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You cannot log on to an FTP site or you are redirected to the root folder of the FTP site in Internet Explorer 7

Article ID:941896
Last Review:October 10, 2007
Revision:1.3
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SYMPTOMS

In Windows Internet Explorer 7, you may experience the following issues after you enter the user name and password to access an FTP site:
You cannot log on to the FTP site. Or, no content appears in Internet Explorer 7.
You can log on to the FTP site. However, you are redirected to the root folder of the FTP site.
Note In Windows Internet Explorer 6, you are redirected to an assigned virtual folder according to the username that you use.

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CAUSE

This issue occurs because of a design change in Internet Explorer 7.

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RESOLUTION

Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/) How to back up and restore the registry in Windows


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Security update information

To resolve this problem, install the most current cumulative security update for Internet Explorer. To install the most current updates, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com (http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com)
For more technical information about the most current cumulative security update for Internet Explorer, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx (http://www.microsoft.com/technet/security/current.aspx)
Note This fix was first included in security update 939653 (MS07-057). For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
939653 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/939653/) MS07-057: Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer


This update adds the FEATURE_WININET_FTP_FOLDER_VIEW_KB939653 registry subkey. By default, this feature is not enabled. To enable this feature, follow these steps:
1.Click Start, click Run, type regedit , and then click OK.
2.Locate and then click the following registry subkey
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main\FeatureControl\FEATURE_WININET_FTP_FOLDER_VIEW_KB939653
3.On the Edit menu, point to New, and then click DWORD Value.
4.Type * , and then press ENTER.
5.On the Edit menu, click Modify.
6. Type 1 , and then click OK.

Note To disable the hotfix, type 0, and then click OK.
7.Exit Registry Editor.

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WORKAROUND

To work around this issue, follow these steps:
1. Start Internet Explorer.
2.Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
3.Click the Advanced tab.
4.Under Browsing, Click to select the Enable FTP folder view (outside of Internet Explorer) check box, and then click OK.
5.In Windows Explorer, enter the URL of the FTP site, and then press ENTER.

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MORE INFORMATION

There are two main methods to use FTP in Windows. One method uses Windows Explorer to browse FTP sites by using a folder-based interface. By default, Internet Explorer uses this method. The other method uses an implementation in Internet Explorer that is based on the WinINet API. When you use this method, you browse FTP sites in Internet Explorer in the same manner that you browse Web sites.

Versions of Internet Explorer that are earlier than Internet Explorer 7 are not separate from the rest of Windows. Internet Explorer and the rest of Windows just have different entry points in the user interface. When you browse an FTP site in Internet Explorer, the FTP site opens in Windows Explorer. Windows supports home directories and the relative path of the FTP URL. Therefore, after you enter the user name and the password, you are redirected to an assigned folder according to the user name. This assigned folder appears as the root of the FTP server.

Internet Explorer 7 is separate from the rest of Windows. Therefore, when you use Internet Explorer 7 to access an FTP site, the behavior differs from the behavior of earlier versions of Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer does not support home directories and the relative path of the FTP URL. Therefore, you are redirected to the root folder of the FTP server. If you do not have permission to access the root folder, you cannot access the FTP site.

For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
928675 (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/928675/) Separation of Internet Explorer 7 from the Windows shell

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APPLIES TO
Windows Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista
Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows Server 2003
Windows Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP

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Keywords: 
atdownload kbexpertisebeginner kbexpertiseadvanced kbprb KB941896

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