Internet Troubleshooting

In this document:
Spyware and browser hi-jacking issues

Resetting Internet Explorer 7 settings

Resetting Internet Protocol settings

Repairing or uninstalling Internet Explorer

Home page cannot be changed

Images do not display

Enable Active X or Error: Your current security settings prohibit the running of Active X controls

Error: Internet Explorer 7 could not be installed

Error: Internet Explorer has encountered an error and needs to close

Error: A Runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?

Error: Page Cannot Be Displayed

Unable to view secure Web sites (such as online banking)

Unable to view certain Web sites that require cookies

File Menu, Address bar, or all menu items missing

No sound from Web pages in Internet Explorer (XP)

Blurry text in Internet Explorer 7

The saved password and the password you typed do not match (IE 6 and XP)

Related support



This document applies to Internet Explorer 6 & 7 and Microsoft Windows 98, Me, XP, and Vista.

Various issues can occur when using Internet Explorer (IE) Web browser software. Select a section below that corresponds to the problem that you are having in Internet Explorer. If you cannot find a section that best matches your problem, use the section on repairing Internet Explorer .

Spyware and browser hi-jacking issues
If the computer becomes slow when connecting to the Internet, your home page keeps changing to a page that you don't want, unwanted desktop links appear, advertising windows pop-up repeatedly, search bars appear, then your computer has spyware or adware.

Spyware and adware can be very difficult to remove. Refer to the following HP support document for more information about spyware and how to remove it from your computer: About Spyware, Adware, and Browser Hijacking Software (in English).


Resetting Internet Explorer 7 settings
Resseting IE 7 settings can resolve many types of problems. Use the following steps to reset the settings in Internet Explorer 7:



CAUTION: After using these steps you may have to re-enter information in trusted Web pages, such as passwords or personal information.


Open Internet Explorer and click Tools and then Internet Options.

Click the Advanced tab.

Click Reset.


Figure 1: Internet Options: Reset button



When done, close all open IE windows, reopen IE 7, and then try to view the Web page again.



Resetting Internet Protocol settings
Perform the steps in this section to "reset" your Internet Protocol settings in Windows. Use the following steps to reset TCP/IP (Internet Protocol) can resolve issues like always receiving a Page cannot be displayed message or 404 messages. Use the following steps to reset TCP/IP depending on which version of Windows you are using:


Resetting IP in Windows Vista


In Windows Vista, use the following steps to reset the Internet Protocol:


Click Start , All Programs, accessories and then right-click Command Prompt.

Select Run as administrator.


Figure 2:



At the C:\Windows\System32 command prompt, enter the following: netsh int ip reset.

This command should return a series of responses that end with "OK!" and then a request to restart the computer.

Close the command window and restart the computer.

Click Start , All Programs, accessories and then right-click Command Prompt.

Select Run as administrator.

At the C:\Windows\System32 command prompt, enter the following: netsh winsock reset.

A success message is shown when the command passes.

Restart the computer. IP has been reset.



Resetting IP in Windows XP


In Windows XP, use the following steps to reset the Internet Protocol:


Click Start, and then Run.

Type the following into the open field: netsh int ip reset c:\resetlog.txt

Click OK.

Restart the PC and try to log on and browse the Internet. If the problem persists, continue using these steps.

If you have Windows XP Service Pack 2 or later, click Start, and then Run. Type netsh winsock reset into the open field.

If you do not have Service Pack 2, perform all of the following steps to remove and restore the winsock files:



CAUTION: The following steps involve editing the registry. Make sure that you have created a restore point or that the registry is backed up before continuing.

Click Start, Run and enter the following into the open field: regedit

A registry Editor appears.

Click the plus sign (+) next to the following keys: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\

Click Winsock, press the Delete key, and click Yes to confirm the removal of the key.

Click Winsock2, press the Delete key, and click Yes to confirm the removal of the key.

Restart the computer. You must perform this step.

Open the Network Connections window (from either Control Panel or the Network Places sidebar), right-click the network connection, and select Properties.

Click Install, Protocol, Add, Have Disk, and type c:\windows\inf into the the field.

Click OK and select Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) from the list of available protocols.

Click OK.

Restart the computer and try to log on and browse the Internet.



Resetting IP in Windows 98 and Me


In Windows 98, and Me, use Microsoft Article Q241344, Error Message: The Page Cannot Be Displayed (in English), to reset IP setting ans troubleshoot "page cannot be displayed" messages. The steps to troubleshoot this error involve advanced technical knowledge of Windows.


