IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

I'm wondering if anyone else is having this issue:

I put the Links toolbar in the toolbar area, for quick access to my links.
What has been happening is that (seemingly randomly and automatically,
without any interaction on my part) the actual link file itself is modified
so that it is no longer recognized as a link. Below are examples of a good
link file and a bad link file, after it has been modified.

GOOD:

[DEFAULT]
BASEURL= http://www.hide-link.com/
[InternetShortcut]
URL= http://www.hide-link.com/
Modified=90BB764B4564C4017A

BAD:

[InternetShortcut]
IconFile= http://www.hide-link.com/
IconIndex=1

As you can see, the only item remaining in the shortcut file itself is the
reference to the icon file used in the address bar. This has been happening
frequently with my links, and it is getting to be quite a pain.

Anyway, just wondering if I'm the only one.

- loraXXarol

Internet Explorer64

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

> I'm wondering if anyone else is having this issue:
>
> I put the Links toolbar in the toolbar area, for quick access to my links.
> What has been happening is that (seemingly randomly and automatically,
> without any interaction on my part) the actual link file itself is modified
> so that it is no longer recognized as a link. Below are examples of a good
> link file and a bad link file, after it has been modified.

Not just the Links bar according to some.
Favicons are usually claimed to be involved.
So far nobody has been able to provide clear enough details
to make the symptom understandable let alone reproducible.
Hence such reports get closed.

It's interesting I think that all the reports with any supporting
details that I have seen (including this one) involve subdirectories
of the Favorites folder.

>
> GOOD:
>
> [DEFAULT]
> BASEURL=http://www.winguides.com/
> [InternetShortcut]
> URL=http://www.winguides.com/
> Modified=90BB764B4564C4017A

No favicon associated with this site
so perhaps not surprising that it isn't affected.

>
>
> BAD:
>
> [InternetShortcut]
> IconFile=http://www.candystand.com/favicon.ico
> IconIndex=1
>
>
> As you can see, the only item remaining in the shortcut file itself is the
> reference to the icon file used in the address bar. This has been happening
> frequently with my links, and it is getting to be quite a pain.

Do you ever do anything to try to preserve favicons?
E.g. reassociate them with saved files or use FavOrg
or similar utility programs?

>
> Anyway, just wondering if I'm the only one.
>
> - loraXXarol

https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/SearchResults.aspx?SearchQuery=favorite*+AND+favicon*

Several + many validators but all of them are essentially anecdotal.

Thanks for providing at least some details with your report.

FYI

Robert Aldwinckle
---

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

> > I'm wondering if anyone else is having this issue:
> >
> > I put the Links toolbar in the toolbar area, for quick access to my links.
> > What has been happening is that (seemingly randomly and automatically,
> > without any interaction on my part) the actual link file itself is modified
> > so that it is no longer recognized as a link. Below are examples of a good
> > link file and a bad link file, after it has been modified.
>
>
> Not just the Links bar according to some.
> Favicons are usually claimed to be involved.
> So far nobody has been able to provide clear enough details
> to make the symptom understandable let alone reproducible.
> Hence such reports get closed.
>
> It's interesting I think that all the reports with any supporting
> details that I have seen (including this one) involve subdirectories
> of the Favorites folder.
>
>
> >
> > GOOD:
> >
> > [DEFAULT]
> > BASEURL=http://www.winguides.com/
> > [InternetShortcut]
> > URL=http://www.winguides.com/
> > Modified=90BB764B4564C4017A
>
>
> No favicon associated with this site
> so perhaps not surprising that it isn't affected.
>
>
> >
> >
> > BAD:
> >
> > [InternetShortcut]
> > IconFile=http://www.candystand.com/favicon.ico
> > IconIndex=1
> >
> >
> > As you can see, the only item remaining in the shortcut file itself is the
> > reference to the icon file used in the address bar. This has been happening
> > frequently with my links, and it is getting to be quite a pain.
>
>
> Do you ever do anything to try to preserve favicons?
> E.g. reassociate them with saved files or use FavOrg
> or similar utility programs?
>

No - I wasn't even aware that such programs exist!

>
>
> >
> > Anyway, just wondering if I'm the only one.
> >
> > - loraXXarol
>
>
> https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/SearchResults.aspx?SearchQuery=favorite*+AND+favicon*
>
>
> Several + many validators but all of them are essentially anecdotal.
>
>
> Thanks for providing at least some details with your report.
>
>
> FYI
>
> Robert Aldwinckle
> ---

Thanks for shedding a little light on the issue. Didn't the way favorites
are handled change in this version, compared to 6?

Thanks again!

- Eric

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

...

> Didn't the way favorites are handled change in this version,
> compared to 6?

