Microsoft Musings

Thank you so much!!! This worked for me, but I had to figure out what the heck a registry key was and how to find it! For other computer challenged people I’ll tell you how I did it: Click Start and then run…in the white box type “regedit” and click OK. I was able to follow from here!

I also thank you, but had to delete the local after inserting the new expandable string data for APPdata – take care

After searching on Google for this error, the first result contained a list of complicated solutions that didn’t work for me: http://social.answers.microsoft.com/Forums/en/InternetExplorer/thread/ba3d3a7a-4670-42e4-8888-0712158f15c2 .

The second result (this site) worked beautifully, and quick too!

Thanks!

That was an awsome fix, thanks for the reg repair. This thing drove me crazy for a few months. I tried the reg also, but just could not nail it down.

Thanks for the fix. Worked great for me!

I ran your steps AND had to delete the local (thanks Marc)…then it worked! Thanks!

Found what appears to be working for me so far at this site:

http://foundsolutionz.blogspot.com/i…search-results

PROBLEM #5
An error after opening internet explorer 8: “A program on your computer has corrupted IE8 default search provider settings. IE8 will reset the search provider setting to default setting of xxx search. IE8 will open the search provider dialog where you can change your search provider”.

For the above error follow the below steps:
1. Click Start. 2. Click Run. 3. Type in regedit and press enter. 4. In the registry editor, expand and navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders. 5. Right click User Shell Folders. 6. Select New and then Expandable String value. 7. A new value is added in right pane. 8. Type in AppData and press enter. 9. Double click AppData. 10. Under value data type in:

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data

11. Note: If there is already AppData in the right pane, double click and correct it to %USERPROFILE%\Application Data

If the above steps do not work,
1. Click Start. 2. Click Control Panel. 3. Click User Accounts. 4. Click Create a new user account. 5. Choose appropirate name for the new user account. 5. Choose Administrator or Limited or Standard user. It’s upto you. 6. Click Create. 7. Click Start, Log out from the current user account and log back in with the new one. 8. If the new user account is working for you, obviously, the old user account has got corrupted and you will have to use the new user account. Also, FYI: you can transfer old user settings and files to the new user account.

If basically screwed this, essentially on-functional, microsoft bug buy simply going to the following link in IE8/Vista system:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\SearchScopes\{71EF9C57-6C15-4BC1-8E33-AF986047FB2C}]
“DisplayName”=”Google Search”
“URL”=”http://us.wikipedia.org/search?p={searchTerms}&ei={inputEncoding}”
“SuggestionsURLFallback”=”http://www.google.com.com/os?command={SearchTerms}”
“FaviconURLFallback”=”http://www.google.com/favicon.ico”
“FaviconPath”=”%UserProfile%\goog(5).ico”

MAKE SURE YOU DOWNLOAD GOOGLE OR WIKIPEDIA ICON and put in MyDocument and change that path

I’m running Windows 7 Professional / IE 8. Here’s what I did to fix this problem. But then again, I believe in brute force so use this suggestion at your own risk.

I deleted everything in this folder:
DriveLetter:\Users\<>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData

To do that you have to show all files/folders in windows explorer so first do this if you haven’t already:
Open Windows Explorer (NOT Internet Explorer. Windows Explorer)
Click “Tools” on the menu bar.
Select “Folder Options” from the “Tools” menu.
Click the “View” Tab.
Find “Hidden Files and Folders” (about 5th or 6th from the top of the list).
Click the radio button beside “Show hidden files, folders and drives”.
Click Apply.
Click OK to clear the box.

Now you can navigate to: (remember I’m on Windows 7. I’m not sure about other op sys’s)

DriveLetter:\Users\<>\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData

For a user named “jdoe” with their operating system on the c:\ drive the path would be:

c:\Users\jdoe\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\UserData

Select everything in the UserData folder located there and delete it. Leave the “UserData” folder, just delete everything INSIDE it.

That fixed it for me. No registry hacking was necessary.

This worked for me with one addition. I had an expandable string value already in my registry with a value data of “%userprofile%\Local Settings\Application Data”. This string had to be deleted for it to work. After that, no more error message and I was able to set Google as my default search engine. Thank you, thank you, thank you. This had been driving my nuts!

