Troubleshooting
This section of the Deployment Guide provides information about troubleshooting the deployment of Windows® Internet Explorer® 9 in a corporate environment. Troubleshooting topics are provided in the following areas:
Deployment best practices
Troubleshooting deployment issues
Troubleshooting end user issues
Other common end user questions
Additional troubleshooting resources
Deployment best practices
To avoid common deployment problems, follow the best practices outlined in this section.
Remember to migrate Group Policy objects from older versions of Internet Explorer.
To ensure continuity in the user experience from earlier versions of Internet Explorer to Internet Explorer 9, be sure to migrate Group Policy objects that continue to be applicable to Internet Explorer 9. For example, migrating the Compatibility View Group Policy will ensure that intranet sites designed for Internet Explorer 7 continue to display properly in Internet Explorer 9.
Check vendor support statements for third-party add-ons, applications, and code libraries.
Some third-party vendors have released new versions of their add-ons, applications, or code libraries for greater compatibility with Internet Explorer 9. Be sure to check vendor support statements and update your add-ons, applications, or code libraries to the versions that support Internet Explorer 9.
Installing Internet Explorer 9 with System Center Configuration Manager
If you are using System Center Configuration Manager to deploy Internet Explorer 9, we suggest following these steps:
Download the prerequisites for your version of the operating system.
For more information about prerequisites, see System Requirements and Prerequisites.
Download the installer from the Internet Explorer 9 download page.
The installers on this page do not need Internet connectivity to install Internet Explorer 9, if the prerequisites are already installed.
Add the prerequisites to your System Center Configuration Manager bundle.
Add the Internet Explorer 9 installer to the System Center Configuration Manager bundle.
If you want Internet Explorer 9 to install without user interaction, run the installer with the /quiet command.
For example: IE9-Windows7-ENU-x86.exe /quiet
Avoid an additional reboot when installing prerequisites for Internet Explorer 9
If a reboot is still required after the prerequisites are installed, extract the Internet Explorer 9 .cab file from the Internet Explorer 9 installer. In the procedure for Installing Internet Explorer 9 with System Center Configuration Manager, replace step 4 with the following steps:
Open a command window running as Administrator and run the following command:
IE9-Windows7-ENU-x86.exe /x:[destination folder]
This command will extract the .cab file for the Windows 7 version of Internet Explorer 9 (for example, IE9-Win7.cab) and place it in the destination folder that you provide.
Add the prerequisites and the Internet Explorer 9 .cab file to your SCCM bundle.
Troubleshooting deployment issues
The following are some common issues that you might encounter in a corporate environment when you use the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 9 (IEAK 9), or when you deploy the customized Internet Explorer 9 packages that you created using IEAK 9.
For more information, see IEAK9 Help.
Unable to locate pages or features in the Internet Explorer Customization Wizard 9
Various IEAK 9 installation or configuration choices can prevent you from accessing certain pages in the Internet Explorer Customization Wizard 9.
To resolve this issue, try one of the following:
Make sure that you selected the correct version of IEAK 9 during installation (for most administrators, the Corporate version is correct).
On the Feature Selection page of the wizard, make sure that all the features you want to customize are selected. Wizard pages for a feature are not displayed if the check box for it is not selected.
Branding changes made through automatic configuration are not applied
The Internet Explorer Customization Wizard 9, IEAK Profile Manager, and some Internet Explorer Maintenance (IEM) settings enable you to make specific branding changes in the browsers that you deploy to your users' computers (including customizing the Internet Explorer 9 title bar and toolbar).
Branding changes distributed to users' computers through automatic configuration are not applied if the Disable external branding of Internet Explorer policy is set in Group Policy on the users' computers. This policy prevents branding of Internet Explorer by a non-Microsoft company or entity such as an Internet service provider or Internet content provider.
For more information about automatic configuration, see Managing Browser Settings.
For more information about Group Policy settings for Internet Explorer 9 in an Active Directory environment, see Managing Browser Settings with Group Policy Tools.
