IE shows a blank screen when opened.

[Guest]

I am running Windows XP SP2, IE v. 6.0.2900.2180. For the past few days, I've
had a few problems with my computer. First, for school, I had to switch from
McAfee Security Center to the McAfee Enterprise they offer. Before this,
however, my McAfee wasn't downloading, and my windows update wasn't working.
This morning, IE all of a sudden stopped working. At first, when I opened it,
it asked if I wanted to save the page (google.com) as an HTM document. After
a while, it started opening, but a blank screen was shown. I have the
toolbars and everything, but the actual page is completely white no matter
which site I visit. I can see it finding the site, and it actually downloads
the site, but I still see a white screen. I can't access any menus within IE,
but I can get to the internet options outside of it. I've virus-scanner,
spyware/malware scanned and scandisked my laptop to the limit. I've been
working on this for a while now, and have tried the following:

1. Clearing the temporary internet files, cache, and history.
2. Resetting all IE options with internet options to default.
3. Reregistering IE files with IERegFix.
4. Running sfc /scannow.
5. Trying to reinstall IE through ie.inf.
4. Removing IE (as much as it can) through Add/Remove Windows Components,
and adding it again.
5. Downloading the ie6setup file.
5a. Originally, it said that "setup has detected a newer version of internet
explorer", but I fixed that by changing a registry key of IsInstalled to 0
instead of 1. Later I changed it back, but didn't get the message again.
5b. Now I get the message: A previous installation has pending work
requiring a reboot. I've tried to changing the registry key again and pretty
much all the steps above, but still to no avail. There was also another
command in run, "regsvr32 urlmon.dll" that I tried as well.
6. What I thought would be a last-ditch effort but would surely work:
Reinstalling Service Pack 2. Didn't work.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. I'm using firefox right now, but I
definitely want IE back, especially for windows update, which I'll probably
need soon, since our network at school prevents us from logging on (by using
Clean Access Agent) unless we're completely updated. Thanks again in advance
for any help.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

I am running Windows XP SP2, IE v. 6.0.2900.2180. For the past few
days, I've had a few problems with my computer. First, for school, I
had to switch from McAfee Security Center to the McAfee Enterprise
they offer. Before this, however, my McAfee wasn't downloading, and
my windows update wasn't working. This morning, IE all of a sudden
stopped working. At first, when I opened it, it asked if I wanted to
save the page (google.com) as an HTM document. After a while, it
started opening, but a blank screen was shown. I have the toolbars
and everything, but the actual page is completely white no matter
which site I visit. I can see it finding the site, and it actually
downloads the site, but I still see a white screen. I can't access
any menus within IE, but I can get to the internet options outside of
it. I've virus-scanner, spyware/malware scanned and scandisked my
laptop to the limit. I've been working on this for a while now, and
have tried the following:

1. Clearing the temporary internet files, cache, and history.
2. Resetting all IE options with internet options to default.
3. Reregistering IE files with IERegFix.
4. Running sfc /scannow.
5. Trying to reinstall IE through ie.inf.
4. Removing IE (as much as it can) through Add/Remove Windows
Components, and adding it again.
5. Downloading the ie6setup file.
5a. Originally, it said that "setup has detected a newer version of
internet explorer", but I fixed that by changing a registry key of
IsInstalled to 0 instead of 1. Later I changed it back, but didn't
get the message again. 5b. Now I get the message: A previous
installation has pending work requiring a reboot. I've tried to
changing the registry key again and pretty much all the steps above,
but still to no avail. There was also another command in run,
"regsvr32 urlmon.dll" that I tried as well.
6. What I thought would be a last-ditch effort but would surely work:
Reinstalling Service Pack 2. Didn't work.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. I'm using firefox right now,
but I definitely want IE back, especially for windows update, which
I'll probably need soon, since our network at school prevents us from
logging on (by using Clean Access Agent) unless we're completely
updated. Thanks again in advance for any help.

