Internet Shortcuts on Desktop no longer working

mdtathome66 · 19 Jun 2018

I have a problem with Internet short-cuts on my Desktop. This has only occurred since the April 2018 update. Internet short-cuts which previously worked ok now appear to open a text file. Which looks like this:

[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2
[InternetShortcut]
IDList=
URL=http://www.facebook.com/

I have set my default app for .url to Internet Browser but that doesn't solve the problem. Also it doesn't happen if I login as another user.

Berton · 19 Jun 2018

It works for me if I drag the icon from the left end of the Address bar but only to open Internet Explorer when double-clicked even though I did it in Firefox [probably is a file association issue]. Right-click of the Taskbar, click of Toolbars and click Links puts them on the Taskbar but again uses IE's links.

davidhk · 19 Jun 2018

mdtathome66 said:

I have a problem with Internet short-cuts on my Desktop. This has only occurred since the April 2018 update. Internet short-cuts which previously worked ok now appear to open a text file. Which looks like this:

[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2
[InternetShortcut]
IDList=
URL=http://www.facebook.com/

I have set my default app for .url to Internet Browser but that doesn't solve the problem. Also it doesn't happen if I login as another user.

Since English is not my "primary" language, I always have this weary feeling at the back of my mind that I might completely misread the post and thus give a completely wrong or irrelevant reply.
This post is one of those.

You said " I have a problem with Internet short-cuts on my Desktop...."
Internet shortcuts..... as in plural ?
Or, did you mean Internet Explorer shortcut ……. singular ?

If you meant desktop shortcuts from Internet not working, I' suggest you try to rebuild your icon cache using this tutorial...….
Rebuild Icon Cache in Windows 10

If you meant IE 11 shortcut not working, I would suggest that ……..
> delete it from desktop
> click Start button > left side, scroll down to alphabet W > open Windows Accessories > right click at Internet Explorer > click More > click Open file location > right click at Internet Explorer > Send To > Desktop (create shortcut) > try using this new shortcut.

If I have misunderstood what you were asking, please correct me.

P.S. The Facebook link you posted requires me to sign up ?

davidhk · 19 Jun 2018

RE : Also it doesn't happen if I login as another user.

Usually that indicates your user account is corrupted.
Assuming this suspected corrupt account is the admin account, I would suggest that you create another admin account > logon to it > use it for a few days to make sure it is working properly.
If satisfied > logon to the old admin account > backup files you want to keep > delete the corrupted admin account.

Try3 · 20 Jun 2018

MDT,

You were right to suspect file associations straightaway. Try resetting the URL file association to default using the url.reg file from
Restore Default File Type Associations - TenForumsTutorial

By addressing each individual Registry item, this reg file might work even though setting your default app for .url to Internet Browser did not.

Best of luck,
Denis

mdtathome66 · 20 Jun 2018

Hi folks

Thank you for your replies.

However I have solved the problem, sort of by accident. I made sure that in "Choose Applications by File Type" my application choice for .url was Internet Browser. However it would seem that this was not registering, even after a reboot. I right clicked on one of my Internet shortcuts on the Desktop to find "Properties" and also noticed that "Open with" was listed. I selected that only to find that the default was still Notepad. I then changed this to Internet Browser as the default and all the shortcuts now work correctly. Clearly changes made in "Choose Applications by File Type" are not registering or didn't in this case. I'm sure that this is a bug in the April 2018 update.