Article ID: 904678 - Last Review: September 15, 2006 - Revision: 3.5

The view-source protocol no longer works in Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP Service Pack 2

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SYMPTOMS

The view-source protocol no longer works in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2).
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CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the view-source protocol has been disabled as part of the MIME handling in Internet Explorer 6 for Windows XP SP2.
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STATUS

This behavior is by design.
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MORE INFORMATION

If you type the following URL in the Address bar of Internet Explorer 6 on a computer that is running a version of Windows XP that is earlier than Windows XP SP2, this URL will be opened as source code in your default HTML editor:
view-source:http://www.microsoft.com/default.asp
This feature is enabled by the view-source protocol. Windows XP SP2 disables the view-source protocol. To view the source code for a URL on a Windows XP SP2-based computer, browse to a Web site and then click Source on the View menu. To edit the source code for a URL on a Windows XP SP2-based computer, open the Web site directly in an HTML editor.

For more information about the view-source protocol, visit the following Microsoft Developer Network (MSDN) Web site:
http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa767742.aspx (http://msdn2.microsoft.com/en-us/library/aa767742.aspx)
For more information about MIME handling enforcement, visit the following Microsoft Web site:
http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd361873.aspx (http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/library/dd361873.aspx)
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APPLIES TO
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0
  • Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, when used with:
    • Microsoft Windows XP Home Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Media Center Edition
    • Microsoft Windows XP Professional
    • Microsoft Windows XP Tablet PC Edition
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Keywords: 
kbtshoot kbprb KB904678
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