[SOLVED] Win7 IE8 problem

I have win7 pro 64 bit. It has IE8 32 and 64 bit built in. I have a weird problem.

The favorites in IE8 simply displays a copy of the programs in my program list! If I click on one as a favorite while in IE8, it opens the program. If I reorganise or delete, those changes appear in the program list when accessed from the start menu (and vice versa).

If I try to save a new website as a favorite, the operation fails - a dialog box shows "unable to create" and "unspecified error"

I cannot import a favorites list (html) copied from my old computer - the import fails.

The normal default location C:/users/(username)/favorites contains what I expect to see - some folders for dell, microsoft etc websites and one for my router which I added earlier. If I double clink on one of the files, IE opens the URL as expected - but none of these are shown in the displayed favorites.

I have tried disabling and re-enabling IE8 - no change.

I have tried resetting the default settings (from "network and sharing") - no change.

Any ideas? It's driving me nuts. It's the same in both the 32 and 64 bit versions.

In case it matters, this is on a new Dell 580 i5 with a factory install of win7 pro 64 that has been running for about two weeks. The favorites did work correctly when first started, the fault has developed some time since.

No problem with bookmarks in Firefox 3.6.2 - imported fine from a file and display normally.

Thanks
Nigel

If you are comfortable editing the registry then, run regedit.
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\Windows Search
Should be an entry "User Favorites Path". Is it set to file:///C:\Users\(username)\Favorites\ ?

It looks like you may have used the "move" option at some time. But try this.
Open "File" and "Import and export".
"Import from another Browser""
Select "FireFox" which should be showing.
By default, IE8/Windows 7 will often show the wrong path (bug?) so browse to Users - Username .- Appdata - Roaming - Mozilla - Firefox - Profiles.
If there is more than one profile, select the latest.
Select the file bookmarks.html and import it..

This will add another item to your bookmarks. "FireFox" See if these work as they are supposed to. If they do, you will have to "Organise" the bookmarks again, in order to get them sorted.

Thanks trainableman - found this entry and it reads:
file:///C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs \

Which clearly explains why I see what I see!

However if I modify this to read:

file:///C:\users\nigel\favorites\

and then exit regedit, and then restart, there is no change to the favorites and if I go back into regedit the entry has reverted to the first. So presumably something is running on start up which is re-modifying the registry entry?

I believe the correct path, if you are going to edit the registry, is HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\Shell
Folders
Your will have to change the entry to %UserProfile%/Favorites

Because of the way you can drag & drop system files in 7 and Vista, I suspect you accidently dropped favorites on the start menu or visa versa - give Dave's registry location a shot.

http://www.zdnet.com/blog/ou/beware-...er-folders/436

Hi

I've done as Dave suggested - it contained
C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs

and I changed it to:
C:\Users\Nigel\Favorites

exited and restarted. IE8 still showing my program list as favorites. Regedit shows that the change has remained in place.

So I then changed the earlier registry entry as well, as per trainableman's first suggestion, to
file:///C:\users\nigel\favorites\
exited and restarted - still the same result, favorites is showing my list of programs, and again the entry has reverted to
file:///C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs \

So no success so far. As this is win7 I don't believe I can uninstall and reinstall IE8.

Do I have to go back to my initial out-of-the-box configuration and start again? There is not a system restore point available for that, I guess I'd need to use the restore disc I created? Or perhaps not give up yet - any further ideas?

Thanks for the help guys
Nigel

If you right clcik one of your links, and select properties, what does it show as the path under "URL"

Hi

it doesn't show any URL, because it's not a link - it's a program! If I right click, say on "Adobe reader 9" I get the same right-click menu that I would do if I right clicked on the program list having opened it from the start menu.

In other words my IE8 favorites drop-down menu thinks it's the start menu. If I left click an entry, it just opens the program, exactly as it would from the program list

Bizarre or what?

Nigel

I'll attach a screenshot - you can see that Favorites contains the contents of my start menu program list, and behaves the same way