Internet Explorer - Work Offline/Try Again -- MAKE IT STOP!!!

[jp]

SHORT QUESTION:

Often in Internet Explorer, when I click on a link, a
window pops up and says "Work Offline", and it has two
buttons: "Work Offline" and "Try Again".

I can NOT make it stop doing this. I have tried
*EVERYTHING* (see lots of notes below!)

I did not have this problem for about a year, it just
stared one day. Is there anyway to just *DISABLE* the
stupid Work Offline feature in Internet Explorer
permanently? I have never ever used the stupid thing! I
just want to kill it off forever so it never ever asks me
this ever again!

Thanks!!!




LONG QUESTION:

THE FULL MESSAGE I receive is as follows:

Work Offline

No connection to the Internet is currently available. To
view Internet content that has been saved on your
computer, click Work Offline.

Click Try Again to attempt to connect.

[Work Offline] [Try Again]



MY SYSTEM CONFIGURATION:

All Windows Updates installed.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.2800.1106, Service Pack 1

Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Service Pack 4, Build 2195
(I was just going to run Windows 2000 Pro, but only had
the AS version CD around at the time I built my computer.
I did NOT have this problem for about a year, so the
version of the OS is NOT what is causing it!)

Microsoft Office 2003.

RAM: 512 MB
HDs: 40 GB and 80 GB, many gigs free on each.

Dell Dimension 4400, latest BIOS, version A06

Cable modem, plugged it in once about a year ago, have
never had any problems.

Even when IE gives the error, I can run Netscape or Opera
and surf the web no problem. I can check e-mail no
problem. I can ping servers no problem. So the problem is
not with the connection, it is ONLY with Internet Explorer.



VIRUSES:

I run Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition version 8.1,
virus defs are current as of today. I have fully scanned
both hard drives and there are no viruses.


SPYWARE, ADWARE, SCUMWARE

I run Ad-Aware 6 Pro, version 6.181, and Reference File is
current as of today. It finds no spyware, adware,
scumware, etc.

I also run Spybot Search and Destroy v1.2, it is up to
date, and it also finds no spyware, adware, scumware, etc.



THINGS I HAVE TRIED IN ORDER TO FIX

Doing a search on Google and Google Groups for "Work
Offline" I can see that LOTS of other people are having
the same problem -- and have for years, perhaps back all
the way to version 4 of Internet Explorer.

Based on lots of reading online, here are things I have
tried:


IE CONNECTION
Internet Explorer -> Tools -> Internet Options... ->
Connections -> LAN Settings -> Automatically Detect
Settings.

I have tried toggling this checkbox and the others,
rebooting, trying every variation on the Connection
Wizard, etc, etc. Nothing I change anywhere in here has
any effect on the problem.


REPAIR INTERNET EXPLORER
I can NOT directly Repair IE because of some crazy thing
Microsoft did. Once you install Windows 2000 Service Pack
4, you have to first UNINSTALL the service pack, in order
to be able to Repair IE. As much as it sucks, I did go
thru the whole process of uninstalling SP4, repairing IE,
and reinstalling SP4, and all the other Microsoft fixes
that then need to be reinstalled. That did NOT fix the
problem!
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;277624


LOADWC.EXE
A number of people have reported that renaming the
LOADWC.exe file solves the problem for them. I do NOT even
have this file on any of my hard drives.


SENS.DLL, SENSAPI.DLL, AND SENSCFG.DLL
Renaming these files fixes for some people. But when I
renamed them and rebooted, Windows Explorer would never
load and I could never see my desktop. Scary stuff, so
that really did not fix for me!


REGISTRY TWEAK
A number of people have reported that adjusting the
following 2 registry entries fixes the problem for them. I
have tried changing both of them to yes, no, and auto, and
rebooting each time, and the problem always stays the same.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersi
on\WebCheck]
"LoadSens"="auto"
"LoadLCE"="auto"


MICROSOFT SUGGESTION
Internet Explorer Starts in Offline Mode and Remains
Offline
[But this only lists IE 4 under Windows 98, not IE 6 or
Windows 2000]
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;180946




MY QUESTION AGAIN
Does anyone know a way to permanently disable the Work
Offline feature in IE?? That would presumably fix this
problem. Or if you have any other suggestions, I -- and
many other people -- would greatly appreciate it!!

Thanks in advance!








Here are a few references:

http://forums.techguy.org/t97874/s349bbe3e2cc6cdc9d99149808
071ba3d.html

http://forums.techguy.org/t64744/s.html

http://www.opentechsupport.net/forums/archive/topic/14971-
1.html

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,3951109~root=s
ympat~mode=flat

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,4368679~root=w
inme~mode=flat

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&frame=right&th=13a833494ddbedac&seekm=vj2595lpkq
ckfc%40corp.supernews.com#s

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&frame=right&th=4854d3ff493e689e&seekm=uH3kiEFUDH
A.3796%40tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl#s


http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&threadm=%23XH4Tn1YCHA.1860%
40tkmsftngp08&rnum=6&prev=/groups%3Fnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%
26lr%3D%26ie%3DISO-8859-1%26safe%3Doff%26q%3Dsens.dll%
2Bsensapi.dll%2Bsenscfg.dll%26sa%3DN%26tab%3Dwg



Here are about 500 people having the same sort of
problem...

http://groups.google.com/groups?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-
8859-1&safe=off&scoring=d&q=%22work+offline%22+%
22try+again%22+error+windows

 

[H Leboeuf]

"Page Cannot be Displayed" or "Web Page Unavailable Offline" When You Browse
to Http://Localhost
When you try to browse to http://localhost, Microsoft Internet Explorer may
prompt you to "Work Offline" or "Try Again." If you click Work Offline, you
may receive an "Web page unavailable offline" message, and if you click Try
Again, you may receive a "Page cannot be displayed" message.
http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=290766
--

Other issues on this page.
http://www.generation.net/~hleboeuf/webpages.htm

Henri Leboeuf
Web page: http://www.generation.net/~hleboeuf/index.htm

SHORT QUESTION:

Often in Internet Explorer, when I click on a link, a
window pops up and says "Work Offline", and it has two
buttons: "Work Offline" and "Try Again".

I can NOT make it stop doing this. I have tried
*EVERYTHING* (see lots of notes below!)

I did not have this problem for about a year, it just
stared one day. Is there anyway to just *DISABLE* the
stupid Work Offline feature in Internet Explorer
permanently? I have never ever used the stupid thing! I
just want to kill it off forever so it never ever asks me
this ever again!

Thanks!!!




LONG QUESTION:

THE FULL MESSAGE I receive is as follows:

Work Offline

No connection to the Internet is currently available. To
view Internet content that has been saved on your
computer, click Work Offline.

Click Try Again to attempt to connect.

[Work Offline] [Try Again]



MY SYSTEM CONFIGURATION:

All Windows Updates installed.

Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0.2800.1106, Service Pack 1

Windows 2000 Advanced Server, Service Pack 4, Build 2195
(I was just going to run Windows 2000 Pro, but only had
the AS version CD around at the time I built my computer.
I did NOT have this problem for about a year, so the
version of the OS is NOT what is causing it!)

Microsoft Office 2003.

RAM: 512 MB
HDs: 40 GB and 80 GB, many gigs free on each.

Dell Dimension 4400, latest BIOS, version A06

Cable modem, plugged it in once about a year ago, have
never had any problems.

Even when IE gives the error, I can run Netscape or Opera
and surf the web no problem. I can check e-mail no
problem. I can ping servers no problem. So the problem is
not with the connection, it is ONLY with Internet Explorer.



VIRUSES:

I run Symantec AntiVirus Corporate Edition version 8.1,
virus defs are current as of today. I have fully scanned
both hard drives and there are no viruses.


SPYWARE, ADWARE, SCUMWARE

I run Ad-Aware 6 Pro, version 6.181, and Reference File is
current as of today. It finds no spyware, adware,
scumware, etc.

I also run Spybot Search and Destroy v1.2, it is up to
date, and it also finds no spyware, adware, scumware, etc.



THINGS I HAVE TRIED IN ORDER TO FIX

Doing a search on Google and Google Groups for "Work
Offline" I can see that LOTS of other people are having
the same problem -- and have for years, perhaps back all
the way to version 4 of Internet Explorer.

Based on lots of reading online, here are things I have
tried:


IE CONNECTION
Internet Explorer -> Tools -> Internet Options... ->
Connections -> LAN Settings -> Automatically Detect
Settings.

I have tried toggling this checkbox and the others,
rebooting, trying every variation on the Connection
Wizard, etc, etc. Nothing I change anywhere in here has
any effect on the problem.


REPAIR INTERNET EXPLORER
I can NOT directly Repair IE because of some crazy thing
Microsoft did. Once you install Windows 2000 Service Pack
4, you have to first UNINSTALL the service pack, in order
to be able to Repair IE. As much as it sucks, I did go
thru the whole process of uninstalling SP4, repairing IE,
and reinstalling SP4, and all the other Microsoft fixes
that then need to be reinstalled. That did NOT fix the
problem!
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-
US;277624


LOADWC.EXE
A number of people have reported that renaming the
LOADWC.exe file solves the problem for them. I do NOT even
have this file on any of my hard drives.


SENS.DLL, SENSAPI.DLL, AND SENSCFG.DLL
Renaming these files fixes for some people. But when I
renamed them and rebooted, Windows Explorer would never
load and I could never see my desktop. Scary stuff, so
that really did not fix for me!


REGISTRY TWEAK
A number of people have reported that adjusting the
following 2 registry entries fixes the problem for them. I
have tried changing both of them to yes, no, and auto, and
rebooting each time, and the problem always stays the same.

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersi
on\WebCheck]
"LoadSens"="auto"
"LoadLCE"="auto"


MICROSOFT SUGGESTION
Internet Explorer Starts in Offline Mode and Remains
Offline
[But this only lists IE 4 under Windows 98, not IE 6 or
Windows 2000]
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-
us;180946




MY QUESTION AGAIN
Does anyone know a way to permanently disable the Work
Offline feature in IE?? That would presumably fix this
problem. Or if you have any other suggestions, I -- and
many other people -- would greatly appreciate it!!

Thanks in advance!








Here are a few references:

http://forums.techguy.org/t97874/s349bbe3e2cc6cdc9d99149808
071ba3d.html

http://forums.techguy.org/t64744/s.html

http://www.opentechsupport.net/forums/archive/topic/14971-
1.html

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,3951109~root=s
ympat~mode=flat

http://www.broadbandreports.com/forum/remark,4368679~root=w
inme~mode=flat

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&frame=right&th=13a833494ddbedac&seekm=vj2595lpkq
ckfc%40corp.supernews.com#s

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&frame=right&th=4854d3ff493e689e&seekm=uH3kiEFUDH
A.3796%40tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl#s


http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-
8&safe=off&threadm=%23XH4Tn1YCHA.1860%
40tkmsftngp08&rnum=6&prev=/groups%3Fnum%3D100%26hl%3Den%
26lr%3D%26ie%3DISO-8859-1%26safe%3Doff%26q%3Dsens.dll%
2Bsensapi.dll%2Bsenscfg.dll%26sa%3DN%26tab%3Dwg



Here are about 500 people having the same sort of
problem...

http://groups.google.com/groups?num=100&hl=en&lr=&ie=ISO-
8859-1&safe=off&scoring=d&q=%22work+offline%22+%
22try+again%22+error+windows

 

[jp]

Thanks but this happens when I visit any page on the internet, not a
page running on IIS locally on my computer. I have even shut off the
World Wide Web Publishing Service on my computer.

Any idea how to totally, permanently, disable the Work Offline
'feature' of Internet Explorer?

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

You can't disable it. It represents a configuration error.
Fix the error.

< http://www.mvps.org/inetexplorer/answers4.htm#offline_dsl >

 

[jp]

Robert -

Thanks for your response.

I believe I have tried every fix on your web site -- see my original post.

What do you mean by "Fix the error?"

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

Robert -

Thanks for your response.

I believe I have tried every fix on your web site -- see my original post.

What do you mean by "Fix the error?"

You haven't given any details but for example, if you have an old version
of Enternet you could perhaps look for an update or, if you have XP
use its PPPoE driver or, if your software allows it use Bob Carrick's
suggestion of using Dial on Demand.


Robert
---

 

[jp]

Robert -

I believe I gave an extremely detailed description of the problem I am
experiencing, details of my Operating System, and the rest of my
system configuration. Please see my entire original message.

If you mean an old version of "Ethernet" I have the latest drivers for
my NIC, as well as all updates for my OS.

As I said in my original message I use a cable modem -- which does not
use dial up or PPP.

Any other suggestions?

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

Robert -

I believe I gave an extremely detailed description of the problem I am
experiencing, details of my Operating System, and the rest of my
system configuration. Please see my entire original message.

You still haven't given any information about your communication
software. I also doubt that you understood what was meant by
Dial-on-Demand, assuming you looked at it.

Perhaps a Google search will help?
EnterNet PPPoE "cable modem"

If you mean an old version of "Ethernet" I have the latest drivers for
my NIC, as well as all updates for my OS.

Read it again above: EnterNet

As I said in my original message I use a cable modem -- which does not
use dial up or PPP.

Which doesn't clarify whether it is PPPoE.

Any other suggestions?

Try a newsgroup which specializes in communications for your OS.


Good luck

Robert
---

 

[jp]

You still haven't given any information about your communication
software. I also doubt that you understood what was meant by
Dial-on-Demand, assuming you looked at it.

Perhaps a Google search will help?
EnterNet PPPoE "cable modem"

When I received my cable modem I did not install "EnterNet" or any
other software at all.

Can you please tell me what Dial-on-Demand is, and how it is used by a
cable modem. Could you also tell me how you know when you are using
Dial-on-Demand with your cable modem?

I believe Comcast took down the MAC address of my NIC, and my cable
service is tied to that MAC address, not to a username and password,
as I believe is required for PPPoE. Is a username and password
required for PPPoE? I have never entered them.

The cable modem I am using is a Toshiba PCX1100U. If you go to this
page...

http://www.toshiba.com/taisnpd/support/downloads.html

....and click on User's Manual (PDF), you can see on Page 15:

Q: Where can I download the driver for cable modem?
A: When using the 10BASE-T interface, the cable modem is a stand-alone
device that has a 10BASE-T Port. All workstations or hub must have a
10BASE-T port or card to connect to the cable modem. In this case,
there is no special driver needed on the workstation.

I installed no software and have never entered a username or password
to be able to access my Comcast cable service via my Toshiba cable
modem.

Read it again above: EnterNet

As I detailed above, I have never installed "EnterNet" or any other
software to be able to access my cable connection, nor have I entered
a username or password.

Which doesn't clarify whether it is PPPoE.

I do not believe I use PPPoE. How do you know if you are using PPPoE
with a cable modem?

Try a newsgroup which specializes in communications for your OS.

As I detailed in my original message, the problem is with the web
browser Microsoft Internet Explorer, not with my OS, Microsoft Windows
2000.

In fact, go to Google Groups and search for:

"work offline" "try again"

Google Groups just reported:

Results 1 - 100 of about 2,580

A quick look and you can see the problem goes back to Internet
Explorer version 5 and back to at least Windows 98. Presumably with
thousands of people discussing it on Groups, there are many thousands
more suffering from the same problems.


Any idea how to make Internet Explorer never go Offline?

 

[Robert Aldwinckle]

When I received my cable modem I did not install "EnterNet" or any
other software at all.

Ok. Perhaps we can explain your symptom in terms of DHCP
or your firewall then. Your link has greatly clarified things for me.

....

http://www.toshiba.com/taisnpd/support/downloads.html
....
I installed no software and have never entered a username or password
to be able to access my Comcast cable service via my Toshiba cable
modem.

Did the issue about "Host name" ("If you are having trouble making an
Internet Connection, ...", page 29) apply to you?

Can you use the built-in local pages for diagnostics? E.g. page 29
shows Internet Status.

Since you haven't installed any software I guess this means that you
don't have the enhanced security package(?) but its Reports (page 37)
might have been useful also.

....

....
Any idea how to make Internet Explorer never go Offline?

Let's check: is IE really going offline? Use the File menu
and see if Work Offline is checked; otherwise you are
still missing my point. If IE doesn't know that there is an Internet
connection it has to give you a choice: Work Offline? or Retry?
In the case of a dial-up link this gives the user the opportunity to make
a manual connection before clicking on Retry (if they don't want to browse
from the TIF.) In the case of broadband links it seems to be sufficient
just to click Retry (in the case of PPPoE or DHCP perhaps that is just
the timing of getting an IP adddress set up).

Your problem therefore is to figure out if there is something that you
can do to make IE see that there is a link that it can use. Then you
won't see the message window that you are complaining about.

When this issue first came up diagnostics were very limited,
especially with Win9x users. One of the suggestions I made
to NTx users was to see if there were any clues from doing
ipconfig /all
and then
nslookup
before trying to make IE open an Internet connection.

The first command might show that there wasn't an Internet connection
which would explain the symptom. In your case that will be less likely
because of your firewall. However, perhaps you can use that Internet
status page that I mentioned as a complementary diagnostic.

The second command might establish an Internet connection
and then you could use IE to see if it was aware of the connection
by not giving you the message.

For most people this problem apparently only happened on the
first connection. If that is your case too and you can't find any
better way to make IE aware that there is a link ready you might
want to try something as simple as putting that nslookup command
into your Startup procedures via a command file.


HTH

Robert
---

 

[jp]

I have found and fixed the problem on my system.

In my Services control panel, when I stop "Routing and Remote Access"
I never ever see the [Work Offline] [Try Again] popup in Internet
Explorer.

I have therefore changed the "Startup type" for the "Routing and
Remote Access" control panel from Automatic to Manual, so when I
reboot "Routing and Remote Access" is still stopped.

I do not recall what led me to this, but I read something that made me
think it could be one of the services running in Windows 2000. I tried
stopping combinations of services until the problem went away. Then
kept narrowing it down, and found that this is the only service I need
to stop to never see this problem again.

If anyone wanted to take a guess as to why, that is fine by me. As far
as I'm concerned, this is no longer a problem.