PC Performance Clinic Blog

An Introduction to Internet Explorer

Windows Internet Explorer, also known as Microsoft Internet Explorer (MSIE or IE), is a type of graphical web browser developed by Microsoft. Today, It is the most popular web browser as over half of the world’s online population are still using Microsoft Internet Explorer to browse the Internet, enjoy all sorts of rich-media content and interact with the rest of the world. The latest version of Internet Explorer is IE 7.

Common Causes for Internet Explorer Problems

Internet Explorer is vulnerable to attacks brought over by malware on the Internet. Simply put, Internet Explorer is always on the frontline of your PC contacting the “wild wild web”. Therefore, IE is always the primary target for malware exploits. Besides being endangered by malware, Internet Explorer also suffers stability issues as being part of the Windows operating system. Particularly with conflicts and errors of Windows Registry settings, IE becomes unstable, crashes often, or loses Internet connections.

Tips to Fix Internet Explorer Errors?

It is often neglected that many issues with Internet Explorer are not caused by malware, especially if you are a responsible PC user who has anti-virus installed on your PC. The best solution to fix and put a stop to Internet Explorer (IE) errors is to always maintain a clean and optimized Windows Registry, which contains nothing but registry keys and values that are absolutely necessary and correct for the Windows operating system and legitimately installed applications.

The most effective, secure and feasible way to completely eliminate Internet Explorer errors is to use a reputable and trustworthy Windows Registry cleaning and optimization software such as RegCure.

When you attempt to view the source HTML of a web page in Internet Explorer it may not be displayed for several reasons. This article describes some of the common causes of this problem.

There are a number of reasons that the Internet Explorer View Source feature may not function correctly, below is a list of the most common causes.

1. Temporary Files Full
   When the Internet Explorer disk cache becomes full it may stop the View Source function from working. To resolve, open Internet Explorer and click “Tools” > “Internet Options” > “Delete Files”.
2. Cookie Folder Location
   This issue can also occur if your Cookies folder is located on an NTFS partition and you do not have at least Change permissions for the Cookies folder. To resolve, make sure your account has sufficient permissions on the Cookies folder.
3. Missing Notepad.exe
   The View Source function uses Notepad to display the HTML, if “notepad.exe” is missing from the Windows directory then it will not work. To resolve, ensure a copy of Notepad.exe is in the Windows directory.
4. Incomplete Page Download
   If you press the ESC key before the page has completed loading then the “View Source” menu item may not be displayed.
5. View Source Restriction
   The View Source function may have been restricted by your Administrator. To resolve, see the “NoViewSource” registry value in Internet Explorer Restrictions.
6. Invalid Temporary Directory
   You may also receive this error if the path specified for the TMP environment variable is invalid. To resolve, make sure that the TEMP directory is a valid directory and that there is sufficient space on the drive.
7. Invalid View Source Program
   If you have specified an alternate program to view the source code. To resolve, make sure that the alternate viewer is valid and operational.
8. Right-click disabled by Web Page
   Some web pages may implement a restriction to stop visitors from right-clicking on the web page. The source may still be viewed by clicking the main “View” menu, then “Source”.

Restart Internet Explorer for most of these changes to take effect.

If you use Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7 as your commonly used internet browser, you may experience problems with your home page setting. Your home page setting in Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7 may change unexpectedly, or you may be unable to change your home page setting in Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7. You may also find that after you set your own home page, after reboot your PC, the home page in Internet Explorer has been changed to a different web site. Your modification doesn’t take in effect.

There are several reasons why this Internet Explorer home page setting problem can happen. The first reason could be that your PC is infected with a spyware, adware, or a virus. The second reason is that you may have installed third party software which changed your Internet Explorer home page setting. The last reason is that you may also experience this Internet Explorer home page setting problem if your administrator configured your home page by using the Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK), by using Group Policy, by using System Policy, or by using manual registry settings such as a logon script.

According to different reasons there are different methods to solve the Internet Explorer home page setting problem.

Method 1. Use an anti-spyware or anti-virus software

If the cause of your Internet Explorer home page setting problem is because of malware. The only thing you can do is to install and run anti spyware and anti virus software. We recommend you use Pareto Logic Anti Spyware and MacroVirus Anti Virus Solution. After fixing your errors using the softwares, reboot your PC, and test your Internet Explorer again.

Method 2. Upgrade your Internet Explorer to Internet Explorer 7 if you are still using Internet Explorer 6 or earlier versions

If you are using Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 or an earlier version of Internet Explorer, upgrade to Windows Internet Explorer 7. Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP and Windows Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista have many security improvements that make Internet Explorer less susceptible to spyware and to malware. Typically, badly written add-ins can affect the browsing experience in Internet Explorer 7. RIES enables Internet Explorer 7 to recover from such situations.

To use RIES in Windows Internet Explorer 7, follow these steps:

Note If you cannot start Internet Explorer 7 for some reason, use RIES the Internet Options item in Control Panel.