By Dennis O’Reilly

If the installation of Internet Explorer 8 knocks your Windows desktop for a loop, you may be able to repair things without having to revert to an earlier version of the browser.

Restoring explorer.exe or refreshing your network connection could be all that’s required to return a shattered system to working order.

Every software installation or update is fraught with peril. You never know when a relatively minor system change will cascade into a big-time headache.



In the June 11 Known Issues column, computer repairman Bob Millard described how he restored several XP notebook systems for his clients after the installation of IE 8 resulted in blank desktops (no icons, no nothing). We subsequently heard from several readers who offered additional, straightforward solutions to similar problems that IE 8 had induced or worsened. Travis Walden’s approach, which restarts Windows’ Explorer shell, is about as simple as fixes get:

• “I had a similar issue with my laptop after installing IE 8. However, I came across a much easier solution. Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to bring up Task Manager. Click File, New Task (Run). Type explorer and press Enter. This brings up the desktop icons, taskbar, Start menu, and everything else that failed to launch on my laptop.”
  

David C. Battistoli’s problem was somewhat different, but his solution was similarly quick and effective:

• “I recently read the tip submitted by Bob Millard, written up by Dennis O’Reilly, and published in Issue 201. Although we had rather different circumstances, there were a few similarities — mostly, no network of any kind and no icons on the desktop. (I never tried to access any USB devices, so I don’t know whether or not they were affected.)
  
  “This was on a friend’s Vista laptop, and the problem just seemed to happen of its own accord. I started working on it and doing the various voodoo tasks often necessary to get a Windows system running again. When in Safe Mode with Networking, I had a desktop and a system, but still no networking. There were other possible clues, but the biggest one was that the EventLog service was stopped and couldn’t be started. When I tried to start it manually, Windows displayed Error 1747.
  
  “It turns out that the TCP/IP stack had become corrupt. In this case, I was able to open a command prompt (by right-clicking it and selecting “Run as Administrator”) and use the command netsh winsock reset [and press Enter]. The system needed to restart, but after that it worked fine.
  
  “This has been a problem I’ve encountered since early WinXP days. It’s quite rare, doesn’t seem to have any particular rhyme or reason, and I’d really hoped that Vista would have fixed it. Still, it’s a rather benign (albeit annoying) problem with a pretty easy solution.”
  

Robert A. Palmer believes the IE 8 problems that Bob Millard and others reported on may involve more than meets the eye:

• “Just a quick comment on the reported IE 8 install issues. From the description of the problems, it sounds as if these computers had pre-existing issues exposed by the installation of IE 8 rather than problems caused by IE 8 itself. Remember that IE 8 is an integral part of the OS and as such is only as stable as the underlying health of the OS.
  
  “In 17 years of supporting computers and networks in a Windows environment, I’ve found more often than not that major patches, updates, etc., seldom have major holes glaring back at you. If an update installs on 99% of computers with no issues, you can’t defame it for the failure to install on 1% of computers. It’s like saying that exercise is bad because in 1% of the population it may cause death.”
  

As with most Microsoft updates, IE 8 will install without a hitch on the vast majority of PCs. Still, if you’re one of the unlucky few whose system is hosed by a Windows update, the only thing you’re interested in is getting the fix as soon as possible.

As Robert points out, some updates may uncover problems that existed on the machine beforehand but weren’t apparent. Microsoft can’t guarantee that updates it releases will be problem-free. Still, when problems arise, we owe it to our readers to publish workarounds to any glitches that affect a substantial number of Windows users.

Bootable utilities enhance PC troubleshooting

Bob Millard’s solution to his clients’ IE 8-related problems involved the use of PC troubleshooting programs. Klaus Liebold is curious about these tools:

• “Bob Millard claims ‘The only way I could get them back was by using one of my bootable utilities that would allow me access to the restore points.’ Any chance of finding out what those utilities are? I would love to buy just one and I’m sure that most of your readers would be interested as well.”
  

Keep your money in your wallet, Klaus. You don’t have to buy a bootable troubleshooting utility — some of the best of these tools are available for free. WS contributing editor Mark Edwards reviewed four such programs in his Aug. 14, 2008, PC Tune-Up column. The best programs scan for malware in addition to recovering PCs that fail to boot up.

Looking for the feel-good Windows stories

It can be tough to sound cheerful when you write about PC problems, security threats, and the questionable practices of some vendors. That’s why we sympathize with Jim Elder when he responds to the somber tone of so many articles:

• “When you do have bad news to report — and you will — I’d hope you will have some depth. The piece titled “Problems confirmed with Vista Service Pack 2″ gave an example of a single guy with a problem. How many thousands of people have installed Vista SP2? All you could identify was one guy?
  
  “If you’re going to warn me about a problem, I’d appreciate a little more credibility than just one guy who had a bad experience. If one guy’s bad experience was enough to hold me back, I’d never install or purchase anything. I expect a little more credibility from a professionally published newsletter. I can get the one-unhappy-guy coverage from any number of user forums. (Conversely, I’d expect a “run out and get this now” article to be based on more than a single user’s good impressions.)
  
  “Anyway, thanks for listening to my hopefully constructive criticism. I do appreciate the newsletter.”
  

Rest assured, if you see a problem covered in Windows Secrets, we’ve heard about it from many readers, though for the sake of brevity our article may quote only one.

As I mentioned above, updates such as Vista Service Pack 2 install fine on a majority of systems. But a problem that affects just 1% of the estimated 1 billion PCs in the world still represents a lot of headaches. It’s our job to let people know how to fix things and avoid similar glitches in the future.

Personally, I’d much rather publish stories about the wonderful new features of Windows 7 than report on yet another Internet Explorer security hole. Let’s hope Microsoft delivers good news on this front.

Readers Travis, David, Robert, Klaus, and Jim will each receive a gift certificate for a book, CD, or DVD of their choice for sending tips we printed. Send us your tips via the Windows Secrets contact page.

The Known Issues column brings you readers’ comments on our recent articles. Dennis O’Reilly is technical editor of WindowsSecrets.com.

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