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Problem with internet desktop shortcuts

xania
Resolved

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Posted August 5, 2011 at 2:07PM

Using Windows XP Pro SP3 and IE8. My wife has a number if icons which she has set up which are shortcuts to specific web addresses (this is not the same as using Internet Explorer favourites).

Until recently, these shortcuts all worked well (as indeed do mine on my PC with the same set-up). However, a couple of days ago, the internet short-cuts stopped working on my wife's PC - no other problems occurred. What should happen, according to MY PC is that IE8 opens, the address from the shortcut gets dropped into the IE8 address bar and IE8 then opens the url - on my wife's PC, clicking the shortcut still opens IE8, but no longer drops the address onto the IE8 address bar, so nothing happens.

Any ideas what has happened and, more importantly, how to overcome the problem, pleawe?

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Fruit Bat /\0/\

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Posted August 5, 2011 at 2:20PM

What software have you installed recently? Older versions of word view cause the same problem

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Secret-Squirrel

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Posted August 5, 2011 at 4:27PM

It sounds like the something has gone wrong with the file-association for Internet shortcuts. If so then there's a quick fix for it which will restore the settings back to their defaults so click HERE then click the link for the URL File Association Fix near the bottom of the page. Instructions are at the top of the page but post back if you need further help.

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xania

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Posted August 5, 2011 at 5:14PM

Fruit Bat - we did have a problem with PhotoShop6 so uninstalled and reinstalled it - but no other changes and we're pretty certain that the problem was already there by then.

Secret-Squirrel - you may well have hit the nail and the head. We also had a problem with the file association for pdf's which I fixed, so will have a look at this later this afternoon and report back.

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Sea Urchin

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Posted August 5, 2011 at 10:56PM

Personally I would delete the shortcuts from the desktop, and then create them again from the appropriate websites.

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xania

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Posted August 6, 2011 at 3:03PM

Secret-Squirrel - unfortunately, resetting the file associations has not worked.

Sea Urchin - I have also tried this without success. What I did was set up a new shortcut and actaully typed in the url myself. Once agian, however, the url did not get actross to the IE8 address bar.

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Sea Urchin

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Posted August 6, 2011 at 4:11PM

Open the required website in IE8 - then restore down the size of the window so that you can see the desktop - then drag the icon at the front of the URL and drop it on the desktop. You can then rename the shortcut as you wish.

Does that work?

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xania

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Posted August 15, 2011 at 1:13PM

Sea Urchin

Sorry about the delay. No - I tried that one already. We are now experiencing otrher problems so it looks like a reinstall of Windows over the top is called for.

I'll close this now and, if necessary, open a new thread later.

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