Yes, I suspect so, but I haven't seen anything official about it.

Also, I never studied favicon implementations in earlier versions of IE
enough to know if NTFS streams were ever used before.
All I know is that there is clear evidence in IE7 that favicon data
is being stored that way under the subdirectory which contains the favorite
it is associated with. This seems different from the commonly held idea
that favicons are kept only in the TIF where they may be more susceptible
to deletion.

Robert
---

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links
> All I know is that there is clear evidence in IE7 that favicon data
> is being stored that way under the subdirectory which contains the favorite
> it is associated with. This seems different from the commonly held idea
> that favicons are kept only in the TIF where they may be more susceptible
> to deletion.
>

Nice. The minimum disk space to use for TIF is now 8MB, compared to 0MB in
previous versions (I have always set that to 0, and check newer every visit).
Perhaps these are somehow related, if not in the code, in the architectural
theory behind some of the way the TIF and related caching are being
implemented.

Most of the shortcuts that I have in my links folder were present in IE6 at
the time of my installation of IE7. I shall perform an experiment to compare
the behavior of shortcuts created with IE6 when used in IE7 against the
behavior of shortcuts created in IE7 used in IE7. Presumably, the IE6
shortcuts will undergo this mysterious transformation and, at some point,
become unusable, and the IE7 shortcuts will continue to behave normally.

- Eric

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links Sure enough - a link that I had created in IE6 was overwritten today at 2:16
pm (the last time I had used it to launch the site). Below are, first, the
overwritten version, and, second, a new one which I have just created.

****overwritten one****
[InternetShortcut]
IconFile=http://www.spamcop.net/favicon.ico
IconIndex=1

****newly created****
[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://www.spamcop.net/
IDList=
[{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
Prop3=19,2

So....that's what I've found out. IE6-created links get overwritten with
some favicon stuff when they're in a subfolder of favorites.

- Eric

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

> Sure enough - a link that I had created in IE6 was overwritten today at 2:16
> pm (the last time I had used it to launch the site). Below are, first, the
> overwritten version, and, second, a new one which I have just created.
>
> ****overwritten one****
> [InternetShortcut]
> IconFile=http://www.spamcop.net/favicon.ico
> IconIndex=1
>
>
> ****newly created****
> [InternetShortcut]
> URL=http://www.spamcop.net/
> IDList=
> [{000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}]
> Prop3=19,2
>
>
> So....that's what I've found out. IE6-created links get overwritten with
> some favicon stuff when they're in a subfolder of favorites.

FWIW I get the same thing with just Ctrl-d after I go there.

The View Source shows

<link rel="shortcut icon" href="/images/favicon.ico">

which would be different from where IE would be trying to find it first.

Unfortunately I didn't think of enabling tracing sooner and it appears
that you only get one chance to record its download.

So, that at least proves that the .ico files are still being cached in the TIF.

Each time I pressed Ctrl-d the .ico file was copied from there to the stream
under the .URL file. Each time I deleted the *.URL the stream was deleted.

That IDList= parameter is interesting. {000214A0-0000-0000-C000-000000000046}
is in the registry as a subkey of PropertySetStorage.
Apparently it enumerates the properties of a particular type of Internet Shortcut.
Below it there is another type of Internet Shortcut with fewer properties.
Having two types with different properties seems to me to have potential
for bugs (e.g. if a coder could be confused by the two types, especially
if there is provision for conversion between them.)

FWIW

Robert
---

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links Here's another interesting tidbit. I have taken a screenshot of the contents
of a subfolder of my favorites folder, to show a shortcut which has been
modified to have the favicon of a completely different website.

If you look here:

http://www.creditinterlink.com/images/favicon.bmp

you will see the "Yahoo! My" shortcut at the bottom (ellipsed in red). This
is a shortcut to my My Yahoo!, yet it has adopted the favicon of the "FFL -
NeverSober2005" shortcut, which goes to a cbssportsline.com page - as far as
I know, completely non-affiliated with Yahoo!.

The "Yahoo! My" shortcut file contains the following:

[DEFAULT]
BASEURL=http://my.yahoo.com/
[InternetShortcut]
URL=http://my.yahoo.com/
Modified=D0244910A163C40116

It seems as though there are some interesting issues surrounding favicons,
shortcuts, and the favorites folder.

- Eric

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

...
> The "Yahoo! My" shortcut file contains the following:
>
> [DEFAULT]
> BASEURL=http://my.yahoo.com/
> [InternetShortcut]
> URL=http://my.yahoo.com/
> Modified=D0244910A163C40116

This example may help explain when the iconfile= and iconindex=
parameters get used. E.g. your last example had those parameters;
this one doesn't. Your last example had a favicon specified in source;
this one doesn't.