Internet Explorer Setup process fails
If Setup fails, you can troubleshoot errors by using the Setup log files:
IE9_main.log
IE9_NR_Setup.log
IE9_uninst.log
cbs*.log
WU_IE9_LangPacks.log
When you install Internet Explorer 9, log files are created in the folder where Windows is installed (typically, the C:\Windows folder). The files document the entire process from the moment the setup program starts running until the last .cab file is downloaded.
As you go through setup, log entries are continually written to these files. Most log entries are also written to the registry. This data is recorded to assist with safe recovery.
The following table identifies common error codes:
| Error code | Description |
|---|---|
3010 |
Success, reboot required |
40008 |
USER_ERROR_IE_GREATERVERSION_INSTALLED |
50005 |
USER_SUCCESS_USER_CANCELLED |
0 |
Success |
40006 |
USER_ERROR_BAD_SPVERSION |
40016 |
USER_ERROR_EXTRACTION_FAILED |
41001 |
USER_ERROR_UNKNOWN |
40007 |
USER_ERROR_MISSING_REQUIRED_GRAPHICS_SUPPORT |
40015 |
USER_ERROR_WRONG_OS |
40004 |
USER_ERROR_OLD_OS_VERSION |
40010 |
USER_ERROR_BAD_LANGUAGE |
40013 |
USER_ERROR_IE9_ALREADY_INSTALLED |
40019 |
USER_ERROR_WINDOWS_PRERELEASE_NOT_SUPPORTED |
40012 |
Crypto Validation Failed |
40001 |
USER_ERROR_CANNOT_OPEN_LOG_FILE |
1460 |
Timeout |
Installation of Internet Explorer 9 never completes
If the Internet Explorer 9 installation from Windows Update appears to stop responding, it may be because Windows Update is unable to install applicable updates for Internet Explorer 9 (for example, the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool).
Group Policy settings
For an introduction to Group Policy settings that apply to Internet Explorer 9, as well as an overview of administrative tools to manage and troubleshoot Group Policy settings, see Managing Browser Settings with Group Policy Tools.
For a general Group Policy troubleshooting framework, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=55503.
Internet Explorer 9 client issues
The following are topics related to troubleshooting features or behaviors of Internet Explorer 9 on your users' computers.
Resetting Internet Explorer 9 settings
If Internet Explorer 9 on a user's computer is in an unstable state, you can use the Reset Internet Explorer Settings (RIES) feature in Internet Explorer 9 to restore the default settings of many browser features, including:
Search scopes
Appearance settings
Toolbars
ActiveX® controls (reset to opt-in state, unless they are pre-approved)
Branding settings created by using IEAK 9
You can choose to reset personal settings by using the Delete Personal Settings option for:
Home pages
Browsing history
Form data
Passwords
ActiveX filtering
Tracking protection data
RIES disables all custom toolbars, browser extensions, and customizations that have been installed with Internet Explorer 9. To use any of these disabled customizations, you must selectively enable each customization through the Manage Add-ons dialog box.
RIES does not:
Clear the Favorites list.
Clear the RSS Feeds.
Clear the Web Slices.
Reset connection or proxy settings.
Affect Administrative Template Group Policy settings that you apply.
For more information about resetting Internet Explorer settings, see How to Reset Internet Explorer Settings.
Troubleshooting proxy server configurations
If your organization uses a proxy server on a local area network (LAN) to connect to the Internet, you may need to troubleshoot proxy server configurations in the browsers that you deploy to your users' computers.
Follow these steps to help you troubleshoot your proxy server configurations:
Verify the proxy server address.
Verify that automatic detection and automatic configuration are enabled within the browser.
Verify that the browser is configured with the correct automatic configuration script address.
To verify your proxy server address in Internet Explorer 9
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab.
Click Settings or LAN Settings.
In the Proxy server dialog box, verify the address. Click Advanced to verify the addresses if you configured multiple proxy servers.
If Internet Explorer 9 uses a proxy server for a local IP address (even if the Bypass Proxy Server for Local Addresses check box is selected), see article 262981 in the Microsoft Knowledge Base (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=85652).