From http://www.fjsmjs.com/OE/nolinks.htm

1. Click Start, and then click Run.

2. In the Open box, type:

regsvr32 urlmon.dll

3. Click OK, and then click OK again when you receive the following message:

DllRegisterServer in urlmon.dll succeeded.


4. If that doesn't fix it, see this article:

http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers/26.html

5. If you are using WinXP try this:
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/reg/IE_Default_Browser.reg

6. See Internet Explorer 6.0 Service Pack 1 may display a blank Web page
after you select Auto-Select encoding
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/870863

You can also try this:

Go to Start/run, and type SFC (msconfig for WinXP).
Choose 'Extract One File From Installation Disk' ("Expand File" for WinXP).
Type oleaut32.dll, not worrying about its location. Then, click Start.

Next to 'Restore From', type in or browse for the file's location, which is
probably in the Win98 (i386 for WinXP) folder of your installation CD-ROM
(typically D:\Win98), or in your Windows\Options\Cabs (Windows\i386 for
WinXP) folder, as the case may be.

Then, next to 'Save File In', enter C:\Windows\System (C:\Windows\System32
for WinXP), and click OK. System File Checker (or msconfig) looks for the
file, saves it as you requested, and then tells you that 'the file has been
successfully extracted'.

You may need to reboot.

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM
Please respond in Newsgroup. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

 

[Guest]

Thanks for your quick response.

1/2/3. I already tried this step before, but I tried it again and it didn’t
work even after I restarted my computer.

4. I tried every single step in the article that applied to XP, and nothing
helped.

5. I tried the link – I think it reset IE as my default browser, but problem
still exists.

6. This is an interesting one; I hope it provides some clue as to what’s
wrong. When I read the MS article, it said to go the view>encoding menu in
explorer and click auto-select. Well, auto-select wasn’t an option. The only
option was “None.†I also tried the other steps in this article.

I tried the last step, but for some reason my folder C:\windows\i386 doesn’t
exist, so I just used c:\i386 instead. It appeared to work, but after a
reboot I still had the problem.

I don’t know if I somehow uninstalled parts of IE, but since it appears to
just be loading pages and not displaying them, that might be what happened.
So, if there’s a way I can reinstall it, that might work. However, like I
said before, when I try to reinstall/repair, I get an error that says I have
previous work pending from another installation, so I don’t know how to avoid
that.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

Sorry nothing worked. As far as the i386 location, I just said it's usually
in C:\Windows. It's up to the manufacturer.

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

I am running Windows XP SP2, IE v. 6.0.2900.2180. For the past few days, I've
had a few problems with my computer. First, for school, I had to switch from
McAfee Security Center to the McAfee Enterprise they offer. Before this,
however, my McAfee wasn't downloading, and my windows update wasn't working.
This morning, IE all of a sudden stopped working. At first, when I opened it,
it asked if I wanted to save the page (google.com) as an HTM document.

That could suggest that your File Types association for HTTP is corrupt.
(E.g. having a default action of Print instead of Open.)
Check it by Run... control folders
Repair it by Run... regsvr32 /i shdocvw.dll
(See also the list of re-registrations given by KB831429 for Windows 2000)

After a while, it started opening, but a blank screen was shown.

Perhaps something else is running, stealing cycles?
Check for that with Task Manager's Processes tab
or with SysInternals Process Explorer.

I have the
toolbars and everything, but the actual page is completely white no matter
which site I visit. I can see it finding the site, and it actually downloads
the site, but I still see a white screen. I can't access any menus within IE,

The white screen would be consistent with the idea that there's
a problem with file associations or (less likely) that something
is interfering with IE's network access.

The inability to use menus I think could also be at least partly
explained by interference but more likely I suspect implies
that there is something corrupt about your install.

What happens if you Run... iexplore.exe -nohome
and then press Esc?

Also, do your symptoms change at all if you try to open
a file locally, thereby bypassing any network access issues?

but I can get to the internet options outside of it.

