Strange problem with Internet Explorer

[splooger]

For the past few days I've been unable to access links within Web pages even though my bookmarks work. I can navigate this site fine and other sites as long as the link points to the same Web site. But any link that leaves the Web site doesn't work and gives me no error message. The world icon in the upper right of the screen just keeps spinning. I can copy and paste the link on my address bar and edit it (by shortening it to go to the main page) so I can sometimes find the link. I'm using W98SE (latest version). Anyone have ideas?

[Duality]

Can you paste a link that won't work for you to give us an idea?

[splooger]

Here is an example of a link on this site that doesn't work:

http://www.illwinter.com/dom2/maps.html

If I copy and paste this link on my address bar and then shorten it to

http://www.illwinter.com , I can then navigate to maps.

Edit: I found I don't have to shorten this link and it works if I copy it on my address bar, but clicking on it on a web page doesn't work.

[TimElhajj]

The world icon in the upper right of the screen just keeps spinning.

I have a little flag in the upper right of mine. Maybe you should consider updating your browser? Or maybe win9x is different in this respect. It's really an odd problem.

[Jon R.]

Any major changes made to the browser in the last few days? Any 3rd party pop-up stoppers?

This sound like the problem at all?
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q281679

[splooger]

Any major changes made to the browser in the last few days? Any 3rd party pop-up stoppers?

This sound like the problem at all?
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q281679

That does sound like my problem. I don't remember changing anything other than using SpyBot Search and Destroy to lock the host files. I've reversed that but it still didn't solve my problem. Should I try to re-install IE? How do I go about that? I'm using a Dell OEM Windows install. Is there a safe way to do it without re-installing windows?

[Midnight Son]

http://www.mozilla.org/products/firefox/

It's time to move to a real browser.

[TimElhajj]

Any major changes made to the browser in the last few days? Any 3rd party pop-up stoppers?

This sound like the problem at all?
http://support.microsoft.com/default...;EN-US;q281679

That does sound like my problem. I don't remember changing anything other than using SpyBot Search and Destroy to lock the host files. I've reversed that but it still didn't solve my problem. Should I try to re-install IE? How do I go about that? I'm using a Dell OEM Windows install. Is there a safe way to do it without re-installing windows?

Did you do the thing in the kb article that Jon posted? I would try that first. If that doesn't work, go to windows update and let it scan your machine. If there is a new version of Ie available, you can upgrade. if not go to the windows update catalog and download your current version of Ie so you can reinstall.

[Jon R.]

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/win98/t1070752897

If this is the same issue you're experiencing, the 3rd post down with the peach background has the fixes listed more clearly.

[splooger]

I tried to reinstall and repair IE explorer but it didn't solve my problem. In fact, it made it worse because when I try to download the 2 critical updates that come up (service pack 1 and March 2002 security update) I get this every time:

EXPLORER caused an invalid page fault in
module RPCRT4.DLL at 0187:7fbd0894.
Registers:
EAX=05810673 CS=0187 EIP=7fbd0894 EFLGS=00010216
EBX=0580c538 SS=018f ESP=0580c358 EBP=0580c548
ECX=7713ee58 DS=018f ESI=00000484 FS=35d7
EDX=bff76855 ES=018f EDI=7713ef6e GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
ff 30 ff 75 d4 8d 85 1c fe ff ff 50 e8 cb 0b 00
Stack dump:
0580c850 00000000 00000000 0580c4a0 0580c388 00000000 00000000 0580c390 00000000 bff741f7 bffc9490 00000001 00000000 00000000 00000001 00000000

Before I tried to reinstall IE, IE was not even listed under Add/Remove Programs and attempting to repair by the above article did nothing. Does this have something to do with a Dell OEM version of windows? Am I completely hosed now?

[Jon R.]

You probably have to reboot after doing the regsvr32.exe deal.

I don't think you're completely hosed yet. Find where
ole32.dll
oleaut32.dll
and
rpcrt4.dll

are, and try to replace them with the same files from the W98 CD.

[splooger]

Reinstalling W98 has solved my problem but created another: now I can't download W98 updates. It give me an error of "software update incomplete."

[Jon R.]

Hopefully we'll get you squared away yet. http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=319585

W98 steps are near the bottom of the page.

[splooger]

Hopefully we'll get you squared away yet. http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=319585

W98 steps are near the bottom of the page.

Thanks for the link, but I followed those steps and I'm still getting the error :(

[Jon R.]

Look in Windows\Windows Update.log and see what it has to say about things.

Ok, so i'm thinking it's one of these things:

Maybe something screwed with IE's language settings. Add English to the list if it's empty.

Your clock is off. Update doesn't work right if your system clock is seriously off.

Firewall or anti-virus gumming up. Norton internet secuity products in particular will do weird things like cause WU to not work if you disable it in msconfig, as opposed to the program options.

You use W98. If none of these fit and you can't find a fix in the MS knowledgebase, this is probably it. This is a kicker. Not too long ago, MS said they weren't going to support it anymore. After some digging, i've heard a few times now that the Windows 98 pooch is screwed with Windows Update unless it's an install that's already been updated with it. Which is nice, since i'm sure we're all familliar with how quickly a 98 install decomposes.

[splooger]

Thanks for the tips Jon. I reistalled IE for the second time and for some reason this time it worked. (Seems like computers have a mind of their own sometimes.) I can now browse the web and was able to download 6 critical updates. The best solution would probably be to do a clean reformat (which I haven't done in about 2 years), but since I'm getting a new computer in a month or two I didn't think it was worth the time.