Troubleshoot problems accessing webmail using Internet Explorer

This Microsoft Knowledge Base article discusses troubleshooting steps that can help resolve issues when you use Windows Internet Explorer to view a single website or to access email messages by using Windows Live Hotmail, Yahoo!, or Gmail. In these cases, you may notice the following issues when you use Internet Explorer:

• Internet Explorer stops responding or closes unexpectedly when you visit webmail websites.
• Webmail does not load, displays an error message, or does not respond.

If you have problems when you view multiple websites, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

If Internet Explorer crashes, click the following link to view the article on the Microsoft website: If your having problems viewing, accessing, or loading some webpages, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

This behavior may occur for one or more of the following reasons:

• A website is designed for earlier versions of Internet Explorer.
• A previously installed browser or add-on may interfere with other software on your computer.
• Settings may be changed after an installation that may cause websites not to work correctly.
• Incorrect date and time settings on your computer can cause issues when you try to access webmail servers.
• This issue can occur because the Urlmon.dll file is not registered.
• Registry keys may have become corrupted or modified.

To resolve this issue, use the following methods to troubleshoot possible problems. The methods below are in the order of most common causes so use the methods in the order in listed. If Method 1 does not resolve your issue, go to the next method. 

Method 1: Enable Compatibility View for specific websites

Websites that are designed for earlier versions of Internet Explorer might not be displayed correctly in the current version. If Internet Explorer recognizes a webpage that is incompatible, the Compatibility View button becomes available on the Address bar.  

1. Open Internet Explorer by clicking the Start button, typing Internet Explorer in the search box, and then clicking Internet Explorer from the results.
2. Click the Compatibility Viewbutton on the address bar. 

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 2: Clear the SSL state

When you connect to a commerce website, Internet Explorer uses a secure connection that uses Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) technology to encrypt the transaction. Corrupt information in the SSL can cause websites to not load correctly. Clearing the SSL State may resolve this issue. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, type Internet Explorer in the search box, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer. 
2. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
3. Click the Content tab, and then click Clear SSL state.

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 3: Verify that Date and Time settings are correct

Incorrect date and time settings on your computer can cause issues when you try to access webmail servers. To resolve this issue, set the date and time on your computer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Control Panel, click Clock, Language, and Region, and then click Date and Time. 
2. Click the Date and Time tab, and then click Change date and time. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
3. In the Date and Time Settings dialog box, make sure that the date and time settings are configured to use the current date and time, and then click OK.

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 4: Reset Internet Explorer Settings

Resetting Internet Explorer’s settings is not reversible. After a reset, all previous settings are lost and cannot be recovered. When you restore Internet Explorer’s default settings, some webpages that rely on stored cookies, form data, passwords, or previously installed browser add-ons might not work correctly. However, resetting Internet Explorer to its default settings does not delete your favorites, feeds, or several other personal settings.

To reset Internet Explorer settings, follow these steps:

1. Close any Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer windows that are currently open.
2. Click Start, type inetcpl.cpl in the Search box, and then click inetcpl.cpl in the Programs list. Then, the Internet Options dialog box appears.
3. Click the Advanced tab.
4. Under Reset Internet Explorer Settings, click Reset, and then click Reset again.
5. When Internet Explorer finishes applying default settings, in the Reset Internet Explorer Settings dialog box, click Close.
6. Start Internet Explorer again.

Your changes take effect the next time that you open Internet Explorer.

Note If the issue is not resolved, and you did not select the option to delete personal settings, you may want to follow these steps again, and delete your personal settings to make sure that the personal settings are not causing the issue.

Method 5: Reregister necessary Internet Explorer DLL files

Note This information applies to Windows XP.

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.
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 files:
   
   regsvr32 mshtml.dll
   regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
   regsvr32 browseui.dll
   regsvr32 msjava.dll

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 6: Contact your webmail provider for support

If the previous methods do not resolve your issue, you can contact your webmail provider to see whether they can help you resolve your issue. For support at the three most common webmail providers, click one of the following:

• Google (http://mail.google.com/support/?ctx=gmail&hl=en&labs=1)
• Yahoo! (http://help.yahoo.com/l/us/yahoo/mail/yahoomail/)
• Windows Live Hotmail (http://windowslivehelp.com/)

Advanced troubleshooting

This section is intended for more advanced computer users. Five methods are presented that might help resolve the issue. If you are not comfortable with advanced troubleshooting, go to the “Additional Support” section.