To verify that automatic detection and automatic configuration are enabled
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab.
Click Settings or LAN Settings.
In the Automatic configuration dialog box, verify that the Automatically detect settings check box is selected. If you enabled automatic configuration, verify that the Use automatic configuration script check box is selected.
If you determine that automatic detection and automatic configuration are configured correctly and the proxy server detection still fails, click Detect my network settings in the Error dialog box to attempt the proxy server detection again.
To verify that the browser is configured with the correct automatic configuration script address
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab.
Click Settings or LAN Settings.
In the Automatic configuration dialog box, verify that the Use automatic configuration script check box is selected, and that the address is correct for your automatic configuration or automatic proxy URL.
Troubleshooting end user issues
The following is a list of common end user issues that may be raised at your IT helpdesk
Installation issues
You may receive an error message when you try to install Internet Explorer 9. Problems with installing Internet Explorer 9 can be caused by different issues. There are several troubleshooting methods that you can use to try to resolve your problem.
Make sure minimum operating system requirements are met.
Try alternative Internet Explorer 9 installer.
Make sure Internet Explorer 9 prerequisites are installed.
Make sure installation of other updates or restart is not pending.
Temporarily disable antispyware and antivirus software.
For more information about these troubleshooting methods, see Microsoft Support article 2409098.
For additional installation issues, see Known Installation Issues in the Release Notes.
How to uninstall Internet Explorer 9
To uninstall Internet Explorer 9, follow the instructions for your version of Windows. To follow these steps, you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator.
Windows 7 or Windows Server 2008 R2
Close all programs, click Start, and then click Control Panel.
If in Category view, under Programs, click Uninstall a Program. If in Icon view, click Programs, and then click Feature.
Click View Installed Updates.
Find and click Windows Internet Explorer 9, and then click Uninstall.
Click Yes when you receive an warning message.
Note
On Windows 7, after you uninstall Internet Explorer 9 and reboot, when you open Internet Explorer 8 you may see the window: “Set Up Windows Internet Explorer 8: Welcome to Internet Explorer 8”. When you go through this wizard, all user settings like favorites, accelerators will be retained with no data loss.
Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008
Close all programs. In Control Panel, go to Programs and Features, and click View Installed Updates.
Click Windows Internet Explorer 9, and then click Uninstall.
Internal intranet site is not working as it did on Internet Explorer 8
All intranet sites should open in Compatibility View by default, but this isn’t always the case.
To display intranet sites in Compatibility View
Open Internet Explorer 9.
Click Alt-T to open the Tools menu.
Click Compatibility View Settings.
Select Display intranet sites in Compatibility View.
For more information, see Compatibility Issues with Websites.
Where do I find security zone settings?
In Internet Explorer 8, there were two ways to view and edit security zone settings:
Double-click the security settings on the status bar.
From the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click Security.
In Internet Explorer 9, you can view security settings from the Tools menu as in the previous version of the Internet Explorer. From the Security page, you can determine the zone that is applied to the current webpage, as well as how the security level is defined for that zone.
Internet Explorer is crashing or slow after installing Internet Explorer 9
If you install Internet Explorer 9 and notice that the system's CPU Usage is running at 100 percent, or higher than normal, an Internet Explorer plugin may be causing the issue. Similarly, if Internet Explorer or a web application is crashing or slow, it may be due to browser add-ons.
To troubleshoot browser add-on issues
Start Internet Explorer 9 in No Add-ons mode by clicking Start, and then Run. In the Run dialog, type iexplore.exe –extoff.
Verify if Internet Explorer still crashes.
If Internet Explorer does not crash, open Internet Explorer 9 and click the Tools icon in the upper right corner of the browser.
Click Manage Add-ons.
Make sure Toolbars and Extensions is selected. Click each toolbar or extension and click Disable in the dialog box at the bottom of the window. This will disable all browser extensions and toolbars.