Good. Use that to disable all third-party extensions.
E.g. either using the XPsp2 Manage Add-ons tool
(on Programs tab) or by unchecking
Enable third-party browser extensions (requires restart)
(Advanced tab, Browsing section)
and change your Home Page temporarily to About:Blank


Also, if you don't have any other diagnostics you could use its
View Files... of the TIF to see what all is being downloaded
when it "actually downloads the site". E.g. use View Details
and View Icons by Last Accessed to see exactly what else
was loaded (assuming it was all cached.)

Or use FiddlerTool or Ethereal to capture the complete
HTTP packet exchange.

I've virus-scanner,
spyware/malware scanned and scandisked my laptop to the limit. I've been
working on this for a while now, and have tried the following:

1. Clearing the temporary internet files, cache, and history.
2. Resetting all IE options with internet options to default.
3. Reregistering IE files with IERegFix.
4. Running sfc /scannow.
5. Trying to reinstall IE through ie.inf.
4. Removing IE (as much as it can) through Add/Remove Windows Components,
and adding it again.

Notice the size of the component when you do that? ; )
Notice the Description? All it does essentially is hide some icons.

5. Downloading the ie6setup file.

This is inappropriate for your OS and version. Ref. KB318378.

5a. Originally, it said that "setup has detected a newer version of internet
explorer", but I fixed that by changing a registry key of IsInstalled to 0
instead of 1. Later I changed it back, but didn't get the message again.
5b. Now I get the message: A previous installation has pending work
requiring a reboot. I've tried to changing the registry key again and pretty
much all the steps above, but still to no avail. There was also another
command in run, "regsvr32 urlmon.dll" that I tried as well.
6. What I thought would be a last-ditch effort but would surely work:
Reinstalling Service Pack 2. Didn't work.

Perhaps there would be some clues then in that package's install log?


What was the state of the McAfee software when you were trying this?
Such software is known to interfere with installs and updates occasionally.

Any help would greatly be appreciated. I'm using firefox right now, but I
definitely want IE back, especially for windows update, which I'll probably
need soon, since our network at school prevents us from logging on (by using
Clean Access Agent) unless we're completely updated. Thanks again in advance
for any help.

BTW excellent symptom description. (A rare pleasure. <w>)


Good luck

Robert Aldwinckle
---

 

[Guest]

Thanks again for the help. I check file associations, and it seemed fine, but
then ran regsvr32 /i shdocvw.dll anyway and rebooted. Then I checked task
manager processes, and everything there was normal (I recognized most of the
processes and looked up the ones I didn't). There weren't that many that took
a large amount of memory, so it's not that. I agree that there's something
probably wrong with my install, but I don't know how to fix it, since I can't
figure out how to repair IE (Reinstalling SP2 didn't work again, even with
all other programs closed, even McAfee). Also, running iexplore.exe -nohome
gave the same result.

When I opened a local file, I still have the same problem, so its definitely
the browser, not the connection. Disabling third-party extensions didn't help
either, even with a restart. Finally, I ran fiddlertool and logged the data
in a zip, but I don't know how to post that. I sent it in a email to you at
techemail. Also, if it helps, I also now have a problem with Outlook that
started today. Originally, it was just that I couldn't view HTML files
because of the corrupt IE. Now, I get an error when I open it.

"The add-in "C:\Program Files\Metamail Inc\Metamail Reader\UTCExch.dll"
could not be installed or loaded. This problem may be resolved by using
Detect and Repair on the Help menu." Also, in the program, it keeps asking me
if I want to save files, such as:

Name: mso2C.tmp
Type: Unknown File Type
From: outlook:today

or

Name: mso2E.tmp
Type: Unknown File Type, 15 bytes
From: outlook:search%folders%unread%mail

Anywho, when I try "Detect and Repair on the Help Menu", it loads Windows
Installer and configures Office. It says Microsoft Office 2003 Professional
Edition installed successfully, but I still get the same problems. Well,
that's about it. BTW, you mentioned possibly checking SP2's install log.
Where would that be?

