Cannot View Source

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realillusion

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Hello, I am running Windows XP Professional on my home PC, with Internet Explorer 6.0.26.

I have NEVER been able to view the source of HTML pages on this machine. Neither right clicking and selecting "View Source" nor going to the view menu and selecting "Source" show the source of the web page... I don't recieve any error message. Sometimes the computer buzzes for a second or two, as if it were thinking, but the source never opens (no matter what webapge I try this on).

When I first began troubleshooting (months ago) I checked my programs tab, in my internet options. It was set to use Microsoft Word to view source with... I promptly changed that to use Notepad by default. I tested it. I successfully viewed *one* page, in notepad. Now, I have the same problems. The source is just never displayedf. I have tried switching back to Microsoft Word, and back again to Notepad- neither works.

I have checked the Microsoft trouble shooting sites... I found 3 pages describing my problems, but for different operating systems and different versions of iexplore. Regardless, I tried to use the solution listed, but my problem has persisted.

A good friend recently sent me his browser's "Advanced" settings, and I compared them to my own. My settings are the same as his are. I have also tried changing my security level (I set it to the lowest default level), but this doesn't help, either.

Help! Is anyone else experiencing a similar problem, or know how to fix it? Thanks in advance! :)
 
Open registry and check manually for the program set under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\View Source Editor\Editor Name\
 
In my system registry, under HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\ I do not have a "View Source Editor" key, or hive, or whatever the lingo is.

The closest thing is "Default HTML Editor"
Defualt HTML Editor
-Shell
--Edit
---command
---ddeexec
----Application
----Topic

That's what it looks like.. I tried creating a "View Source Editor" key, with a string value "Editor Name" whose value was
%SystemRoot%\system32\notepad.exe

I deleted that, since it still didn't work... lol. It was just a shot in the dark, I don't really know what I am doing, as I've never edited anything in the registry before. Any help from here?
 
search for "PowerToys" on microsoft's website then download "TweakUI for XP"

once you've installed that run it then go to

Internet Explorer -> view source, will give you a nice easy way to change it.


not to mention the program is awesome for a ton of other things too.
 
You need to create a subkey "Editor Name" and set its default value to path of notepad.exe.

And since you don't have that key, it is pretty obvious that you can't view page source :p
 
Thanks for all your help :) Could you walk me through where and how to create this key? I tried it a few times myself, didn't quite work.

I can right click and select "New--> Key" and then I can right click the "(default)" value and modify it for that key, but no matter where I seem to place this "Editor name" key, I am still unable to view source.

I also tried the power tools... that didn't work, either. On setup, it told me that KERNELL.dll is missing some info. The website says I need to have "my old power tools" installed before I download and setup, but I don't have any "old power tools" nor could I find them on the MS website.

Thanks a lot, though, I'm sorry you have to basically spoon feed me this info... I'm just new to all of this. Any help is greatly appreciated!
 
You need to create the "Editor Name" key under the "View Source Editor" key. Set the default value to the full pathname of your editor executable.
 
Ok. I originally tried that... It still does not let me view the source code on any pages. Nothing happens. Here is what I did in my regedit:
http://vgsfordummies.tripod.com/regedit.gif
<edit> You'll have to paste the link directly into a URL bar, since tripod apparently doesn't allow direct linking... </edit>

Again, it might be useful to note I did not have a "View Source Editor" key to begin with. I had to create that key, then create the "Editor Name" subkey, and change the value.

I have checked the path on my notepad file, it is just as I have it listed in the above image. When putting this key under "View Source Editor" didn't work, I also tried creating the key under "Default HTML Editor" since that was already there when I opened regedit. Still, I can't view source code...

I am thoroughly stumped. Have any idea what I should do from here?
 
Suggestions: (if you haven't already tried these)

Clear out your temporary Internet files. Tools/Internet Options/Delete Files (from Internet Explorer). Also you may want to Delete Cookies.

You should be using NTFS so check your cookies folder make sure you have read/write permissions on that folder.

If you aren't logged in under the built-in administrator account (log in as "administrator"), give it a try and see if you are able to view source.
 
Yes to the iexplore re-install.

BUT wow, after cleaning out my temp internet files I have had no problem. Which is just eerie, because I've had the problem since day 1, and have cleared my cookies and such regularly...

Oh well, sometimes the simplest solution, they say! Thanks so much, everyone. :)
 
Strange things

I know this seems to have been resolved for this user. However, I have an issue somewhat similar but different :p

I am running Windows 2000 Professional and IE 6.0.2800.1106

I can view the source on most websites and they come up in notepad so I dont have a registry issue or temp internet file issue (though I have deleted my temp internet files).

A website that I have constructed I can view source fine on most of the pages but I goto one page on the SAME site Same machine and all of a sudden I cannot view the source. I have not put in any code to stop viewing source I have tried several debugging methods. And now I have tried 4 different machines and non of them can view the source. The other 3 machines are running Windows XP. None of them get any error messages, it just never pops up.

I am left to assume something in the page is causing the view source to freak but I am not sure what it is. I am sure if I figure it out many a html/php/web programmers would love to know how I can refuse source viewing heh, in the meantime it is strange.

I don't have to view the source as I am the programmer for it, but my curiousity has me wondering why I cannot view the source for this one page on any windows machine to date.

Xunil
 
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