If the website that you are trying to view is a secure site (the address starts with https), follow the steps in the following Knowledge Base article:

Method 1: System Restore

System Restore uses restore points to return your system files and settings to an earlier point in time without affecting personal files. Restore points are created automatically every week, and just before significant system events, such as the installation of a program, device or, driver. Before you start a System Restore, save any open files, and close all programs. When you confirm your restore point, System Restore restarts your computer. To perform a System Restore, follow these steps:

For Windows 7 and for Windows Vista

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click System Restore. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
2. Click Next on the System Restore page.
3. Select the System Restore date or description to which you want to restore the system.
   
   Note If you do not see the particular dates that you are looking for, select Show more dates, and then select the target date.
4. In the confirmation window, click Finish.
   

Your computer restarts. When the restart is finished, you see a confirmation that System Restore is complete.

For Windows XP

1. Log on to Windows as an administrator by using an account that has administrative permissions.
2. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click System Restore.
3. On the Welcome to System Restore page, click to select the Restore my computer to an earlier time option, and then click Next.
4. On the Select a Restore point page, click the most recent system restore point in the On this list, click a restore point list, and then click Next.
5. On the Confirm Restore Point Selection page, click Next. System Restore restores the previous Windows XP configuration and then restarts the computer.
6. Log on to the computer as an Administrator. Then, click OK on the System Restore Restoration Complete page.
   

Your computer restarts. When the restart is finished, you see a confirmation that System Restore is complete.

How to undo System Restore

Note This information applies to Windows XP, to Windows Vista, and to Windows 7.

If you tried to use System Restore to fix a problem, but the problem remained, or other problems were introduced, you can undo the restore operation. After you undo the System Restore, you can try to use a different restore point.

1. Click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click System Restore.
2. Click Undo System Restore, and then click Next.
3. Review your choices, and then click Finish.

Your computer restarts. When the restart is finished, you see a confirmation that the undo process is complete.

Method 2: Check your hard disk for errors

You can help solve some computer problems and improve the performance of your computer by making sure that your hard disk has no errors.

1. Click Start, and then click Computer.
2. Right-click the hard disk drive that you want to check, and then click Properties.
3. Click the Tools tab, and then, under Error-checking, click Check Now. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   
   To automatically repair problems with files and folders that the scan detects, select Automatically fix file system errors. Otherwise, the disk check will report problems but not fix them.
   
   To check for both file errors and physical errors, select both Automatically fix file system errors and the Scan for and attempt recovery of bad sectors options.
4. Click Start.

Depending on the size of your hard disk, this process may take several minutes. For best results, do not use your computer for any other tasks while it is checking for errors.

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 3: Perform a clean restart and troubleshoot the issue

To help troubleshoot error messages and other issues, you can start Windows Vista or Windows 7 by using a minimal set of drivers and startup programs. This kind of startup is known as a "clean boot" or a "clean restart." A clean restart helps eliminate software conflicts.

Note If the computer is connected to a network, network policy settings may prevent you from following these steps. We strongly recommend that you do not use the System Configuration utility to change the advanced startup options on the computer unless a Microsoft support engineer directs you to do this. Doing this may make the computer unusable.

Step 1: Perform a clean restart

1. Log on to the computer by using an account that has administrator rights.
2. Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER to start the System Configuration utility.
   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
   
3. On the General tab, click to select the Selective startup check box, and then click to clear the Load startup items check box. (The Use Original Boot.ini check box is unavailable).
4. On the Services tab, click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box, and then click Disable all.
   
   Note Following this step lets Microsoft services continue to run. These services include Networking, Plug and Play, Event Logging, Error Reporting, and other services. If you disable these services, you may permanently delete all restore points. Do not do this if you want to use the System Restore utility together with existing restore points.
   
5. Click OK, and then click Restart.

Step 2: Enable half of the services

1. Follow steps 1A and 1B to start the System Configuration utility.
2. Click the Services tab, and then click to select the Hide all Microsoft services check box.
3. Click to select half of the check boxes in the Service list.
4. Click OK, and then click Restart.

Step 3: Determine whether the problem returns

If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Service list.

If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 2. In step 2, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Service list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

If only one service is selected in the Service list, and you still experience the problem, the selected service causes the problem. Go to step 6. If no service causes this problem, go to step 4.

Step 4: Enable half of the Startup items

1. Repeat step 1 in this method to perform a clean restart. 
2. Click the Startup tab, and then click to select half of the check boxes in the Startup Item list.
3. Click OK, and then click Restart.

Step 5: Determine whether the problem returns

If the problem still occurs, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, click to clear half of the check boxes that you originally selected in the Startup Item list.