Repairing or uninstalling Internet Explorer
If Internet Explorer has a problem that is not listed in this document repair Internet Explorer.



CAUTION: After using these steps you may have to re-enter information in trusted Web pages, such as passwords or personal information.



NOTE: If you cannot repair Internet Explorer using the following steps, the latest version of Internet Explorer can be attained from Microsoft (by download or orderable CD). For more information refer to http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ (in English).


Going back to IE 6 from IE 7


If you upgraded IE6 to IE 7, you can uninstall version 7 by using Add/Remove Programs. If you are using Windows XP, make sure that show updates is selected.


For more information, please refer to Microsoft's Internet Explorer FAQ (in English).


Repair Internet Explorer in XP


To repair or reinstall IE for PCs that have had SP2 installed, reinstall SP2 and this will automatically reinstall IE. To repair SP1 or earlier XP PCs, click Start, and then Run. Type sfc /scannow into the open field, click OK, and wait until finished.



NOTE: If your computer has Media Center 2005, a message may appear stating "Insert Your Windows XP Profession CD2 Now". Click Cancel to continue. This message may appear several times and does not affect the repair of standard files that came with your PC.


For more information, refer to Microsoft article 318378 (in English).


Repair Internet Explorer in 98 and Me


Click Start, Settings, and Control Panel.

Double-click the Add/Remove Programs icon.

Click the Install/Uninstall tab.

Select Internet Explorer and Internet Tools, and then click Add/Remove.

A menu with three options will appear. Select Repair Internet Explorer and follow the prompts until it restarts.

If a new version of IE is available for download from Microsoft, upgrade to a newer version of Internet Explorer.



Home page cannot be changed
This issue can occur because of spyware or because Norton Internet Security 2006 is installed with Home Page Protection enabled.


Open Internet Explorer and click Tools, and then Internet Options.

From the General Tab, in the Home page section, change the Address field to the home page address (for example: http://www.hp.com).

Click OK.

If Norton 2006 is installed, a Norton Antivirus "Home Page Protection Alert" window opens.

Select the home page address that is listed after Change to: in the Home Page Protection Alert message.



Click OK.

The home page should change and the new home page should open when the Internet Explorer is opened.

If the home page changes to a different address than what you entered as the home page, the computer should be scanned for spyware and any spyware that is found should be removed. For more information, refer to About Spyware, Adware, and Browser Hijacking Software .



Images do not display
If images do not load into Web pages, use the following steps:


Figure 3: Example of missing graphic placeholder




In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then Internet Options.

Click the Advanced tab and make sure that Show pictures is selected under multimedia.


If Show pictures is not selected, this is the problem. Select Show pictures, click OK, and reopen Internet Explorer. You are done.

If Show pictures is already selected, click Cancel, close the Internet Options window, and continue using these steps.



Figure 4: Advanced tab of Internet Options window



Close Internet Explorer.

Click Start, Run, and type the following into the open field: regsvr32 /i mshtml.dll

Click OK and open Internet Explorer.

Images should now appear when browsing Web pages.



Enable Active X or Error: Your current security settings prohibit the running of Active X controls
Perform the following steps to resolve this issue:


Open IE.

Click Tools, Intenet Options, and then click the Security tab.

With Internet selected as the zone, click the Default button.

Close all open IE windows, reopen IE, and try to view the Active X content in the Web page again.

Continue if you are using IE 6 and XP. If you are using IE 7, reset Internet Explorer 7 settings .

Close IE.

Click Start, Run, and enter the following in the Open field: sfc /scannow.



NOTE: It may take 10 minutes or longer for the scan to complete.

When the System File Checker Utility has finished scanning, close the command window. restart the computer, and try visiting the Website again.



NOTE: If your computer has Media Center 2005, a message may appear stating "Insert Your Windows XP Profession CD2 Now". Click Cancel to continue. This message may appear several times and does not affect the repair of standard files that came with your computer.

If the issue still exists, enable SSL and reset the SSL cache in the section Unable to view secure Web sites .



Error: Internet Explorer 7 could not be installed
The following message appears after you try to install the Internet Explorer 7 update:

Internet Explorer 7 could not be installed. You must restart your system to confirm that any changes to your system are undone.

