IE8 - links do not respond to clicks

This must be an ancient problem with well-known solution(s) by now, but it just started on my computer and nothing I try seems to work.

Of course, I cannot click on any solution, since clicking on a link gets the same result as clicking on white space.

I've tried uninstalling IE9, IE8, and IE7. Since IE7 isn't going to be supported anymore, that doesn't get me anywhere, and the other two behave the same - click a link, nothing happens.

this is so frustrating!! can anyone help?

 

Greetings, Ann MacNaughton...

First and foremost: have you tried installing a different browser such as Firefox? If not, please try an alternate browser as a means of internet access and also as a troubleshooting tool.

Also please try each of the following and report the results:

1. Boot into Safe Mode w/Networking, see if your symptoms change.

2. Navigate to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer (No Add-ons) - open this browser and see if there's a change in symptoms.

3. Navigate to Control Panel > Internet Options - in the Security and Advanced tabs reset IE to defaults. While here, you might also toggle any pertinent settings to attempt to change your symptoms.

 

thanks very much for both response - I'm no geek, but am beginning to get the idea this may be a DLL problem.

Hope the only fix is not to re-install Windows, since it was loaded remotely from India a year ago, when a defective Dell had to have a new hard drive installed. None of that was pretty, and I could never get them to send me replacement disks.

IN REPLY TO YOUR RESPONSES . . . (praying someone may have another idea).. . .

First and foremost: have you tried installing a different browser such as Firefox? If not, please try an alternate browser as a means of internet access and also as a troubleshooting tool.
*** *I have tried to download Firefox and Mozilla, but cannot get the download to work. Maybe this problem is DLL corruption - I tried cmd 'as administrator' using

Also please try each of the following and report the results:

1. Boot into Safe Mode w/Networking, see if your symptoms change.

No change

2. Navigate to Start > Programs > Accessories > System Tools > Internet Explorer (No Add-ons) - open this browser and see if there's a change in symptoms.

Yes - did this, nothing changed. Also did these things, following this guidance, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/175775#method2:
Method 1: Check your default web browser setting
Method 2: Change the file types that Internet Explorer opens by default
Method 3: Use the Internet Explorer No Add-ons mode
Method 4: Reset Internet Explorer settings

All those went OK . . . . with no change - links still not clickable.

Method 5: Reregister the necessary Internet Explorer DLL files.
UH-OH. I followed these steps from the MS Guidance doc:

To reregister the DLL files, follow these steps:

1.Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click cmd, and then select Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.

That went OK.

2.Type regsvr32 urlmon.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.

That went OK too.

3.Click OK when you receive the confirmation.

4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the following commands:
BUT NONE OF THIS WENT OK - got the same error message for each in turn - like this -
regsvr32 mshtml.dll "Module mshtml was loaded, but the entry-point DLLRegisterService was not found - Make sure mshtml.dll is a valid DLL or OCX and try again "
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll

each of those DLLs GENERATEd essentially that same ERROR MESSAGE. So I googled for solutions. And, found this http://iefaq.info/index.php?action=artikel&cat=42&id=133&artlang=en - that claims to work for IE9 just as well as IE8 and has a zip file linked - but, clicking that link of course gets no response, and copying and pasting the address [ie8-rereg.64on64.zip]into my browser takes me 'there' [http://rapidlibrary.com/files/ie8-rereg-64on64-zip_ulffqt8wnvi89on.html], but hitting download and highspeed get the same no-response, just a blank screen.

:-((


3. Navigate to Control Panel > Internet Options - in the Security and Advanced tabs reset IE to defaults. While here, you might also toggle any pertinent settings to attempt to change your symptoms.

I did try setting IE to defaults. No change.
Also have unloaded, and re-loaded 7, 8, and 9 - none of that changes anything.

**
Does Microsoft Update work properly?
Yes, I have run update and re-booted with no difference.

Have you tried launching IE with no addons? Does it do the same thing?
Yes, and yes.

Since you mention IE 9, you must be running Windows 7.
Yes, 64-bit Windows 7 and 64-bit IE9.

What av and firewall are you running?
Norton 360, also Malwarebyte




If you prefer not to install a different browser, put Opera version 12 portable on a USB stick and see if that works.
http://www.majorgeeks.com/OperaUSB_d6231.html
****Tried copying and pasting into the IE9 browser window, it responds just like a click on a hyperlink (nada) - including the zip that might fix the problem (if I didn't have the problem).

 

RE-SET IE9 TO DEFAULTS, w/NO CHANGE

ALSO TRIED FOLLOWING THIS MS GUIDANCE, http://support.microsoft.com/kb/175775#method5

Method 1: Check your default web browser setting -
THIS WENT OK

Method 2: Change the file types that Internet Explorer opens by default
THIS WENT OK, TOO

Method 3: Use the Internet Explorer No Add-ons mode
YES, THIS TOO - NO CHANGE USING NO-ADD-ONS

Method 4: Reset Internet Explorer settings
DID THIS TOO, NO CHANGE

Method 5: Reregister the necessary Internet Explorer DLL files
COULD NOT DO THIS - EXCEPT FOR THE FIRST ONE (Dell), the others all generated error messages that the DLL module was loaded but the entry-point could not be found.
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 msjava.dll

These are the direcctions I followed to reregister the DLL files - only urlmon.dll workked OK.
1.Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click cmd, and then select Run as administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
2.Type regsvr32 urlmon.dll in the Open box, and then click OK.
3.Click OK when you receive the confirmation.
4.Repeat steps 2 and 3 for the following commands:

SO, I Googled for IE9 DLL issues and found this:
http://iefaq.info/index.php?action=artikel&cat=42&id=133&artlang=en

Of course I cannot click on ie8-rereg.64on64.zip (well, I can click, but nothing happens) - so after giving that a try and getting no result, I tried copying and pasting that into the browser, and then the search engine (Google) - reached this 'download' website [http://rapidlibrary.com/files/ie8-rereg-64on64-zip_ulffqt8wnvi89on.html], but cannot download.

Just like trying to download Mozilla or Foxfire (or click a hyperlink), nothing happens.

Sure hope I don't have to re-install Windows. I'm using a relatively new (May a year ago) Dell XPS that arrived with a defective c:/ that crashed August a year ago - it took India 3 months to re-install all the software after the hard drive was replaced. So much for 'on-site' warranty service. But, this Windows software was installed remotely, so if the problem is corrupt DLL files and there's no fix except to un-install and re-install Windows, I'm cooked.


OH YES, I did just spend $30 on SparkTrust PC Cleaner Plus, advertising here at MajorGeeks that it can fix DLL registry errors - but, after paying for it and running it and re-booting, no change.

:cry