs when there is not enough free disk space on your hard disk to save the ttachment. To resolve this problem, increase the amount of free space on your hard disk by using one or more of the following methods, and then attempt to save the attachment again:

• Remove any unnecessary files from the hard disk. 

• Empty the Recycle Bin. 

• Delete unnecessary files from the Internet Explorer 6 Setup folder. Deleting this entire folder is not recommended. Although it does not affect the performance of Internet Explorer, you will not be able to reinstall or uninstall Internet Explorer and Internet Tools from the hard disk. In this case, you must download another copy from the Microsoft Windows Technologies Internet Explorer Web site at http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/. 

Warning The Setup folder contains important backup files that are necessary for reinstalling and uninstalling Internet Explorer and Internet Tools. The following files are critical: IE6bak.dat, IE6bak.ini, and, if Windows Desktop Update is installed, Integrated Browser.dat and Integrated Browser.ini. It is recommended that you not delete these files. If you need to free up more disk space, it is recommended that you delete other files in the folder.

Windows Address Book files are changed

When you install the Windows Address Book, files used by earlier versions are backed up and removed, and new versions of the files are installed. Note that Windows Address Book files are shared with other applications in addition to Outlook Express.

The following table identifies the files, previously located in the Windows\System or Winnt\System32 folder, and their new directory locations.

The following table identifies the files, previously in the Windows folder, and their new directory locations.

HTML Authoring

This section describes some of the problems related to Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) authoring in Microsoft Internet Explorer. Troubleshooting topics include:

• Text does not wrap in text boxes. 

• Background images are not displayed. 

• Internet Explorer is not automatically redirected. 

• Frames are not displayed in Web pages. 

• Permission is denied when scripting across frames. 

Text does not wrap in text boxes

When you type text in a text box created by using the <TEXTAREA> tag on an HTML page, the text might not wrap correctly. In this case, the text continues to flow to the right side of the text box without breaking or wrapping. This problem occurs because the HTML page does not contain the parameters that activate text wrapping in a text box.

To wrap text in a text box, use one of the following methods:

• Use the WRAP attribute of the <TEXTAREA> tag with either the Physical or Virtual value to enable word wrapping. 

  For example, you might type the following <TEXTAREA> tag: 

  
  
  <TEXTAREA NAME="Name" ROW99S=6 COL99S=40>
  </TEXTAREA>
  

  
  

• Insert WRAP=Physical as part of the <TEXTAREA> tag. 

  For example, you might type the following <TEXTAREA> tag: 

  
  
  <TEXTAREA NAME="Name" ROW99S=6 COL99S=40 WRAP=Physical>
  </TEXTAREA>
  

  
  

Note When you are typing in the text box, press ENTER to manually insert line breaks, which force the text to wrap.

Background images are not displayed

Pages created by using the Data Form Wizard in Microsoft® Visual InterDev® might not display background images in Internet Explorer. This problem occurs because cascading style sheet (CSS) tags take precedence over HTML tags. Pages created by using the Data Form Wizard reference a CSS. The CSS has a tag for the background image of Transparent, which overrides any value in the body tag of the Active Server Page (.asp) file. The following procedure describes how to display the background images.

To display background images

• In the BODY property of the CSS, delete the background: transparent line. 

Internet Explorer is not automatically redirected

When you load a Web page that contains the <meta http - equiv="refresh"...> HTML tag, the browser might not automatically be redirected to another Web page. This problem might occur for one of the following reasons:

• On the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box, you have turned off the new Allow META REFRESH option for the security zone that includes the Web page. By default, this option is turned off only in the Restricted sites zone. 

• The author of the page did not place the <meta http - equiv="refresh"...> tag in the <HEAD> section of the HTML source code. 

• The syntax of the <meta http-equiv="refresh"...> HTML tag is incorrect. 

