Browsing history

It strikes me that you may have a permissions problem. This would not normally happen on a clean install of Vista or a new PC, but if you transferred your favorites and data files from another computer, the permissions can sometimes be askew.

Check that you have full control of %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Temporary Internet Files
 

My Computer

It would help to know which browser you're using - TIF is used for Internet Explorer and IE-based browsers, whereas it is not used for alternate browsers (Netscape, Firefox, Opera, etc.)
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
The folder is a hidden folder - you'll need to enable hidden folders from your Windows Explorer settings (Tools --> Folder Options --> View tab --> Hidden Files and Folders - move the radio button next to Show hidden files and folders - Click OK button.

Or, you could just copy what solo listed as the whole path (starting with % and ending with Files) and then go to Start --> Run, and the paste it in there - if you don't see run in your start menu then hold the Windows key on your keyboard and hit the letter 'R'
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
OK, how far down that chain are you able to go before you cannot go any further?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Hi gmanerdy,

I've been gone for a while, but I'm back now. I don't know whether you have solved your problem or given up by now.

Do you have subfolders in your favorites?

Did you import your favorites or history, or copy these from a different machine?

Did you use a files from a backup CD?

The reason that I ask these questions is to figure out whether or not you have a simple permissions problem. Under normal circumstances, the troubles you are having do not occur. If you copied your files from elsewhere, then it is a common mistake to lose ownership.

To take ownership of special folders associated to IE copy the script below into Notepad. Save the file with a .vbs extension. Run.
'Begin Copy below this line ----
'ownIEfolders.vbs
'solon fox - created 2008/6/21
'[email protected]
'quick and dirty take ownership of IE special folders
'=========================================================
Dim strPath, strMsg
'Constants
Const SCRIPTNAME = "ownIEfolders.vbs"
Const FAVORITES = &H6&
Const MY_TIF = &H20& 'Temporary Internet Files
Const MY_COOKIES = &H21& 'Cookies
Const MY_HISTORY = &H22& 'History
strComputer = "."
strMsg = "Ownership taken of: " & VbCrLf
Set objShell = CreateObject("Shell.Application")
Set objWMIService = GetObject("winmgmts:\\" & strComputer & "\root\cimv2")
'Favorites
Set objFolder = objShell.Namespace(FAVORITES)
Set objFolderItem = objFolder.Self
strFolder = Replace(objFolderItem.Path, "\", "\\")
strMsg = strMsg & "Favs: " & objFolderItem.Path & VbCrLf
Set colFolders = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("Select * From Win32_Directory Where Name = '" & strFolder & "'")
For Each objFolder in colFolders
objFolder.TakeOwnershipEx
Next
'Temporary Internet Files
Set objFolder = objShell.Namespace(MY_TIF)
Set objFolderItem = objFolder.Self
strFolder = Replace(objFolderItem.Path, "\", "\\")
strMsg = strMsg & "TIF: " & objFolderItem.Path & VbCrLf
Set colFolders = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("Select * From Win32_Directory Where Name = '" & strFolder & "'")
For Each objFolder in colFolders
objFolder.TakeOwnershipEx
Next
'Cookies
Set objFolder = objShell.Namespace(MY_COOKIES)
Set objFolderItem = objFolder.Self
strFolder = Replace(objFolderItem.Path, "\", "\\")
strMsg = strMsg & "Cookies: " & objFolderItem.Path & VbCrLf
Set colFolders = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("Select * From Win32_Directory Where Name = '" & strFolder & "'")
For Each objFolder in colFolders
objFolder.TakeOwnershipEx
Next
'History
Set objFolder = objShell.Namespace(MY_HISTORY)
Set objFolderItem = objFolder.Self
strFolder = Replace(objFolderItem.Path, "\", "\\")
strMsg = strMsg & "History: " & objFolderItem.Path & VbCrLf
Set colFolders = objWMIService.ExecQuery _
("Select * From Win32_Directory Where Name = '" & strFolder & "'")
For Each objFolder in colFolders
objFolder.TakeOwnershipEx
Next
Wscript.Echo strMsg & " " & VbCrLf & SCRIPTNAME & " - finished."
'End Copy above this line ----
I hope this helps.
To the scripting critics, yes, this could have been done more efficiently with a loop, but, hey scripts are quick and dirty.
 

My Computer

That would apply if you *did* copy them from another place.

So, some questions:


  1. Did you copy them from another place?
  2. Have you moved any folders from their default locations to another location?
  3. Can you post a screen shot of what the %USERPROFILE%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows tree looks like?
 

My Computers

System One System Two

  • Operating System
    Windows 10 Pro X64 Insider Preview (Skip Ahead) latest build
    Manufacturer/Model
    The Beast Model V (homebrew)
    CPU
    Intel Core i7 965 EE @ 3.6 GHz
    Motherboard
    eVGA X58 Classified 3 (141-GT-E770-A1)
    Memory
    3 * Mushkin 998981 Redline Enhanced triple channel DDR3 4 GB CL7 DDR3 1600 MHz (PC3-12800)
    Graphics Card(s)
    eVGA GeForce GTX 970 SSC ACX 2.0 (04G-P4-3979-KB)
    Sound Card
    Realtek HD Audio (onboard)
    Monitor(s) Displays
    2 * Lenovo LT2323pwA Widescreeen
    Screen Resolution
    2 * 1920 x 1080
    Hard Drives
    SanDisk Ultra SDSSDHII-960G-G25 960 GB SATA III SSD (System)
    Crucial MX100 CT256MX100SSD1 256GB SATA III SSD (User Tree)
    2 * Seagate Barracuda 7200.12 ST31000528AS 1TB 7200 RPM SATA II Mech. HD
    Seagate ST1500DL001-9VT15L Barracuda 7200.12 1.5 TB S
    PSU
    Thermaltake Black Widow TX TR2 850W 80+ Bronze Semi-Mod ATX
    Case
    ThermalTake Level 10 GT (Black)
    Cooling
    Corsair H100 (CPU, dual 140 mm fans on radiator) + Air (2 *
    Keyboard
    Logitech G15 (gen 2)
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared)
    Internet Speed
    AT&T Lightspeed Gigabit duplex
  • Operating System
    Sabayon Linux (current, weekly updates, 5.1.x kernel)
    Manufacturer/Model
    Lenovo ThinkPad E545
    CPU
    AMD A6-5350M APU
    Motherboard
    Lenovo
    Memory
    8 GB
    Graphics card(s)
    Radeon HD (Embedded)
    Sound Card
    Conextant 20671 SmartAudio HD
    Monitor(s) Displays
    Lenovo 15" Matte
    Screen Resolution
    1680 * 1050
    Hard Drives
    INTEL Cherryvill 520 Series SSDSC2CW180A 180 GB SSD
    PSU
    Lenovo
    Case
    Lenovo
    Cooling
    Lenovo
    Mouse
    Logitech MX Master (shared) | Synaptics TouchPad
    Keyboard
    Lenovo
    Internet Speed
    AT&T LightSpeed Gigabit Duplex
Back
Top