Thanks again!

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

A Google search for UTCExch.dll doesn't find anything.
You may be infested with malware.
Systematically go through the steps at this site:
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
also see
http://www.bleepingcomputer.com/forums/forum55.html

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

Thanks again for the help. I check file associations, and it seemed fine, but
then ran regsvr32 /i shdocvw.dll anyway and rebooted. Then I checked task
manager processes, and everything there was normal (I recognized most of the
processes and looked up the ones I didn't). There weren't that many that took
a large amount of memory, so it's not that.

Other statistics to look at are CPU% and I/O counts. Etc.

I agree that there's something
probably wrong with my install, but I don't know how to fix it, since I can't
figure out how to repair IE (Reinstalling SP2 didn't work again, even with
all other programs closed, even McAfee).

Reinstalling would trump a repair, provided it was clean
and provided the renaming of the copies of the system modules
actually occurred during the reboot which the install requires.


KB318378 wants to make us believe that sfc /scannow provides
an IE Repair function but when I tested it (using RegMon as an
evaluation) I didn't see any traditional registry "repair" being carried out.
I suspect if it happens it happens only when a module is actually replaced.
I didn't bother trying to delete any key modules to test this hypothesis. ; }

Also, running iexplore.exe -nohome
gave the same result.

It's the Esc (Stop) afterwards which I would have been interested in.
Just running the above command stops IE before any customizations
are applied. When I press Esc after that I notice (for example)
my toolbar choices.

When I opened a local file, I still have the same problem, so its definitely
the browser, not the connection. Disabling third-party extensions didn't help
either, even with a restart. Finally, I ran fiddlertool and logged the data
in a zip, but I don't know how to post that. I sent it in a email to you at
techemail.

Ok. I was actually just suggesting it to you as a way of monitoring
whether anything was happening. E.g. if some of the image files
from the page are also being requested you know that at least
some of the rendering process has been started. Further, if you have
another identical system which is working you can compare traces
with it and understand exactly when the blockage is occurring.

Another trick that I use along the same line of breaking down the
rendering process is to do what I call "maximal prompting" using
the Custom Level Security options. E.g. if you were getting
prompts about Scripting etc. you would know that at least it was
getting that far.

However, I must thank you for introducing me to the FiddlerTool archive
feature. That is really neat. I can even replay a file from the archive
by specifying to use IE to open the file. (e.g. using that ... button beside
View in Notepad at the bottom of the TextView tab)

Also, if it helps, I also now have a problem with Outlook that
started today. Originally, it was just that I couldn't view HTML files
because of the corrupt IE. Now, I get an error when I open it.

"The add-in "C:\Program Files\Metamail Inc\Metamail Reader\UTCExch.dll"
could not be installed or loaded. This problem may be resolved by using
Detect and Repair on the Help menu."

Unless this is something that you have knowingly installed
I agree with Frank. I think that this could represent a malware infection.

Try a search?

http://www.metamail.com/FAQs.html

(MSN search for
metamail outlook
)

<quote>
Q: Error message appears when launching Microsoft Outlook

[image of the message you transcribed - followed by a 10 step registry hack]

Also, in the program, it keeps asking me
if I want to save files, such as:

Name: mso2C.tmp
Type: Unknown File Type
From: outlook:today

or

Name: mso2E.tmp
Type: Unknown File Type, 15 bytes
From: outlook:search%folders%unread%mail

Anywho, when I try "Detect and Repair on the Help Menu", it loads Windows
Installer and configures Office. It says Microsoft Office 2003 Professional
Edition installed successfully, but I still get the same problems.

If the above article and site (which I know nothing else about)
don't help you I suggest you try a newsgroup which specializes
in Outlook since I suspect it be more likely to be familiar with
this product, its problems and solutions.

Well,
that's about it. BTW, you mentioned possibly checking SP2's install log.
Where would that be?

