Notepad on the Desktop and View Source
Notepad shortcut, Notepad folder when using View Source in Internet Explorer
Overview
Some people have reported having problems with View Source in Internet Explorer, and found that if they have a shortcut to Notepad on the Windows Desktop, deleting the shortcut will fix it. There is a user feedback that elaborates on this in my Can't View Source page.
Other people are now discovering that placing a folder called Notepad on the Windows Desktop will cause that folder to open when View Source is used in Internet Explorer.
I tried looking for official documentation at Microsoft's site, but could not find anything that directly addressed this issue.
Experimenting With Settings
I decided to test out these situations, and report the results here. One factor is the different combinations of Notepad shortcut/folder. Another factor is the View Source Editor registry setting.
If you look in the registry under [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer] and there is no View Source Editor, then it is not set, and Notepad is used by default. It seems that when it's not set, Internet Explorer will look around for Notepad, and one of the places it looks is on the Desktop.
For registry setup instructions, refer to the "(10) Missing registry setting" and "(12) Additional documentation for useful registry settings" feedback solutions in my Can't View Source page. The latter includes a link to Microsoft's documentation about Selecting a View Source Editor.
My Setup
The operating systems / browser versions I tested.
- Win2k - Windows 2000 SP4, IE 6.0 SP1
- XP - Windows XP SP2, IE 6.0 SP2
The test site I used when viewing source was http://www.google.com/
Possible Results
These are the possible outcomes that I know of.
- View Source works - The source for the page opens correctly in Notepad.
- View Source doesn't work - View Source doesn't open. Nothing happens.
- Notepad folder opens - The folder on the desktop opens in a Windows Explorer window.
My Results
The following results are from the systems I tested given the criteria I listed above, and may differ from your system.
View Source Editor is not set
| Notepad shortcut | Notepad folder | Win2k | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | View Source works | View Source works |
| Yes | No | View Source works | View Source works |
| No | Yes | Notepad folder opens | Notepad folder opens |
| Yes | Yes | View Source works | View Source works |
View Source Editor\Editor Name is set to the Notepad path
| Notepad shortcut | Notepad folder | Win2k | XP |
|---|---|---|---|
| No | No | View Source works | View Source works |
| Yes | No | View Source works | View Source works |
| No | Yes | View Source works | View Source works |
| Yes | Yes | View Source works | View Source works |
Conclusion
I'm not specifically recommending changing your registry settings, but if you want to avoid the Notepad folder issue, you might want to try it.