If the problem does not occur, repeat step 1 and step 4. In step 4, select only half of the remaining check boxes that are cleared in the Startup Item list. Repeat these steps until you have selected all the check boxes.

If only one startup item is selected in the Startup Item list, and you still experience the problem, the startup item that is selected in the list is the service that is causing the problem. Go to step 6.

If no startup item causes this problem, a Microsoft service most likely causes the problem. To determine which Microsoft service may be causing the problem, repeat step 1 and step 2, and do not select the Hide all Microsoft services check box in either step.

Step 6: Resolve the problem

After you determine the startup item or the service that causes the problem, contact the program manufacturer to determine whether the problem can be resolved. Or, run the System Configuration utility, and then click to clear the check box for the problem item.

Step 7: Reset the computer to start as usual

After you have finished troubleshooting, follow these steps to reset the computer to start as usual:

1. Click Start, type msconfig.exe in the Start Search box, and then press ENTER.
   
   If you are prompted for an administrator password or for confirmation, type your password, or click Continue.
2. On the General tab, click the Normal Startup option, and then click OK.
3. When you are prompted to restart the computer, click Restart.

Method 4: Check whether you can ping the website by its name

1. Click Start, type cmd, and then press ENTER.
2. Type the following command:
   ping Host name

Ping uses name resolution to resolve a computer name into an IP address. Therefore, if you successfully ping an IP address, but you cannot ping a computer name, there is a problem with host name resolution, not with network connectivity.

If you cannot ping the website by using its address, click the following link to view the article on the Microsoft website:

If you could ping external sites by both IP address and Name, but you cannot browse the websites, it is likely that your web browser is misconfigured.

To determine whether you have an incorrect server or a not needed Proxy server that is assigned, follow these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer. To do this, click Start, type Internet Explorer in the search box, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.
2. Click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
3. Click the Connections tab, and then click LAN settings.
4. Click to clear the Automatically detect settings and Use a proxy server for your LAN check boxes.
5. Click OK, and exit all open windows.

Method 5: Flush DNS settings in Windows

In some cases, the Domain Name System (DNS) information that your computer uses to connect to the Internet must be reset. To flush your Windows DNS information, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, point to All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as Administrator. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password, or provide confirmation.
2. At the command prompt, type <tt>ipconfig /flushdns</tt>, and then press ENTER.
3. You should receive a message that the DNS Resolver Cache was successfully flushed.

Note At the command prompt, if you receive the following error message, close the Command Prompt window, and repeat steps 1 and 2 in this method to make sure that administrative credentials are used to access the command prompt:
Your changes will take effect the next time that you open Internet Explorer.

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 6: Use a public DNS

You can decide which public DNS to use. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Open the Network and Sharing Center. To do this, click Start, click Control Panel, click Network and Internet, and then click Network and Sharing Center.
2. Under Connections, click Local Area Connection.
3. In the Local Area Connection Status window, click Properties, click to select Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4), and then click Properties.
4. In the Internet Protocol Version 4 (TCP/IPv4) Properties dialog box, click Advanced.
5. In the Advanced TCP/IP Settings dialog box, click to select the current DNS server address, and then click Edit.
6. Enter the address of a public DNS, and make sure that you note the original DNS before you make this change.
7. Click OK, and exit all open windows.

Your changes will take effect the next time that you open Internet Explorer.

Check whether the problem is fixed. If the problem is fixed, you are finished with this article. If the problem is not fixed, go to the next method.

Method 7: Verify that the website is reading the user-agent string correctly

When you visit a webpage, your browser sends the user-agent string to the server that hosts the site that you are visiting. This string indicates which browser you are using, its version number, and details about your system, such as operating system and version. The web server can use this information to provide content that is customized for your specific browser.

To test whether user-agent string is causing a problem on a specific website, follow these steps:

1. Open Internet Explorer. To do this, click Start, type Internet Explorer in the search box, and then, in the list of results, click Internet Explorer.
2. In the Internet Explorer address bar, type the address of the website that you have problems viewing.
3. Press F12 to open the Internet Explorer Developer Tools.
4. Click the Browser Mode menu, and change the Browser Mode to Internet Explorer 7. This tells Internet Explorer to report the user-agent string and version vector as Internet Explorer 7.

If you can view the website correctly after you change the Browser Mode, contact the website support to see whether they can help you resolve your issue.

For more information about user-agent strings, click the following link:

Learn more about user-agent strings (http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms537503(VS.85).aspx)  

Method 8: Verify that the site is not blocking the IP address

If the previous methods do not resolve your issue, you can contact the website support to see whether the site is blocking the IP address that you are using.

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