The simple solution that worked for me was to close IE, go to Control Panel/Internet Options, click the Advanced tab, and reset EVERYTHING, including personal settings. Then open IE and walk through the IE8 setup again. Might not work for everyone.

Thanks for pointing me to this, Isaac Grover! Too bad Microsoft doesn’t suggest this fix.

To Microsoft: Frankly, this is ridiculous and just underscores the MS rep as user-unfriendly. What regular user knows how — or dares — to edit their registry key? Not me! And shall I phone my 90-year-old dad with this solution? Or should I shell out a bundle for Geeks On Call or the equivalent to make a 15-minute tech support visit?

@Isaac Grover
Thanks for the link; I found a simple solution that worked for me — simply to reset my advanced internet options (see my entry below). As if a regular user like me is going to edit my registry!

Thank you, thank you! I have been dealing with this default search provider corruption issue for weeks. Your regedit remedy fixed it. Thank you again!!!

Thank you so much.. It worked fine

Awesome fix dude!! Thanks a bunch.

Thank you and this works for me. For those who are not too familiar with computer registry, I have written up a step-by-step instruction:
Make sure IE 8 is closed
Go to Start/Run
Type in RegEdit
Then navigate to registry key:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders

Right click inside the right side of the User Shell Folders and click on New.

Select a new Expandable String value inside the above mentioned key. Type in a value name of AppData and a value data of %USERPROFILE%\Application Data

Worked Great! Thanks for posting this fix!

I would just as soon charge Microsoft $100 per incident. It is about time they stop making so many mistakes in their software!

I have no idea what I just did, but it worked! Thank you!

Thank you so much! You don’t know how long I have been frustrated with this error. Oh, and by the way I had to delete the local AppData for it to work properly.

The default search engine fix worked for us. Thanks

I already had an App Data as a value so I had to change just the value data in the right column as David M. suggested. After rebooting I was free of the vexing “A program on your computer . . .” popup which had appeared out of nowhere for no apparent reason. Thanks to all who contributed.

easiest fix is create a new user and then delete the old user after you have transfered all of your files to the new user name. I’ve tried this and it really works, there is no unistalling IE8 or messing with the reg!!!!

I have same problem and I use win 7 did everything listed (except changing users) and nothing happens

Unless you are a computer professional, you should not go to the registry. Weigh the inconvenience of closing the pop-up window against the possibility of ruining your computer.

Worked like a champ!
Fixed WHS and an annoyance in Outlook which caused it to forget my passwords

Dude. You are the bomb! Worked great! That thing was not critical, but annoying as all get out. Thanks for the reliable info.

While tooling around in vista’s registry trying to fix this same problem I came upon “HKEY_USERS\S-1-5-21-2518100289-1898487005-2557283693-1000\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main” went to the “SearchPage” setting and changed that to what I wanted. restarted IE8, it did not automatically change the search options to my choice but it allowed me to add a new search provider and the error above went away. You may not have this “S-1-5-21-2518100289-1898487005-2557283693-1000″ exact number but figure it out you will. The above fix will not work with vista because we do not have an “application data” folder available in that path.

@david mccullough

I had been fighting this problem for some time and following the directions about entering the value in AppData done the trick. Just one thing – you have to reboot after doing this, but most people probably know that.

this worked great, if the problem persists simply restart your computer.

greg :
this worked great, didnt know this but yea, simply restart your computer.

I have the same problem and ithe OS 7 64 bit.
I really found to many glitches in the beta 8 IE. I get thie error , too. I have added more providers first.
A Program on your computer has corrupted your default search setting for Internet Explorer.
Internet Explorer has reset this setting to your original search provider.
Internet Explorer will now open Search Settings, where you can change this setting or install more search providers. I noticed bing always has default and will not let me change it. I can disable bing or any other provider, but the error reimains if bing is enabled or not. It is always labeled default under status.

Great, mate. Worked like magic! And I did not even have to reboot.

It worked. THANKS!

Wow! It worked! And I’ve been putting up with that stupid message for a month while trying to find a solution. I too, didn’t know what I was doing while I was following the instructions – - but it worked! Many, many thanks!!

Worked like a charm! This error was driving us crazy for months…. Thank you!

It worked for me. Thank you!

Thanks, That worked a treat, much appriciated