BTW I have found a way of recreating at least one of the deficiencies
associated with the new implementation. Simply disable Show Pictures!
Then favicons get set *permanently* to a blank icon. Seems to me that
they should be more recoverable? <eg> Even worse, they affect the
icons used with non-saved pages in the History which go to the same site!
E.g. all my www.microsoft.com pages in History By Order Visited Today
are showing that blank icon and none of them are "Favorites".

Rats. That's not it either. I still see some Favorites for that server name
which have the normal IE icon. I don't know then. Perhaps the blank
ones are ones I visited while Show Pictures was unchecked? I doubt it
but it will be something to test... Even that wasn't enough. I had to restart
IE with the option set and then one which had an IE icon and which I had been
visiting before I closed IE became a blank. That makes no sense to me.
Do Favorites get rewritten when a window using them is closed too?
Again, I forgot to do any tracing. ; ]

If we can at least provide a reproducible symptom regarding favicons there
is a chance the other (unreproducible) symptoms could be fixed incidentally.
So far I haven't even *seen* the symptom that you are reporting
but I don't use subfolders for Favorites. As I mentioned use of subfolders
seems to be a common factor for the corrupted *.URL file scenario.

Robert
---

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links Here is something I wrote in a separate thread:

Some of the icons in my favorites list are incorrect after using IE7B2 for a
while. I noticed a few others posted here about that problem without a fix,
hopefully this additonal info will help.

After some analysis, here is what I believe is happening.

If I go to a site with an icon assigned (not familiar with web programming,
just assuming websites can assign a site icon) then follow that with going to
a favorite site without an icon assigned then the 2nd site will adopt the
icon from the first site.

The second site should retain the generic IE7 icon as it's icon but instead
it incorrectly adopts the icon from the previous site visited that has an
icon.

When I tried uninstalling IE7B2 the resulting IE6 still has the mixed up
icon problem, but I don't think it is creating any further mixed up icons in
the favorites.

If I had to guess, IE7B2 is not checking if a site has an icon assigned
before pulling up the icon in its buffer and applying it to the favorite. If
it checked first, it would leave that site with the generic (unassigned) icon
for the favorite entry instead of the icon from the previously visited site.

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

> ....
> > The "Yahoo! My" shortcut file contains the following:
> >
> > [DEFAULT]
> > BASEURL=http://my.yahoo.com/
> > [InternetShortcut]
> > URL=http://my.yahoo.com/
> > Modified=D0244910A163C40116
>
>
> This example may help explain when the iconfile= and iconindex=
> parameters get used. E.g. your last example had those parameters;
> this one doesn't. Your last example had a favicon specified in source;
> this one doesn't.
>
>
> BTW I have found a way of recreating at least one of the deficiencies
> associated with the new implementation. Simply disable Show Pictures!
> Then favicons get set *permanently* to a blank icon. Seems to me that
> they should be more recoverable? <eg> Even worse, they affect the
> icons used with non-saved pages in the History which go to the same site!
> E.g. all my www.microsoft.com pages in History By Order Visited Today
> are showing that blank icon and none of them are "Favorites".
>
> Rats. That's not it either. I still see some Favorites for that server name
> which have the normal IE icon. I don't know then. Perhaps the blank
> ones are ones I visited while Show Pictures was unchecked? I doubt it
> but it will be something to test... Even that wasn't enough. I had to restart
> IE with the option set and then one which had an IE icon and which I had been
> visiting before I closed IE became a blank. That makes no sense to me.
> Do Favorites get rewritten when a window using them is closed too?
> Again, I forgot to do any tracing. ; ]
>
> If we can at least provide a reproducible symptom regarding favicons there
> is a chance the other (unreproducible) symptoms could be fixed incidentally.
> So far I haven't even *seen* the symptom that you are reporting
> but I don't use subfolders for Favorites. As I mentioned use of subfolders
> seems to be a common factor for the corrupted *.URL file scenario.
>
>
> Robert
> ---
>
>
>

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links NICE - I had just independently come to the same conclusion, after performing
that same type of navigation.

So, steps to reproduce are:

1. Close all instances of IE7B2.
2. Open new instance.
3. Browse to site with known favicon (such as www.reuters.com).
4. Without opening a new tab, navigate to a shortcut contained within the
favorites menu.
5. Note that the favicon of the first site remains on the tab and address
bar, and that the shortcut within the favorites menu retains the favicon as
well.

