can't open mhtml files anymore

[xtguy]

I'm unable to open mhtml files that are on my hard drive. I get an
'Invalid Syntax" error.

This started after I installed one of Windows updates and discovered
that I could no longer set the background colors of web pages to my
preference. (I override the Windows default colors and use light gray
as the background color, black as the foreground (text) color. I also
have IE set to ignore colors/fonts sizes/font styles on webpages.)
Although I could change the foreground color, the background color was
always white whenever I had IE set to ignore colors on web pages, even
when I went in and selected a different background color. The setting
for background color would just be ignored. I could change the setting
for foreground color and that would be accepted.

I finally uninstalled IE 6 (using the control panel) and went back to
the IE5 browser that originally came with the Win2K that I'm running.
This fixed the problem with the background colors. I then went back to
the 'Windows Update' site and let IE6 be installed again. When it
finally rebooted, I had IE6 with background colors that I could set.
However, now I cannot open any mhtml files I had saved on my hard
drive.

If I try to save any pages on the web as mhtml files, I get a 'this
page could not be saved' error message.

I can still open up 'plain' html files on my own hard drive, but not
the 'archive' mhtml files.

I have a dual boot setup with two physical hard drives, one running
Win2K (with SP2) and the other running Win 98SE. I can still open up
the mhtml files if I drag them over to the hard drive that has Win 98
on it, and reboot under that OS. So there is nothing wrong with the
files themselves, just something wrong with this drive's installation
of IE.

I couldn't find anything via google, nor on Microsoft's knowledge
base.

 

[H Leboeuf]

Is this the issue?

This Web Page Could Not Be Saved
When you attempt to save a Web page using the Web Page, complete
(*.htm;*.html) or Web Archive, single file (*.mht) options in Internet
Explorer, you may receive the follow error message: Error Saving Web Page.
This Web page could not be saved.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=235589 (i. e. 5, 6. 5/10/2003)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
----


The probable cause is that the web page contains a link to a StyleSheet
which resides
on a different server than the one where the page is located. After some
recent
security update (MS02-023 Patch or later), Internet Explorer blocks access
to
StyleSheet code if the code is on a different domain/server.
This is why the page fails to be saved.

For more information about MS02-023, please see:
322928 MS02-023: Patch Available to Disable Frames in the Restricted Sites
Zone
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=322928

The following is an example:
=====================
1. Open the web site in Internet Explorer on a machine
where MS02-023 security patch or later (such as Internet Explorer 6 SP1) is
installed.

2. Select Internet Explorer File menu and select Save.
3. Leave 'Save as Type' to 'Web Page, complete (*.htm,*.html)

Before saving of the web page is complete, and error message appears:
"Error Saving Web Page: The Web page could not be saved to the selected
location".
You can click OK to close the message, but the page is not saved to disk.

If you do the same with for example everything
works perfectly.

ANALYSIS
========
The difference is that postimees.ee uses:
<ink rel="stylesheet"
href="http://194.204.30.64/postimees/styles/postimees.css">
and aflonbadet:
<LINK rel="stylesheet" type="TEXT/CSS"
href="http://www.aftonbladet.se/vss/sidhuvud/css/files/0,3590,bas,00.css">

194.204.30.64 is a different server than the current web page, while
www.aftonbladet.se is in the same sever.

To resolve the problem, you can inform the web site administrator to change
the StyleSheet location in the website.

Regards,
Hover Xue
Microsoft Partner Online Support

 

[xtguy]

Hello, thank you for responding.

No, this isn't the issue, I already found that KB article. The problem
started right after I uninstalled the IE6, going back to IE5 (that
originally came with my W2K installation CD).

While I do get the 'web page could not be saved' error, it happens on
every web page I try to save as mhtml. I also cannot open up any of
the mhtml files I have saved on my hard drive (that I had saved before
this problem started).

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

The problem started right after I uninstalled the IE6, going back to IE5

(that originally came with my W2K installation CD).

My guess is that you still have some IE6 level .dll in your system
which were not removed when IE6 was "uninstalled". The symptom
you are describing is one which occurred prior to the latest cumulative
update. For a start what version of mshtml.dll do you have now?

Here's a command which will allow you to see the list of versions contained
in a particular directory e.g. System32. Modify it to give paths to the script
and the output file if you like. In that case you may need to enclose both
filenames in doublequotes. Of course the assumption of the command
is that the output file does not exist before it is executed.

<command>
for %d in (*.dll) do cscript //NOLOGO GetVers.js %d >>GetVers.txt
</command>

Here's the script I'm using for that:

<GetVers.js>
arg = WScript.Arguments
objFSO = new ActiveXObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject");
WScript.Echo( arg(0), objFSO.GetFileVersion(arg(0)));
</GetVers.js>

Now, what I would do with the output is:

find "6.0.2" GetVers.txt

If it finds any modules which are 6.0.2600 or 6.0.2800 I would be
strongly suspicious that they were ones which were installed by IE6
or IE6sp1. Such discrepancies might account for your symptom.


HTH

Robert Aldwinckle
---

Hello, thank you for responding.

No, this isn't the issue, I already found that KB article. The problem
started right after I uninstalled the IE6, going back to IE5 (that
originally came with my W2K installation CD).

While I do get the 'web page could not be saved' error, it happens on
every web page I try to save as mhtml. I also cannot open up any of
the mhtml files I have saved on my hard drive (that I had saved before
this problem started).

....

 

[xtguy]

Robert:

the version of mshmt.dll I have is 6.0.2800.1106, just as you
suspected.

BTW, I ordered the IE6 SP1 CD from Microsoft, and upgraded the IE 5.01
on my Win 98SE drive, everything went smoothly. Then when I tried to
open an mhtml file, it had stopped working, and I got a 'file not
found' error.

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

when I tried to open an mhtml file, it had stopped working,

and I got a 'file not found' error.

All .mhtml files? Or just that one? Any more clues about that message?
E.g. is it an internal "file" link in the .mhtm file which is causing it
or is it a missing .dll? You might get some clues about the latter by
using FileMon (freeware from SysInternals).

Have you been to Windows Update yet to finish updating IE with the
latest cumulative security patch? That would give you the apparent
fix to .mht that I referrred to earlier.

One other thing it might be interesting to try if you have Outlook Express
(or even using your mail reader, though I don't know it) would be to rename
that .mht file to be .eml and see what OE makes of it.


Good luck

Robert
---

Robert:

the version of mshmt.dll I have is 6.0.2800.1106, just as you
suspected.

BTW, I ordered the IE6 SP1 CD from Microsoft, and upgraded the IE 5.01
on my Win 98SE drive, everything went smoothly. Then when I tried to
open an mhtml file, it had stopped working, and I got a 'file not
found' error.

....