Where are my tabs?

My name is John Hrvatin and I’m the Program Manager for IE setup.

Some customers have reported that after successfully completing IE7 setup, they do not have a tab band.  I’d like to shed some light on this issue and offer a solution.

IE’s tab implementation depends on xmllite.dll which is installed with IE7 but through a separate installer bundled within the IE setup process.  If you extract the contents of the IE7 installation package and run update.exe directly, you will skip this step which results in having no xmllite.dll and thus no tabs.  You can be sure this is the problem if you do not have either of the log files creating during installation of xmllite.dll:

• %windir%KB914783.log (for Server 2003)
• %windir%KB915865.log (for XP)

Note: %windir% is your Windows directory and usually located at C:Windows.

The solution is to uninstall and reinstall, making sure to run the full setup program by executing the installation package as downloaded and not by running update.exe directly.  You’ve likely done something incorrect if you don’t see UI like this:

Thanks for trying IE7 and keep sending your feedback!

John Hrvatin

Comments

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  ah HA!  thank you!

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Or run the xmllitesetup.exe from the same folder as where you've run update.exe from...

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Thanks again.
  
  Thanks,
  Chirag

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Could someone from the IE team blog about the offline mode?
  
  Why is there an offline mode if offline favorites and pages are gone?
  
  Also, when in offline mode, i can't even get to the feeds.... I thought they were stored locally??
  
  Thanks

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Unfortunately for me the suggestion/fix for tab browsing has not succeeded. I've found the KB915865.log file and it's states the following errors:
  5.047: KB915865 Setup encountered an error:  The  update.ver file is not correct.
  5.187: KB915865 Setup encountered an error:  The  update.ver file is not correct.
  6.297: LoadFileQueues: UpdSpGetSourceFileLocation for halaacpi.dll failed: 0xe0000102
  6.391: LoadFileQueues: UpdSpGetSourceFileLocation for halaacpi.dll failed: 0xe0000102
  11.812: GetCatVersion:  Failed to retrieve version information from C:WINDOWSsystem32CatRoot{F750E6C3-38EE-11D1-85E5-00C04FC295EE}KB915865.cat with error 0x57
  
  Please advise....
  
  TC

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  TC: Those errors are expected.  Can you share the entire log file or attach it to a bug opened through http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/support/default.mspx?
  
  Eduardo: is one of the log files I mentioned on your machine?  Do you see xmllite.dll in your Windowssystem32 directory?  You may also want to open a bug through the link above.
  
  Thanks.
  
  John

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  John,
  Thank you for helping us regarding this issue. Much appreciated!
  
  BTW, the black borders around the Cancel and Next buttons of the setup wizard are very ugly. I've seen many users complain about this ("looks strange", "seems still very unfinished" etc.). Hope you'll improve this for Beta 3.

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Hi John,
  
  Doesn't the fact that you have to explain to users the "correct" way to install the program, show that there is unnecessary confusion in the process?
  
  I believe the install system should be changed such that there is only one distinct point of entry so that this confusion doesn't occur and a KB article is not required.
  
  Is my logic flawed, or will this be changed before IE 7 goes into production?
  
  -Xerxes

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  I have no quick tabs.  I have xmllite.dll in my windows/system32/ directory and the log file is in my windows folder.  Yet no quick tabs.  I am at a loss.  Other then not able to display the quick tabs IE7 appears to be running well.
  
  Any help?
  Chuck

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Rex,
  
  I don't see any "unnecessary confusion."  The user downloads a single EXE, and runs it.
  
  If people go scavengering around in the temporary extracted files, then things are bound to go wrong.

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  
  (sorry for my english... i speak spanish)
  
  i have the same problem days ago, but i fix with the ieframe.dll file, because when i install ie7 another application is used this file, so i close that application and reinstall ie7
  
  So, close all applications before upgrade to ie7
  
  Cheers!

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  Rex,
  
  The installer is a single file. This may not be the cause in every case but the direct common cause of the issue here is that people will take the .exe apart and manually run files instead of letting the installer do it.
  
  So, this is actually a response to an unsupported activity. Unfortunately, there may be other causes as well but we are investigating.
  
  - Al Billings [MSFT]

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 01, 2006
  >i want to know why FireFox is
  >
  >Faster
  
  I would debate this...
  
  Steeler
  Drasticer
  
  What on earth do these words mean?
  
  >FireFox is daily to up. and similar >an AntiVirus gettings up.
  
  I'm not even going to try and figure out what that means...
  
  And the team have already said a download manager is something for the next version.

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  For the record I loaded firefox 3 times from the single file downloaded from the MS web site yet I have never seen the tabs in each attempt to load IE7.  Like I stated earlier the xmllite.dll file is in my system32 folder and the KB915865.log file is in my cwindows folder.  Yet no matter what I do quick tabs are not displayed.
  
  Any help will be appreciated.
  Chuck

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  IE 7 looks like mighty tool.

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  I have a problem with the window that has my tabs with it, everytime I open a new winow, it closes on me, it is only on the laptop the PC is ok with it. Any ideas?

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Chuck, the best way for us to help you would b e to send us an email via the contact form.  
  