- Eric

> Here is something I wrote in a separate thread:
>
> Some of the icons in my favorites list are incorrect after using IE7B2 for a
> while. I noticed a few others posted here about that problem without a fix,
> hopefully this additonal info will help.
>
> After some analysis, here is what I believe is happening.
>
> If I go to a site with an icon assigned (not familiar with web programming,
> just assuming websites can assign a site icon) then follow that with going to
> a favorite site without an icon assigned then the 2nd site will adopt the
> icon from the first site.
>
> The second site should retain the generic IE7 icon as it's icon but instead
> it incorrectly adopts the icon from the previous site visited that has an
> icon.
>
> When I tried uninstalling IE7B2 the resulting IE6 still has the mixed up
> icon problem, but I don't think it is creating any further mixed up icons in
> the favorites.
>
> If I had to guess, IE7B2 is not checking if a site has an icon assigned
> before pulling up the icon in its buffer and applying it to the favorite. If
> it checked first, it would leave that site with the generic (unassigned) icon
> for the favorite entry instead of the icon from the previously visited site.
>
>
>
>

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

> NICE - I had just independently come to the same conclusion, after performing
> that same type of navigation.
>
> So, steps to reproduce are:
>
> 1. Close all instances of IE7B2.
> 2. Open new instance.
> 3. Browse to site with known favicon (such as www.reuters.com).

?? FiddlerTool shows a 404 for

GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1
with
Host: www.reuters.com

Your link redirected to (as shown in the Address bar)

http://today.reuters.com/news/home.aspx?refresh=true

Source for that shows
<link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://i.today.reuters.com/favicon.ico" />

but that wasn't fetched for a *long* time. ??

I didn't have it as a Favorite but added it with Ctrl-d.
(Wow. IE7b3 has a new prompt when I did that.
May be easier for people who want to use subfolders.)

As expected this caused the favicon data to be written under the
Favorites directory as an NTFS stream.

BTW FileMon is showing all kinds of unexpected query's especially
for possible copies on the Desktop for some reason. ??

> 4. Without opening a new tab, navigate to a shortcut contained within the
> favorites menu.

Is this still a problem with IE7b3? If so, you may have to be more specific.
I can't reproduce the symptom from this information. E.g. does the Favorite
you pick have to come from a subfolder? Was the Reuters Favorite in a
different subfolder? Etc.

> 5. Note that the favicon of the first site remains on the tab and address
> bar, and that the shortcut within the favorites menu retains the favicon as
> well.

Nope. Hope it's fixed in IE7b3 for you?

Also, does this have anything to do with your OP? <eg>
(recognizing that I may have derailed a diagnosis of it
by mentioning favicons and their use in Favorites.)

Good luck

Robert
---

Internet Explorer / IE >> IE 7 Beta 2 and Links

> > NICE - I had just independently come to the same conclusion, after performing
> > that same type of navigation.
> >
> > So, steps to reproduce are:
> >
> > 1. Close all instances of IE7B2.
> > 2. Open new instance.
> > 3. Browse to site with known favicon (such as www.reuters.com).
>
>
> ?? FiddlerTool shows a 404 for
>
> GET /favicon.ico HTTP/1.1
> with
> Host: www.reuters.com
>
>
> Your link redirected to (as shown in the Address bar)
>
> http://today.reuters.com/news/home.aspx?refresh=true
>
> Source for that shows
> <link rel="shortcut icon" href="http://i.today.reuters.com/favicon.ico" />
>
> but that wasn't fetched for a *long* time. ??
>
> I didn't have it as a Favorite but added it with Ctrl-d.
> (Wow. IE7b3 has a new prompt when I did that.
> May be easier for people who want to use subfolders.)
>
> As expected this caused the favicon data to be written under the
> Favorites directory as an NTFS stream.
>
> BTW FileMon is showing all kinds of unexpected query's especially
> for possible copies on the Desktop for some reason. ??
>
>
> > 4. Without opening a new tab, navigate to a shortcut contained within the
> > favorites menu.
>
>
> Is this still a problem with IE7b3? If so, you may have to be more specific.
> I can't reproduce the symptom from this information. E.g. does the Favorite
> you pick have to come from a subfolder? Was the Reuters Favorite in a
> different subfolder? Etc.
>
>
> > 5. Note that the favicon of the first site remains on the tab and address
> > bar, and that the shortcut within the favorites menu retains the favicon as
> > well.
>
>
> Nope. Hope it's fixed in IE7b3 for you?

Yes - the whole thing seems to have been fixed already in IE7b3! Thanks MS!
And thanks Robert and DL.

- Eric

>
> Also, does this have anything to do with your OP? <eg>
> (recognizing that I may have derailed a diagnosis of it
> by mentioning favicons and their use in Favorites.)
>
>
> Good luck
>
> Robert
> ---
>
>
>