To resolve this problem, update the Web page by using the appropriate method:

• If the <META> tag is not located in the <HEAD> section, modify the HTML source code to place the <META> tag in the <HEAD> section of the Web page. This change might require that you add the <HEAD> and </HEAD> tags to the Web page. 

• If the syntax of the <META> tag is incorrect, Modify the HTML source code to correct the syntax of the <META> tag. For example, a <META> tag might include the following code: 

  
  
  <meta http-equiv="refresh" content="n;url=http://www.domain.com/pagename.htm">
  

  
  

  The n is the number of seconds the browser program pauses before loading the new Web page. 

Frames are not displayed in Web pages

When you are using Internet Explorer to view a Web page, a blank page might appear instead of a defined set of frames. If you right-click an empty area of the Web page and then click View Source, the following message might appear:

This document might not display properly because there is a <FRAMESET> within the <BODY> of the document. 

This behavior is by design and occurs when the Web author puts the <FRAMESET> tag after the <BODY> tag in the main (or "framing") HTML document. All <FRAMESET> tags and underlying instructions should precede any <BODY> tags. The following procedure describes how to display the frames on the blank Web page.

To display frames on the blank Web page

1. Remove the <BODY> tag. 

2. Remove any additional HTML code between the <HEAD> of the document and the <FRAMESET>. 

The framing HTML document defines the frame regions that appear in the browser and the documents or objects that initially appear in the frames.

Permission is denied when scripting across frames

If your script code tries to access a script or an object in a different frame, you might see the following script error message:

Permission denied: 'Parent.RemoteFrame.RemoteObject' 

Internet Explorer implements cross-frame security. A script or an object in one frame is not allowed to access scripts or objects in another frame when the documents referenced by the frames' SRC attribute specify Web servers in different second-level domains. This corresponds to the domain-name.xxx portion of the full server-name syntax server.domain-name.xxx.

The Internet Explorer Dynamic HTML object model allows a certain subset of safe actions to be scripted. For example, the window.location property of a remote server's frame can be set to allow navigation, but it cannot be scripted to prevent one frame from accessing the contents of another frame. For example, it is valid for a document retrieved from http://test.microsoft.com to manipulate another document retrieved from http://test.microsoft.com. It is not valid for a document retrieved from http://server1.domain-name.org to manipulate a document retrieved from http://server2 or http://server3.microsoft.com.

The intention of cross-frame security is to prevent the author of a Web page from accessing or misusing the trusted objects authored by the author of another Web page. Only pages hosted in the same domain can be trusted to safely script the contents of a particular page. Cross-frame security should also prevent unwanted communication between documents on opposite sides of a corporate firewall. For more information, visit the MSDN Web site at http://msdn.microsoft.com/.

In order for two documents hosted on the same second-level domain to interact, both documents must set the document.domain property to their shared second-level domain. For example, one document on http://example.microsoft.com could script and access another document on http://test.microsoft.com if both documents used the following line of script code:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
document.domain = "microsoft.com"
</SCRIPT>

In the following FRAMESET example, script in the "Server1Frame" frame is not permitted to access script or objects in the "Server2Frame" frame, and vice versa:

<FRAMESET COLS="50%, *" FRAMEBORDER=1>
<FRAME SRC="http://server1/server1.html" ID="Server1Frame">
<FRAME SRC="http://server2/server2.html" ID="Server2Frame">
</FRAMESET>

In the following sample script code, server1.html causes the "Permission Denied" error assuming that RemoteTextBox is an object created on the server2.html document:

<SCRIPT LANGUAGE="VBScript">
Sub CommandButtonLocal_Click()
Parent.Server2Frame.RemoteTextBox.Text = "Changed Text"
'Server2Frame has SRC on different server'
end sub
</SCRIPT>

Additional Resources

These resources contain additional information and tools related to this chapter.

Related Information Outside the Resource Kit

• The Microsoft Knowledge Base, which is part of the Microsoft Product Support Services Web site at http://support.microsoft.com/directory/. 

• Internet Explorer Help.