Restart Internet Explorer 9. Go back to the Manage Add-Ons screen in Step 4 and enable each item, one-by-one. To do this, click the toolbar or extension and click Enable in the dialog box at the bottom of the window. This will help you identify the add-on that is causing Internet Explorer to crash.
Once you have identified the add-on that is causing the crash, disable it until you have an update from the manufacturer.
Performance is slow in Internet Explorer 9
By default, Internet Explorer 9 uses graphics processing unit (GPU) rendering mode. However, some outdated video cards and video drivers do not support GPU hardware acceleration. If Internet Explorer 9 determines that your current video card or video driver does not support GPU hardware acceleration, Internet Explorer 9 uses Software Rendering mode.
To determine whether Internet Explorer 9 is using Software Rendering mode
Start Internet Explorer 9.
On the Tools menu, click Internet Options.
On the Advanced tab, locate the Accelerated graphics section.
Verify that Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering is selected.
If this option is selected, Internet Explorer 9 is running in Software Rendering mode. If the option is greyed out, your current video card or video driver does not support GPU hardware acceleration. For more information, see Microsoft Support Knowledge Base article 2398082.
Acccessibility and other considerations
For information about accessibility, see Internet Explorer 9 Developer Release Notes.
Other common end user questions
This section includes common questions that end users might ask their IT Help desk.
Where are the Favorites, command, and status bars in Internet Explorer 9?
The new browser layout is designed to provide just the controls that are needed to support essential navigation functionality (Back button, Forward button, an updated Address Bar, Home button, and Favorites). By default, there is only a streamlined Tools menu and tabs in a single row of the user interface. The Favorites Bar, Command Bar, Menu Bar, and Status Bar are hidden. This helps users focus more on the content of the webpage, rather than the browser itself. However, users and organizations can turn on these additional bars to customize the frame by using Group Policy settings.
When I go to an intranet site, I get redirected to search results. Why?
For domain-joined machines, a single word is treated as a search term instead of as an intranet site. In Internet Explorer 8, a single word was treated as an intranet site, and upon failure, the browser would resolve to the default search provider. This could take time and the result wasn’t always predictable.
To explicitly go to an intranet site (such as http://contoso/) in Internet Explorer 9, users can type either the trailing slash character (“contoso/”) or the http:// prefix to trigger navigation. Internet Explorer 9 also checks if an intranet site is available in the single-word scenario, and offers matches through the Notification bar. If you select Yes from the Notification bar to navigate to the intranet site, Internet Explorer 9 associates that word with the site. The next time you type in the intranet site name, Internet Explorer 9 uses inline auto-complete to resolve to the intranet site address.
You can change this default behavior so that Internet Explorer 9 looks up intranet sites by default for the single-word entry in the address bar.
To enable an intranet search for single-word search entries
On the Tools menu, select Internet Options.
Click Advanced tab.
Select Go to an intranet site for a single word entry in the address bar.
Click Apply to save the setting.
For organizations that would like to have one-word searches default to search for an intranet site, administrators can enable the Go to an intranet site for a single word entry in the Address bar Group Policy. When this policy is enabled, a search for “contoso” triggers an intranet search for http://contoso.
Why am I not able to download files as I used to in Internet Explorer 8?
The download experience has changed in Internet Explorer 9. Instead of the dialog box, which took focus away from the webpage, Internet Explorer 9 uses the notification bar. The notification bar appears at the bottom of the page and does not change the current focus point. When you click a link that starts a download, you can press Alt+N to put focus in the Notification bar and then use the Run/Open, Save or Cancel buttons to interact with your download.
Where is the search box in Internet Explorer 9?
Internet Explorer 9 uses the new One Box feature instead. This allows users to type search terms in the address bar, where any text in the address bar that does not appear to be a URL is sent to the currently selected search provider. Internet Explorer 9 starts with the default search provider, but if a user switches to a secondary provider, the search is performed with the selected provider.
Additional troubleshooting resources
For more information about troubleshooting specific Internet Explorer 9 features and behaviors, see the following resources: