Can't open History index DAT file

Thanks Johanna,
My time appears to be fine ( Is BIOS time the same as the time showing at bottom right of my screen ? ). After clicking the history icon the only thing I see in the left pane is the IE 5 folder with an index, not my history. Its no big deal as I dont want to delete anything, I just wanted to try and find a site I had stumbled across a few days ago. My history settings are set to save it for 5 days so that is ok

Regards Boogie

 

Boogie,
Theoretically, your BIOS clock should be displayed as the system time/date in the notification area, but to double check, boot the comp, press delete (on most comps) and check in the BIOS settings (usually the very first one has the system clock) and see if it is correct.

I used to have a computer that had a quirky motherboard, and I would lose History whenever I had a bad checksum (CMOS clock got interrupted) if I booted right into Windows w/o fixing the time and date in BIOS first.

You can look in Windows Explorer > Doc and Settings> Your Name > Local settings and see if your History files are indeed intact. Why they are not showing in IE is not clear, yet.

Johanna

 

Boogie,

That program, Index.datQV I gave you the reference for, will list any url's visited in the history .dat file.

Regards - Charles

 

My history appears to be intact. I can access that .dat file through Winspy which I downloaded and it is showing all my visited URL's. I just cant understand why it is putting it in a dat.file and not just displaying it when I click on the History icon.

Thanks again

 

Boogie, I think I see the problem with your HIST.REG copy. You are missing the line feeds at the end. Open the file for editing and put put two line feeds after the last data line ( "Attributes "=dword:a0000004). Just click the cursor immediately after that line and press the Enter key twice. Then save the file and exit. That should get it recognized as a Registry file.

Just for academics, take a look at your post of the file versus mine, using the "Quote" mode and you'll see the difference in the last line. These line feeds are essential to Registry files to allow Windows to recognize them properly.

If this is all to frustrating, you can always send me a PM and give me your e-mail address and I'll send the file that way. Then you would have to do nothing but run it right from the mail box.

 

I see exactly what you mean but it didnt work. I get the same error message as before. I'll send you a PM.

Thanks

Have just been given this link. Looks like my exact problem and I'll probably have to try re-installing IE

Menu Bar in History Pane No Longer Appears

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;296336

 

When you click the History button in the Internet Explorer toolbar, the History band which appears in the left pane may be blank. Additionally, the View and Search buttons in the History band may be missing.
Fig 1 explains the problem, Fig 2 is the normal screen.

This happens if the following registry key is missing.

[HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\CLSID\{FF393560-C2A7-11CF-BFF4-444553540000}]

To resolve the problem, click Start, Run and type the command below:

REGSVR32 /i SHDOCVW


http://www.winxptutor.com/historyblank.htm

My guess is either there's something funky going on with your initial install of IE and a repair is called for or your desktop.ini for the history folder is botched and anyone of those tools that allows the deletion of index.dat is called for. Did you know that spybot shredder can do this? Most users have spybot now, perhaps you can look into this. Also did you download IE6 and save it to your harddrive for the initial install or allow Microsoft to install it for you?

--------
To suferdude,

My appologies and hats off to ya'. Looks like you where right in your inital understanding of the original thread. I thought this was a curiosity seek and your take was an error, problem/fix seek. Boy was I off base on this one!

 

That's OK Ann, I had my doubts there for a moment too. Then I went to work and broke my system the same way. I had to do it the hard way though, using a registry recorder (before and after shots) and then use a context menu editor to delete the History function. That revealed the correct Key but getting it to Boogie through the board had been somewhat less than rewarding. I sent it via e-mail and he should be reporting the results, if such they be.

My hat is off to you for finding the easier way. Next time, you get the wheel and I ride in the back.

Best regards.

ps. Now if it doesn't work, I'm taking a small vacation.

 

UPDATE AND WARNING!

Ann, I used the command line you got from that link and it hosed my internet files associations such that it left me unconnectable. I had to use Goback to recover. I tested it twice just to be sure, same thing both times. The IE Desktop shortcut wouldn't work nor would running the executable directly from the file. None of my web page shortcuts that i keep on the desktop would work either. Maybe some rainy day I'll use this for something to pursue. Today I must rake the leaves.

Regards.

 

Sorry Suferdude2,
Well isn't that odd! This is a standard quickie fix seen often, suggested and used. I did it with no ill effects. I don't why you blew up???? Hmmmm..

 

I used that too Ann. Unfortunately it didnt solve my problem but neither did it cause any problems .

Boogie

 

Ugh, it's a sad day in Mouse Town. Boogie, it seems you should go back to post #9 and consider repairing or reinstalling IE6.

I had such great hope that with all the firepower here we could do a patch job but apparently your damage is beyond the norm.

Good luck in your quest. All the normal warnings apply about backups, etc.

Best regards.

 

Boogie,
Do you have spybot (updated to the latest available)? While I'm not familiar with some of the other tools/methods used to clear your history folder, including the index.dats and desktop.inis within, I have used spybots advanced mode feature of the "secure shredder ". All I do is start up spybot, (which I use on a "self preferred" "only run on a demand basis "). Make sure I have chosen the Advanced mode rather than the simple mode via the menubar, clicked on the tools section/category on the left, clicked on the "secure shredder" tool icon, shrunk spybot small enough so that when I open the desktop icon, "MY Computer" (also sized so I can see both, it and spybot) and click on C:\ and browse to "\documents and settings\my profile/account name\local settings ...I can then drag the history folder and drop it into spybots pane. Viola the list shows up and I select and hit the button "Chop away ". When it's done I close spybot and restart the computer.

I then delete the now empty days of the week, except for the current day, either via browsing to my profiles history folder and right clicking these buggers or going the IE route and using history view .

I have also done this the manual Do-It-Yourself way. By logging in as ADMINISTRATOR and then deleting My User profile named history folder. Either way it does the deed. Which way I choose depends on my mood or what I'm doing at the time.

This is what I would do now (if only out of curiosity), before running a repair on IE. The choice is ultimately yours.

NOTES:
In the end, I would still probably wind up running a repair on IE. I would need to do this if only to reassure myself that nothing else, thus far not noticed, is messed up. Going on the therory that if it isn't an index.dat/desktop.ini glitch, its an incomplete/botched IE install involving the file/dlls registration. I would also be hoping the registry isn't suffering Hkey amnesia any deeper than this.

 

Perhaps also try sfc /scannow as well before going full bore on the reinstall/repair. I rather doubt that it will help but we gotta know don't we?

I shudder to think it may be Registry corruption to a degree that will require an XP repair or reinstall. The IE integration is so tight that strange things can happen.

 

Sorry Ann I tried that but it didnt resolve the problem.

SF2 I think you may have hit onto something. When I ran that it asked me to insert my XP CD. It appears something is not quite right. Unfortunately I dont have my CD available right now. I will get back to you when I have tried that, which may be a day or so.

Thanks again guys (and gals !)

 

OK boogie, thanks for the update. We certainly would appreciate knowing how it goes when you get the cd.

BTW, you can run check in the Event Viewer after running sfc to see what files were replaced if any. Just type eventvwr.msc in the Run window and press enter. Then check by double clicking on the events that coincide with the sfc run time to see what gives.

Good luck. CU later.

 

I havent got my CD yet, but I just tried something. I set up a new profile and my history is showing ok under that profile, so that is running ok, Does that give any clues to what the problem might be ? Should have my CD tomorrow.

regards Boogie

 

That was a good thought on your part to try a new identity.

Yes, that causes me to think that the index.dat file in the other identity is corrupt. That would explain why we could not fix the problem by any means that we tried. The index.dat files are cache files and not editable or repairable by normal beings.

Incidentally, a repair install wouldn't fix a problem like this either since it preserves your personal settings.

I think your option is clear now. It would seem that you could log on under the new identity and proceed to delete the corrupt index.dat file in the old id.

XP should recreate it and all will be well. I would think you would lose the History files that you had before but maybe not.

Give it a shot if you're game.

 

BTW, be sure you delete the correct index.dat file since there are several. Only focus on the one found in the History folder or IE.5 folder under the old identity.

 

Nope ! I found it in my new profile and deleted it, but I am still in exactly the same position in my old profile. I cant delete it from my old profile because it tells me it is in use by another user or program, although I dont have anything else running