IE8 doesn't display ANY page, always tries to download, Firefox is

XP SP3
IE8 (removed IE 7, installed IE8, removed IE8, Reinstalled IE8)
Firefox, Safari, all work fine, networking is fine

IE8 will not open any web pages, www.google.com, www.microsoft.com, it tries
to download the page as a file instead and asks what program it should open
it with.

This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.

System runs absolutely fine other than IE not working.
I tried booting into safemode with networking, IE8 still fails
I tried msconfig and turned off everything but Microsoft services, startups,
IE8 still insists on trying to download rather than display a page.

I suspect of course virus or that the MIME types for IE have become corrupted.

any ideas?

Did IE7 or IE6 work?

Is Automatic Updates enabled and working?

> This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
> Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.

When does your Symantec (Corporate) AV subscription expired?

You may have (much) more work to do.

NB: If you had no anti-virus application installed or the subscription had
expired *when the machine first got infected* and/or your subscription has
since expired and/or the machine's not been kept fully-patched at Windows
Update, don't waste your time with any of the below: Format & reinstall
Windows. A Repair Install will NOT help!

1. See if you can download/run the MSRT manually:
http://www.microsoft.com/security/ma...e/default.mspx

NB: Run the FULL scan, not the QUICK scan! You may need to download the
MSRT on a non-infected machine, then transfer MRT.EXE to the infected
machine and rename it to SCAN.EXE before running it.

2. [WinXP ONLY!! =>] Run the Windows Live Safety Center's 'Protection' scan
(only!) in Safe Mode with Networking, if need be:
http://onecare.live.com/site/en-us/center/howsafe.htm

3. Run a /thorough/ check for hijackware, including posting the requested
logs in an appropriate forum, not here.

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=4075
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/...moving_Malware

**Chances are you will need to seek expert assistance in
http://spywarehammer.com/simplemachi...php?board=10.0,
http://www.spywarewarrior.com/viewforum.php?f=5,
http://www.dslreports.com/forum/cleanup,
http://www.bluetack.co.uk/forums/index.php,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30 or other appropriate forums as well.**

If these procedures look too complex - and there is no shame in admitting
this isn't your cup of tea - take the machine to a local, reputable and
independent (i.e., not BigBoxStoreUSA) computer repair shop.
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002


gbl wrote:
> XP SP3
> IE8 (removed IE 7, installed IE8, removed IE8, Reinstalled IE8)
> Firefox, Safari, all work fine, networking is fine
>
> IE8 will not open any web pages, www.google.com, www.microsoft.com, it
> tries
> to download the page as a file instead and asks what program it should
> open
> it with.
>
> This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
> Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.
>
> System runs absolutely fine other than IE not working.
> I tried booting into safemode with networking, IE8 still fails
> I tried msconfig and turned off everything but Microsoft services,
> startups,
> IE8 still insists on trying to download rather than display a page.
>
> I suspect of course virus or that the MIME types for IE have become
> corrupted.
>
> any ideas?

Hi,
Check the file association for HTM and HTML files.

From Control Panel> Folder Options> File Types> HTM> Advanced> (select)
Open> Edit.

Settings for HTM and HTML should be:

Action:
&Open

Application used to perform action should be:
"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" %1 (space between EXE" and
%1)

Use DDE should be checked

DDE Message:
"%1",,-1,0,,,,

Application:
IExplore

DDE Application Not Running:
*

Topic:
WWW_OpenURLNewWindow

Hope this helps,
Don
[MS MVP- IE]


"gbl" <gbl@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:B4CDC4CE-59DC-4A17-B712-96CEF4FAA46A@microsoft.com...
> XP SP3
> IE8 (removed IE 7, installed IE8, removed IE8, Reinstalled IE8)
> Firefox, Safari, all work fine, networking is fine
>
> IE8 will not open any web pages, www.google.com, www.microsoft.com, it
tries
> to download the page as a file instead and asks what program it should
open
> it with.
>
> This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
> Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.
>
> System runs absolutely fine other than IE not working.
> I tried booting into safemode with networking, IE8 still fails
> I tried msconfig and turned off everything but Microsoft services,
startups,
> IE8 still insists on trying to download rather than display a page.
>
> I suspect of course virus or that the MIME types for IE have become
corrupted.
>
> any ideas?

Thanks for the tips and taking the time. This is only an IE problem. Firefox
is set as the default browser and works fine. HTM, HTML are set to be opened
by firefox.