This error can occur if system files cannot be updated or the installer is unable to write to the registry keys. Make sure that Internet Explorer is being installed from a user account that has Administrative priviledges. If you are trying to install the update from an Administrative account and the error continues, rights or permissions may need to be set in the registry. For more information, please refer to the Microsoft support article Error message when you try to install Internet Explorer 7: "Internet Explorer could not be installed" (in English).


Error: Internet Explorer has encountered an error and needs to close
To resolve this error, make the following changes in Internet Explorer:



CAUTION: After using these steps you may have to re-enter information in trusted Web pages, such as passwords or personal information.


Open Internet Explorer and click Tools, and then Internet Options.

In IE 7, click the General tab, and click Delete from the browsing history section, and then click the Delete Cookies button..

In IE 6, click the General tab, and click Delete Cookies.

Click OK on the confirmation window that opens.

In IE 7, click the Delete files button, click OK on the confirmation window that opens. and then click Close.

In IE 6, from the General tab, click Delete Files, select Delete all offline content, and click OK.

Click the Programs tab and then click the Manage add-ons button.

Add-ons are active-x controls that change the way Internet Explorer is used. These can be toolbars, plug-ins, and other code that can interfere with the operation of IE.

Select any suspiscious add-on names from the name list and select disable to prevent the add-on code from opening when IE is opened.

Click the Advanced tab. Remove the checkmark from Enable third-party browser extensions (requires restart).



NOTE: Preventing third-party browser extensions will remove search toolbars, gadgets, and Symantec's phishing filter notification from the top menu.

Click OK, and click OK again to restart the computer.

The error should no longer appear.



NOTE: These errors are probably caused by browser extensions that were added through spyware or adware. If you want use third-party browser extensions, you can use the HP support document About Spyware, Adware, and Browser Hijacking Software (in English), to learn about removing spyware and adware and how to better protect your PC from these types of software. Once protected, you can re-enable the use of third-party extensions.



Error: A Runtime error has occurred. Do you wish to debug?
This error occurs when IE cannot use the script from a Web page. These errors are harmless, but can happen frequently and become annoying. You can turn the messages off by Disabling Script Debugging:


From IE, click Tools, Internet Options, and then Advanced.

Remove the checkmark from Display a notification about every script error.

Select Disable script debugging (for both IE and other).

Click OK and restart IE.



Error: Page Cannot Be Displayed
When opening IE after connecting to the Internet, the message "Page Cannot be Displayed" appears. Perform the following steps until this error message is resolved:


The Web Page that you are trying to reach might be out of service. Try visiting different Web sites to see if this message still displays from other sites. If visiting other sites also cause the message, continue using these steps.

If you are using IE 7, reset Internet Explorer 7 settings and try again.

If the page display problems persist, continue.

In Windows Vista, click Start , and then enter the following into the Start Search field: regsvr32 softpub.dll

In Windows XP, click Start, and then Run enter the following into the open field: regsvr32 softpub.dll

In Windows Vista, click Start , and then enter the following into the Start Search field: regsvr32 urlmon.dll

In Windows XP, click Start, and then Run enter the following into the open field: regsvr32 urlmon.dll

Restart the computer and then try browsing the Internet again.

If the page display problems persist, continue.

Open Internet Explorer and click Tools, and then Internet Options.

Click the Programs tab, and then click Reset Web Settings.

Try again. If the error persists, reset the Internet protocol .



NOTE: If the error occurs on some sites but not others, refer to the microsoft support article "The page cannot be displayed" error message when you try to view a Web page on a secure Web site (in English).



Unable to view secure Web sites (such as online banking)
Normal Web pages can be viewed, but secure Web pages, like shopping pages or pages that deal with personal information, cannot be viewed. Use the following steps to reset SSL encryption so that secure pages can once again be viewed:


Open Internet Explorer and click Tools, Internet Options, and then click the Security tab.

Select Trusted Sites, and then click the Default Level button.

Click the Advanced tab and scroll to the Security Options section.

Select Use SSL 2.0 and Use SSL 3.0 if they are not already selected.

Click the Content tab.

Click the Clear SSL State button, and then click OK.

You should now be able to view secure Web sites if you had to make any selection. Browse to a secure Web page to make sure. If you still cannot access the page, use the remaining steps to resolve the problem.

If you are using IE 7, temporarily disable the built-in phishing filter, using the following steps:

Open IE 7.

Click Tools, select Phishing Filter, and then select Turn Off Automatic Website Checking.

Go to the Website and try again.



CAUTION: With the phishing filter off you must know and trust the website that you are trying to view. Do not not enter any personal information into a Web form unless you can verify the site is reputable.

