WD2000: A Password Dialog Box Appears When You Click the Back Button in Internet Explorer

Article ID: 306534 - View products that this article applies to.
This article was previously published under Q306534
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SYMPTOMS

If you use Microsoft Internet Explorer to locate a Word document in a Web, and then you click Back, or you close the browser window, you may be prompted to type a user name and password.

The authentication dialog box also may appear if you start Word 2000, open a file as read-only directly from a Web server, and then close Word.

CAUSE

Internet Explorer is trying to write the document to the list of Most Recently Used (MRU) files. As a result, Internet Explorer tries to get read/write access to the document.

Internet Explorer tries to add the Word document to the MRU list when the client has a Web folder that points to the Web server where the Word document resides.

For example, you are browsing the Word document at "http://www.MyWebServer.com/word.doc", and you also have a Web folder that points to "http://www.MyWebServer.com". By default, the Web folder is trying to gain read/write access to the document.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, the preferred method is to delete the Web folder from your client computer. To do this, follow these steps:
  1. Quit any programs that you are using.
  2. On your Windows desktop, do one of the following:
    • In Microsoft Windows 98 or Microsoft Windows NT 4.0, double-click My Computer, and then double-click Web Folders.

      -or-
    • In Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me), Microsoft Windows 2000, or Microsoft Windows XP, double-click My Network Places.
  3. Right-click the Web folder that points to the Web server that you want to delete, and then click Delete.

    Note If you are not sure of the location that a Web folder is pointing to, you can right-click the Web folder, and then click Properties. The Target is the location that the Web folder is pointing to.

RESOLUTION

A supported work around is also available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem.

When you navigate to a file in Internet Explorer, the work around documented in this article prevents the file from being added to the shell MRU list.

Note This behavior is by design. This behavior avoids the authentication prompt that typically occurs when the shell tries to add a file to the MRU list.

The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

   Date           Time     Version      Size        File name     
   -------------------------------------------------------------
   01-Feb-2002  18:39:04   9.0.0.6131   8,814,644   Winword.exe
				
Note After the hotfix is downloaded implement the registry key DontAddToMRUIfURL. To apply the key, double-click the QFE4214.reg file that is included with the hotfix package, and then click Yes to confirm that you want to add the information to the registry.


STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

Properties

Article ID: 306534 - Last Review: January 31, 2007 - Revision: 2.5
APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 1
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 Service Pack 2
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.01
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.0
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    • Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Advanced Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Datacenter Server
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Professional Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 2000 Server
    • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0 Standard Edition
    • Microsoft Windows NT Server 4.0, Terminal Server Edition
    • Microsoft Windows NT Workstation 4.0 Developer Edition
    • Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
    • Microsoft Windows 98 Standard Edition
  • Microsoft Word 2000 Standard Edition
Keywords: 
kbbug kbnofix kbqfe kbhotfixserver KB306534

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