Windows Update does not work as it requires IE. System was up to date with
both MS patches and Sym AV definitions when it got hit.

If I open IE and type in http://www.google.com (or any other web site) it
puts up 2 dialog boxes. Frontmost title is
"File Download Security Warning"
Do you want to save this file or find a program online to open it?
Name: google
Type: unknown file type
from www.google.com
buttons for Find, Save, Cancel

underneath that dialog is another showing the % of download which is of
course 0%.

If I type in http://www.google.com/index.html I get a screen full of boxes
and ascii characters.

It looks like it never loads style sheets and has lost associations for
MIME types

thanks for the help

"Don Varnau" wrote:

> Hi,
> Check the file association for HTM and HTML files.
>
> From Control Panel> Folder Options> File Types> HTM> Advanced> (select)
> Open> Edit.
>
> Settings for HTM and HTML should be:
>
> Action:
> &Open
>
> Application used to perform action should be:
> "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\IEXPLORE.EXE" %1 (space between EXE" and
> %1)
>
> Use DDE should be checked
>
> DDE Message:
> "%1",,-1,0,,,,
>
> Application:
> IExplore
>
> DDE Application Not Running:
> *
>
> Topic:
> WWW_OpenURLNewWindow
>
> Hope this helps,
> Don
> [MS MVP- IE]
>
>
> "gbl" <gbl@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:B4CDC4CE-59DC-4A17-B712-96CEF4FAA46A@microsoft.com...
> > XP SP3
> > IE8 (removed IE 7, installed IE8, removed IE8, Reinstalled IE8)
> > Firefox, Safari, all work fine, networking is fine
> >
> > IE8 will not open any web pages, www.google.com, www.microsoft.com, it
> tries
> > to download the page as a file instead and asks what program it should
> open
> > it with.
> >
> > This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
> > Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.
> >
> > System runs absolutely fine other than IE not working.
> > I tried booting into safemode with networking, IE8 still fails
> > I tried msconfig and turned off everything but Microsoft services,
> startups,
> > IE8 still insists on trying to download rather than display a page.
> >
> > I suspect of course virus or that the MIME types for IE have become
> corrupted.
> >
> > any ideas?
>
>

I got it working again as follows...no doubt there are other ways
Uninstall XP SP3
Remove IE8
Remove IE7

Reboots between each of the above steps, that left me with a working IE6.x
and I'll rebuild to XP SP3...and maybe IE8 again.

"gbl" wrote:

> XP SP3
> IE8 (removed IE 7, installed IE8, removed IE8, Reinstalled IE8)
> Firefox, Safari, all work fine, networking is fine
>
> IE8 will not open any web pages, www.google.com, www.microsoft.com, it tries
> to download the page as a file instead and asks what program it should open
> it with.
>
> This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
> Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.
>
> System runs absolutely fine other than IE not working.
> I tried booting into safemode with networking, IE8 still fails
> I tried msconfig and turned off everything but Microsoft services, startups,
> IE8 still insists on trying to download rather than display a page.
>
> I suspect of course virus or that the MIME types for IE have become corrupted.
>
> any ideas?

>> This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
>> Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.

Given the above, you still may have more work to do.

gbl wrote:
> I got it working again as follows...no doubt there are other ways
> Uninstall XP SP3
> Remove IE8
> Remove IE7
>
> Reboots between each of the above steps, that left me with a working IE6.x
> and I'll rebuild to XP SP3...and maybe IE8 again.
>
> "gbl" wrote:
>
>> XP SP3
>> IE8 (removed IE 7, installed IE8, removed IE8, Reinstalled IE8)
>> Firefox, Safari, all work fine, networking is fine
>>
>> IE8 will not open any web pages, www.google.com, www.microsoft.com, it
>> tries to download the page as a file instead and asks what program it
>> should open it with.
>>
>> This system was pretty seriously infected but is coming up clean now with
>> Sym AV, MalwareBytes, SpyBot, AdAware, SuperAntiSpyware.
>>
>> System runs absolutely fine other than IE not working.
>> I tried booting into safemode with networking, IE8 still fails
>> I tried msconfig and turned off everything but Microsoft services,
>> startups, IE8 still insists on trying to download rather than display a
>> page.
>>
>> I suspect of course virus or that the MIME types for IE have become
>> corrupted.
>>
>> any ideas?