After you have visited the site, re-enable the phishing filter.

In Windows XP, use the following steps to register the device libraries associated with Internet security:

Click Start, Run.

Enter cmd into the open field.

Enter each of the following items in the command window, clicking OK after each name has been entered:


regsvr32 softpub.dll
regsvr32 wintrust.dll
regsvr32 initpki.dll
regsvr32 dssenh.dll
regsvr32 rsaenh.dll
regsvr32 gpkcsp.dll
regsvr32 sccbase.dll
regsvr32 slbcsp.dll
regsvr32 cryptdlg.dll

Type Exit and then press the Enter key.

Click OK, and then restart the computer.

You should be able to view secure Web sites. For more information, refer to the microsoft support article "The page cannot be displayed" error message when you try to view a Web page on a secure Web site (in English).



Unable to view certain Web sites that require cookies
Normal Web pages can be viewed but Web pages that require cookies will not open or are slow to open. Use the following steps to allow use of cookies:



NOTE: Using these steps could allow Websites to install tracking cookies (cookies that typically keep track of Web site usage information; sometimes considered spyware).


From Internet Explorer, click Tools, and select Internet Options.

Click the Privacy tab and then click Advanced.

Select Override automatic cookie handling

Select Always allow session cookies, and then select Accept under First-party cookies and Third-party cookies.

Click OK and restart the computer.



File Menu, Address bar, or all menu items missing
If most of the menu items are missing, press F11. Full screen mode was enabled.

If the file menu is miising and you are using IE 7 or Vista, press the Alt key to open the file menu. To permanently open the Menu bar select Menu bar from the Tools menu.

If any other toolbar is missing, click Tools, click Toolbars, and select the name of the toolbar that is missing.

If the address bar is missing, perform the following steps until the Address bar reappears:


Open Internet Explorer.

Click View, Toolbars, and select Address Bar if it is not already selected.

If you had to select Address Bar, it should appear. If not continue.

Click View, Toolbars, and unselect Lock the Toolbars if it is selected.

Position the mouse cursor over the bottom of the top menu where the webpage meets the menu until it turns into a double edged arrow. Drag the border down until the address bar appears.



If the Address Bar still does not appear, click Tools, Internet options, Advanced, and remove the checkmark next to Enable third party browser extensions.

Click OK and see if the Address Bar appears.

If the Address Bar still does not appear, use System Restore to go back to a known time when the Address Bar was visable.



No sound from Web pages in Internet Explorer (XP)
To hear sound while viewing web pages with audio, perform the following steps:


Click Start, and then Control Panel.

Click Sounds, Speech and Audio Devices and then Sounds and Audio Devices.

Click the Sounds tab.

In the Program events list, find and select Windows Explorer.

Select Complete Navigation and set "sounds" to "notify.wav".

Start Navigation and set the "sounds" to "Windows XP Start.wav"

Click OK.


NOTE: Make sure that your PC audio is working and volume controls on the PC and speakers are set properly.


Blurry text in Internet Explorer 7
IE 7 has a new feature that attempts to smooth the edges of fonts. If the text on web pages appears blurry, disabling this new feature may help:


In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then Internet Options.

Remove the selection from Always use ClearType for HTML and then click OK.


Figure 5: ClearType selection





The saved password and the password you typed do not match (IE 6 and XP)
The password for Content Advisor has been forgotten. Put in a new password, using the instructions below:



CAUTION: The following steps involve editing the registry. Make sure that you have created a restore point or that the registry is backed up before continuing.


Click Start, and then click Run.

Type Regedit into the open field.

Click the plus sign (+) next to each of the following keys (folders):

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE, SOFTWARE
Microsoft
Windows
Current Version
Policies
Ratings

Make sure Ratings is selected in the left window and appears open. Select the icon called Key in the right-hand pane and press the Delete key on the keyboard.

Figure 6: Ratings key in Regedit



Close the Registry Editor and restart the system.

Open Internet Explorer.

Click Tools, Internet Options, and then click the Content tab.

If a message appears and asks for a password, do not type anything and click OK.

Click Enable and select the rating options that meet your needs.

Click the General tab and select Change Password in the Supervisor Password area.

Type a new password into the New Password field and in the confirmation field.

Click OK in the Password Settings window, and then click OK in the Content Advisor and Internet Options windows.

Close, and then reopen Internet Explorer for the changes to take effect.