This week's Q&A troubleshoots a couple of Web-browser glitches that can occur when trying to access sites with scripting issues or Microsoft's Windows Update site. Let's go to the mailbag:
Not long ago I bought a new Windows XP system and have been really happy with it. However, ever since I started using this machine, almost every time I launch Internet Explorer I receive an error message that says, "RUNTIME ERROR -- DO YOU WISH TO DEBUG?" It's not just when I launch IE, either -- the same annoying message pops up on more than half of the sites I visit. I checked the Windows Update site and downloaded all the IE updates I could find, and still haven't been able to get rid of it. Can you give me any suggestions that might help?
No problem. Not long ago, I was suffering from this exact same thing myself. It drove me crazy -- especially when I accidentally clicked 'Yes' to the debug question. Fortunately, it was an easy problem to fix once I actually decided to sit down and dig for answers. Just do the following:
Launch Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
Click the Advanced tab.
Under the Browsing section, look for the entry that reads "Disable script debugging" and check it.
Scroll down a bit and find the entry "Display a notification about every script error." Uncheck it.
Click OK, then close and relaunch IE.
You should find that, the next time you visit your favorite sites, you're not inundated with annoying script-error messages any longer.
IE, the Default Diva
I've been using Windows 98 Second Edition since it was introduced. One of the things I like most about it is the Windows Update feature: With older versions of Windows, I always had trouble locating patches or driver updates for my system, but since I started using Windows Update, I've never missed a critical update. Well, not until recently.
About a month ago, I started to experience a problem whenever I would try to use the Windows Update site: Instead of getting to the site, I get bounced to a page that says, "You need to be running a version of Internet Explorer 5 or higher in order to use Windows Update." I don't understand why I'm getting this message, because I'm currently using Internet Explorer 5.5, along with Netscape Navigator 7.1, for Web browsing. Do you have any idea what could be causing this problem and how I can go about fixing it?
Since you're using a newer version of Navigator and older version of Internet Explorer, I'm inclined to guess that Navigator is your default browser -- and, in fact, that you're trying to access Windows Update using Netscape Navigator. Microsoft doesn't like that.
In order for you to access the Windows Update site, you need to be using a Web browser that supports ActiveX controls -- i.e., IE version 5 or higher instead of Navigator. If you'd prefer to keep Netscape's as your default browser, you can simply bypass the desktop icon to get to Windows Update and instead launch Internet Explorer and type in the address manually (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com).
If the problem still occurs when you try to access the site in this fashion, you'll need to update the WUPDMGR.EXE file. To do that, you'll need to at least temporarily configure Internet Explorer to be your default Web browser; once you successfully access Windows Update, WUPDMGR.EXE will update automatically. Afterward, you can return to using Navigator as your default browser, though you'll still need to access the Windows Update site through IE as described above.
To configure IE as the default, launch Microsoft's browser and click Yes when you receive the message, "Internet Explorer is not currently your default browser. Would you like to make it your default browser?" If you don't see that message when you start IE, follow these steps:
Launch Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
Click the Programs tab and select the check box "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser."
Now close and reopen Internet Explorer. This time, you should see the "Internet Explorer is not currently your default browser" message.
Click Yes to answer the question.
At this point, IE should be your default Web browser and you should have access to the Windows Update site. More information about this issue can be found at this support page.
While you're at it, by the way, I'd suggest that you upgrade your copy of Internet Explorer to the latest version (Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1). It shouldn't be necessary to solve your current problem, but it may alleviate some future ones. Alternatively, you could upgrade to Windows XP, which can download and install patches from Windows Update in the background without worrying about which browser you're using in the foreground.
