Internet Explorer Starts Unexpectedly

When you start your computer, Internet Explorer may start unexpectedly, and you may receive one or more of the following error messages: You may also receive one of these error messages if you attempt to start a program by using the Run command on the Start menu.

This behavior can occur if Internet Explorer incorrectly interprets a command as an Internet-related command. For example, this behavior can occur if a program listed on the "Load=" or "Run=" line in the Win.ini file begins with any of the following letter combinations:

• ftp
• gopher
• www
• home
• mosaic

This behavior can also occur if you use the Run command on the Start menu and the command you type begins with any of the letter combinations listed above.

WARNING: Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall your operating system. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the "Changing Keys And Values" Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe) or the "Add and Delete Information in the Registry" and "Edit Registry Data" Help topics in Regedt32.exe. Note that you should back up the registry before you edit it.

To resolve this behavior, use the appropriate method:

Using the Run Command on the Start Menu

If you want to start a program that contains any of the letter combinations listed above, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. Type the complete path to the program you want to start in the Open box, and then press ENTER.

Using a Shortcut to the Program

If you want to start a program that contains any of the letter combinations listed above, start the program using a shortcut. For information about how to create a shortcut to a program, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Using the "Load=" or "Run=" Line in the Win.ini File

Disable the "Load=" or "Run=" line in the Win.ini file. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type sysedit, and then click OK.
2. On the Window menu, click Win.ini.
3. On the Search menu, click Find, type the following line, and then press ENTER:
   load=
4. Place a semicolon (;) at the beginning of the "Load=" line if it contains one of the letter combinations listed above.
5. Repeat steps 3-4, but substitute "run=" for "load=".
6. On the File menu, click Save.
7. On the File menu, click Exit.
8. Restart your computer.

Using the Registry

Remove the string value that matches the letter combination in the following registry key: NOTE: This causes Internet Explorer to not add the appropriate protocol prefix (for example, ftp:// or http://) to the Uniform Resource Locator (URL) when you try to access resources on the Internet. For example, if you type www.example.microsoft.com in the Internet Explorer Address box, Internet Explorer automatically adds http:// to the beginning of the URL. If you type ftp.example.microsoft.com in the Internet Explorer Address box, Internet Explorer automatically adds ftp:// to the beginning of the URL. If you remove a protocol prefix from the registry key, Internet Explorer can no longer add it to URLs you type.