Internet Explorer 8 starts in "No Add-ons" mode when you use the desktop icon to start Internet Explorer

In Internet Explorer 8, if you double-click the desktop icon to start Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer 8 may start in "No Add-ons" mode and display the following message:

In certain scenarios, the installation of Internet Explorer 8 may create a desktop icon with an incorrect link that unintentionally starts Internet Explorer in "No Add-ons" mode.

To resolve this issue automatically, first delete the current Internet Explorer desktop icon. To do this, right-click the existing Internet Explorer desktop icon, and then click Delete. Then, click the following Fix this problem link and in the File Download dialog box, click Run. Follow the steps in the Show Internet Explorer Desktop Icon Wizard to create an Internet Explorer icon on your desktop.



Note This automatic fix works for all languages. However, for some languages the wizard text may be in English. If you are not on the computer that has the problem, save the automatic fix to a flash drive or to a CD so that you can run it on the computer that has the problem. If you do not want to use the automatic fix, you can try to do it yourself.

Important Windows 7 no longer supports the ability to modify the registry for the special Internet Explorer icon to appear on your desktop. This change was made to make sure Internet Explorer could be removed easily for compliance reasons. The only way to add the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop in Windows 7 is to create a shortcut as shown in Method 1.

Next steps

• To verify that the automatic fix worked, double-click the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, and then verify that Internet Explorer does not start in "No Add-ons" mode.
• Visit the "Fix it for me" blog , or send us e-mail, to provide feedback or to report any issues with this solution.
• If the problem is not resolved, you can also contact support.

To correct this issue yourself, you can use either of the following methods. If you only want to create an Internet Explorer icon on your desktop that opens your home page, use Method 1 to create a shortcut. Use Method 2 if you want to add a special Internet Explorer icon on your desktop that opens the Internet Properties dialog box.

Method 1: Correct the desktop shortcut to Internet Explorer

Important Windows 7 no longer supports the ability to modify the registry for the special Internet Explorer icon to appear on your desktop. This change was made to make sure Internet Explorer could be removed easily for compliance reasons. The only way to add the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop in Windows 7 is to create a shortcut.

To correct a shortcut to Internet Explorer on your desktop, follow these steps:

1. Delete the current Internet Explorer icon from the desktop. To do this, right-click the icon, and then click Delete.
2. Click Start, and then locate the Internet Explorer icon on the Start menu. If you do not see the Internet Explorer icon on the Start menu, look in the Programs or the All Programs folders on the Start menu.
   
   Note If you cannot locate the Internet Explorer icon on the Start menu, follow these alternative steps or, if you are not using Windows 7, use Method 2.
3. Right-click and drag the Internet Explorer icon on the Start menu to your desktop, and then click Create Shortcuts Here, or click Copy Here.

A shortcut to Internet Explorer is created on your desktop. You can double-click this icon to open your home page in Internet Explorer.

Next steps

• To verify that the issue is resolved, double-click the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, and then verify that Internet Explorer does not start in "No Add-ons" mode.
• If the problem is not resolved, you can also contact support.

Note To correct the desktop shortcut to Internet Explorer for other users, log on to your computer as another user, and then repeat this method for each user.

Method 2: Correct the issue but add a special Internet Explorer icon to your desktop

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: To correct the issue and add a special Internet Explorer icon to your desktop, follow these steps:

1. Delete the current Internet Explorer icon from the desktop. To do this, right-click the icon, and then click Delete.
2. Do one of the following:
   • In Windows XP, click Start, click Run, type notepad in the Open box, and then click OK.
   • In Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, or Windows 7, click Start
     , type notepad in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
3. Carefully copy and paste the following text into Notepad:

   Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00
   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\NewStartPanel] "{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}"=dword:00000000
   [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\HideDesktopIcons\ClassicStartMenu] "{871C5380-42A0-1069-A2EA-08002B30309D}"=dword:00000000

4. On the File menu, click Save As.
5. In the File name box, type Ie.reg, and then save the file to your desktop.
6. Exit Notepad.
7. Double-click the Ie.reg file on the desktop.
   
   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type the password, or click Allow.
8. In the Registry Editor dialog box that appears, click Yes, and then click OK.
   
   The special Internet Explorer icon is added to your desktop. You can double-click this icon to open your home page in Internet Explorer.
   
   To open Internet Options, right-click this icon, and then click Properties.

Next steps

• To verify that the issue is resolved, double-click the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, and then verify that Internet Explorer does not start in "No Add-ons" mode.
• If the problem is not resolved, you can also contact support.

Note To correct the issue and create a special Internet Explorer icon on the desktop for other users, log on to the computer as another user, and then repeat this method for each user.

Important Windows 7 no longer supports the ability to modify the registry for the special Internet Explorer icon to appear on your desktop. This change was made to make sure Internet Explorer could be removed easily for compliance reasons. The only way to add the Internet Explorer icon to the desktop in Windows 7 is to create a shortcut as shown in Method 1 or Method 3.

Method 3: Another method to re-create the desktop icon

1. Delete the current Internet Explorer icon from the desktop. To do this, right-click the icon, and then click Delete.
2. Carefully select and then copy the following command:

   "%programfiles%\internet explorer\iexplore.exe"

   Important Make sure that you include the quotation marks (") at the beginning and end of this command.
3. Right-click a blank space on your desktop, point to New, and then click Shortcut.
4. In the Create Shortcut Wizard, right-click the Type the location of the item box, and then click Paste to paste the command that you copied in step 2.
5. Click Next.
6. In the Type a name for this shortcut box, type Internet Explorer.
7. Click Finish.
   
   A shortcut to Internet Explorer is created on your desktop. You can double-click this icon to open your home page in Internet Explorer.

Next steps

• To verify that the issue is resolved, double-click the Internet Explorer icon on your desktop, and then verify that Internet Explorer does not start in "No Add-ons" mode.
• If the problem is not resolved, you can also contact support.