I don't know. I think it's called svcpack.log but what I always do
instead of relying on my memory of log file naming conventions
is use Search Companion to search for all files which changed
on the day of the update, then sort them by Date Modified.
Since the update typically runs in a few minutes any files associated
with it are usually grouped together within that time interval in the results list.

Thanks again!

Good luck

Robert
---

 

[Guest]

Andy,

I have been closely monitoring your thread based on the fact that I have
also been identically corrupted with the symptoms you described. To no
avail...I've unsuccessfully tested and tried just about everything "under the
sun".

At this point, I'm hoping that you'll respond and tell me that you were
finally successful in finding a resolve...and share the golden solution with
me.

Any luck yet?

Troy ("Sharing your pain and frustration")

 

[Will]

I too have the identical symptoms you describe. I was unable to fix it
the first time as I thought it was due to my turning off the computer
while it was still running outlook but now after reinstalling
everything I have the same problem. Interestingly, it was running fine
until yesterday (for several days) when I installed both google earth
and the HP 5510 driver and image software (from google and the HP
website) and though the machine kept running yesterday this morning
when I turned it on it didn't work. I had not rebooted since
installing either software. I've now uninstalled both (but not yet
rebooted) and the problem still exists.

As a guess it seems to me that anything that streams HTML is affected.
Quite a number of programs don't work as the window remains blank
(Norton Antivirus, for one). I can view messages that are in plain
text in Outlook but nothing with HTML in them (a dialog box opens that
says "Can't open this item. The text formatting command is not
available. It may not be installed correctly. Please install Outlook
again" - reintalling doesn't help). Starting Outlook or redisplaying
the inbox/today/outbox... views result in a dialog box that says
something about an invalid msoxx.tmp file type and asks whether to open
or save it. IE resolves the name of the website but then the entire
window goes blank.

Because Norton AV is affected I can't run it on my drive to see if that
will cure it. My Norton AV is up to date (last AV update done a couple
days ago) and has been running since shortly after my machine was
rebuilt last week.

This message is being sent from inside my VMWare machine which, of
course, has not been affected.

 

[Will]

I finally broke down and did a repair install of XP. This cured the
symptom though I had to reinstall all MS updates again. Everything
else (applications, drivers) seemed to be left intact.

 

[keithlakey]

I hope this thread continues to a resolution.
I have the same symptoms

First, My config info:

XPPro 5.1.2600 all current hotfixes.
Office 2002 with all updates
Iexplorer.exe 6.0.2900.2180
Frontpage 2003 w SP2
Firefox 1.5.0.1

I have two additional symptoms:
Outlook 2002's Preview screen displays only text emails.
Files that are not viewable by the preview screen give
the "text formatting command" error when double clicked.

CHM type Help files are affected.
Inside these help files you get the typical controls on the left,
but the right side stays blank. There are no errors with this symptom.

Inside IE6, if I select Internet Options, I get no response, and no
error. I can Open Internet Options via Control Panel. From there
I disabled all add-ons and set Security Zone Levels to Low.
I made a clean boot (If there is such a thing any more). Using
Sysinternals autoruns. I stopped all services I know to be
unnecessary, turned off AV, removed all printer drivers. I
un/reinstalled
IE6 via the add/remove applet. (which appears to disable rather
than uninstall IE6).

My Firefox 1.501 is not affected. In fact I've seen no symptoms
in any non-microsoft software I use. (I use AVG antivirus. I do not
use Norton or McAfee AV.) Interesting enough, FrontPage 2003
Has no symptom.

Nothing in the Application or System Event log seems related to
these symptoms. Dependency Walker doesn't see anything wrong with
Iexplore.exe or Outlook.

It would be interesting to find out specific details on what was
causing this
symptom in Outlook's earlier versions.
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;Q235244

keithl

 

[Cosmo]

Tools>options>other tab> advanced options button>Add in Manager>uncheck
the UTC box.

That solved me Metamail message when opening outlook.