IE7 autocomplete not working no matter what

My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords saved, no
nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to save passwords.

System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort. Scanned
today.

Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of my HDDs
are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).

I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry fixes
from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the Registry key they
specified did not EXIST.

If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd even
welcome an email address at MS that would get read.

-- Don

sometimes, you actually have to CREATE the key they specify.

"Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
news:Xns9B48DEC4C92DBdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
> My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords saved, no
> nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to save passwords.
>
> System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort. Scanned
> today.
>
> Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of my
> HDDs
> are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).
>
> I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry fixes
> from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the Registry key they
> specified did not EXIST.
>
> If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd even
> welcome an email address at MS that would get read.
>
> -- Don

Hi,
With the warning that a reset will delete autocomplete data, such as
passwords (but that's not working for you anyway) and you will have to
reinstall or re-enable browser add-ons, work through this article:
936213- How to optimize or reset Internet Explorer 7:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936213/en-us
- - -
Anything at http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ProtectedStorage.htm that you haven't
tried?

Hope this helps,
Don
[MS MVP- IE]

"Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
news:Xns9B48DEC4C92DBdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
> My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords saved, no
> nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to save passwords.
>
> System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort. Scanned
> today.
>
> Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of my
HDDs
> are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).
>
> I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry fixes
> from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the Registry key they
> specified did not EXIST.
>
> If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd even
> welcome an email address at MS that would get read.
>
> -- Don

"Not Even Me" <cargod01@hotmail.com> wrote in
news:eWN7Tm$OJHA.3876@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:

> sometimes, you actually have to CREATE the key they specify.
>
> "Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
> news:Xns9B48DEC4C92DBdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
>> My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords saved,
>> no nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to save
>> passwords.
>>
>> System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort.
>> Scanned today.
>>
>> Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of
>> my HDDs
>> are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).
>>
>> I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry
>> fixes from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the
>> Registry key they specified did not EXIST.
>>
>> If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd
>> even welcome an email address at MS that would get read.
>>
>> -- Don
>
>
>

Yup, tried that. The key I created disappeared on reboot. Thanks for the
idea, though.

"Don Varnau" <don_04[at]varnau[dot]org> wrote in news:OLQJ7SBPJHA.4480
@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl:

> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936213/en-us

Thanks. I tried removing the Protected Storage registry key, and Windows
would not allow it, not in safe mode, not after stopping the Prot. Storage
Service, not after dancing around my chair 3 times.

I'm beginning to think Firefox (or Chrome) is the answer. I really don't
feel like reinstalling Windows this weekend.

"Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
news:Xns9B49A1C1E749Fdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
> "Not Even Me" <cargod01@hotmail.com> wrote in
> news:eWN7Tm$OJHA.3876@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl:
>
>> sometimes, you actually have to CREATE the key they specify.
>>
>> "Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
>> news:Xns9B48DEC4C92DBdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
>>> My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords saved,
>>> no nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to save
>>> passwords.
>>>
>>> System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort.
>>> Scanned today.
>>>
>>> Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of
>>> my HDDs
>>> are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).
>>>
>>> I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry
>>> fixes from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the
>>> Registry key they specified did not EXIST.
>>>
>>> If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd
>>> even welcome an email address at MS that would get read.
>>>
>>> -- Don
>>
>>
>>
>
> Yup, tried that. The key I created disappeared on reboot. Thanks for the
> idea, though.

It might be a security program blocking the Registry change it needs to
make. A few, but not all, of the programs now doing this are:
Ad-aware's Ad-Watch
IBM Access Connections
Kaspersky
McAfee VirusScan and/or Antispyware
Norton AV
Spyware Blaster
Spybot> Tools> IE Tweaks
Spybot- Teatimer
Spysweeper
Spyware Doctor
Windows Defender
Zone Alarm (free) 6.5 Reported to be fixed in later versions.

In the case of Zone Alarm 6.5 or Norton 2007 it actually has to be
uninstalled. Make sure the Windows Firewall is turned on until you
reinstall Zone Alarm.

Boot into Safe Mode with Networking and try the change.

--
Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM
Do not reply with email

>>> "Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
>>> news:Xns9B48DEC4C92DBdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
>>>> My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords
>>>> saved, no nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to
>>>> save passwords.
>>>>
>>>> System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort.
>>>> Scanned today.
>>>>
>>>> Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of
>>>> my HDDs
>>>> are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).
>>>>
>>>> I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry
>>>> fixes from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the
>>>> Registry key they specified did not EXIST.
>>>>
>>>> If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd
>>>> even welcome an email address at MS that would get read.
>>>>
>>>> -- Don
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>> Yup, tried that. The key I created disappeared on reboot. Thanks for
>> the idea, though.
>
> It might be a security program blocking the Registry change it needs
> to make. A few, but not all, of the programs now doing this are:
> Ad-aware's Ad-Watch
> IBM Access Connections
> Kaspersky
> McAfee VirusScan and/or Antispyware
> Norton AV
> Spyware Blaster
> Spybot> Tools> IE Tweaks
> Spybot- Teatimer
> Spysweeper
> Spyware Doctor
> Windows Defender
> Zone Alarm (free) 6.5 Reported to be fixed in later versions.
>
> In the case of Zone Alarm 6.5 or Norton 2007 it actually has to be
> uninstalled. Make sure the Windows Firewall is turned on until you
> reinstall Zone Alarm.
>
> Boot into Safe Mode with Networking and try the change.
>

Well, I finally tried something that sort-of worked. I created a new
User in Windows ("test") and saved passwords all over the place with
that login.

Any ideas as to what I should copy from the new profile to the old one
in Documents & Settings? I would definitely make a third folder
somewhere called "cya" to hold the old settings that I overwrite.

At least there is some hope now. Thanks again.

-- Don

"Don Varnau" <don_04[at]varnau[dot]org> wrote in
news:OLQJ7SBPJHA.4480@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl:

> Hi,
> With the warning that a reset will delete autocomplete data, such as
> passwords (but that's not working for you anyway) and you will have to
> reinstall or re-enable browser add-ons, work through this article:
> 936213- How to optimize or reset Internet Explorer 7:
> http://support.microsoft.com/kb/936213/en-us
> - - -
> Anything at http://windowsxp.mvps.org/ProtectedStorage.htm that you
> haven't tried?
>
> Hope this helps,
> Don
> [MS MVP- IE]
>
> "Don Crossman" <upperus@spamcity.us> wrote in message
> news:Xns9B48DEC4C92DBdcrossmanemailcom@74.209.131. 13...
>> My IE 7 autocomplete suddenly stopped working -- no passwords saved,
>> no nothing. Even though it continues to ASK me if I want to save
>> passwords.
>>
>> System is completely clean, no viruses, no malware of any sort.
>> Scanned today.
>>
>> Windows XP SP3, 2 GB RAM, Intel P4 @ 3GHz. Intel 865 Mobo. All 4 of
>> my
> HDDs
>> are at least half empty (2 IDE, 2 SATA).
>>
>> I have been Googling this problem for a week. Have tried Registry
>> fixes from MSKB with no joy. In at least one or two cases, the
>> Registry key they specified did not EXIST.
>>
>> If anyone has any ideas whatsoever, I'll be eternally grateful! I'd
>> even welcome an email address at MS that would get read.
>>
>> -- Don
>
>

Something on one of the URI's you mentioned prompted me to create a new
user in Windows. That user was able to save passwords all over the
place.

So thanks a million for that. Now I just need to figure out what to do
with this information!