  Please include the log files
  
  ie7beta2_main.log
  ie7beta2.log
  KB915865.log
  
  

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  @SeanTC1976: Is your laptop running Google Desktop Search?  That tool has a bug that causes crashes when new tabs are opened.

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  I cannot find out how to send an email for IE7, I only see IE6.  Anyway, I have no quick tabs in IE7 Beta2 - they never have shown up.  No matter what I do I cannot get them to appear.  I ran the correct installer 3 times and still no quick tabs.  I have xmllite.dll file in my system32 folder and the KB915865.log file is in my cwindows folder.  Yet no matter what I do quick tabs are not displayed.  I just want to pass this along as there must be something else at work here causing quick tabs to not show up.  When I downloaded "Beta2 Preview" the quicktabs did show up like they are suppose to, but not in this recent Beta2 download.  I don't know why I said firefox in my previous post - I must have spaced out for a moment.
  Thanks...
  Chuck
  

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Chuck,
  
  I too have the same issue with tabs. I also downloaded the previous Beta release and the tabs worked fine.
  
  I wonder if the previous version has corrupted the XP registry in some way and is preventing the latest version from correctly dealing with ieframe.dll and xmllite.dll.
  
  Can the IE7 project team advise....

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Chuck, just send your mail with log files to ieblog@microsoft.com
  
  Thanks

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Al, it didn't necessarily have to be a be non-genuine copy of Windows. I have seen the the behavior with genuine copies of XP that are trying to install public betas and non-public internal builds of IE7 using the Update function. It's a problem with the Update.exe routine. It simply isn't calling or installing the xmllite dlls...
  
  I will be honest, I do visit forums and sites that discuss WGA bypassing at my own leisure. My source for the concern and subsequent user-found bugfix for build 5358 came from Neowin.net (a reputable tech news site). I simply pitched the question at the ExpertZone chat to see if you guys were aware of the behavior regarding xmllite. Perhaps I worded the question incorrectly.

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  FK,
  
  How exactly are you running update.exe if you aren't cracking open the installation exe? It is unsupported. Don't do it. It's bad. If you do it and something breaks, it is unsupported because it isn't a valid scenario. As the problems people have had doing it show, it doesn't always work right.
  
  We've actually updated the code internally to block the running of update.exe directly but you won't see it until the next time we make a public build available.
  
  Al Billings [MSFT]

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  You install a pirated internal build and then complain when it doesn't work right? Right.

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Thanks for your input on Where are my tabs?
  
  Just to let everyone know, I am running a genuine copy of WinXP Home Edition, and have not used update.exe to install IE7 Beta2.  I installed it using the installer as downloaded from the MS IE7 Web Site.  Yet, No Tabs.
  
  I think there may be another problem here causing the tabs not to show up.
  
  Chuck

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  We saw a series of posts in the Internet Explorer newsgroups from people reporting that IE7 was not displaying...

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Al, what's the best way to report security loopholes that pirates can use?

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  As always, security bugs go to secure@microsoft.com.
  
  From the FAQ that we posted before:
  
  5. What about security bugs?
  
  Because of the volume of incoming bugs, any truly time sensitive bugs should go through the normal security channels. Security issues should be reported to secure@microsoft.com to guarantee a timely response to the issue.
  
  - Al Billings [MSFT]

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Why is the update.exe even present when it's unsupported and not meant for public use?
  You know that people will use it if they can use it.
  
  Furthermore: why do you provide XMLLite as a seperate installer and not as a part of IE, just like the other 99% of IE7?

• Anonymous
  May 02, 2006
  Alex,
  
  Update.exe is essentially "the" mechansim by which all updates are applied to Windows--this includes service packs, security updates, and "out-of-band" releases like WMP 10, Windows Desktop Search, and IE7.  What MS is saying here is that you don't just go and run it directly--it's invoked by the main "package" EXE that people download.  Update.exe obviously has to be present.
  
  As to XMLLite, that's a different question.  I'm curious as to what this DLL's real purpose is--why is MSXML not used?  Any plans to document XMLLite at all?  (If the answer is no, then I'm assuming it falls into the "IE" side of the DOJ's Windows/IE divide, and that we won't see any other Windows apps using XMLLite when Vista comes out...)

• Anonymous
  May 03, 2006
  There should be an option (or even better: it  should be standard) in IE7 that allows the homepage to be loaded when a new tab is opened.
  Firefox already has this, and it is much easier than having a blank page.

• Anonymous
  May 03, 2006
  @Anarki: "that allows the homepage to be loaded when a new tab is opened."
  
  Use the checkbox in Tools | Internet Options | Tabs | Settings.

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  With regards to the comments concerning the speed of Firefox vs. IE...I'd have to confess that I do like the Firefox browser, however IE is still very relevant to me because of one little thing that can be a big deal:
  
  Speed.
  
  I can run IE 5 (or sometimes 6) on minimal hardware (see http://www.walshcomptech.com/ps2/mod53.htm for one example) and it runs well. It's quite usable as long as you don't visit sites that are multimedia heavy.
  
  When I tried Firefox in similar situations, it was impossible to use. In this regard, Microsoft and the IE team have done very well.
  
  By the way, a question for Mr. Hrvatin (if I may)...how do you pronounce your last name?

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  I hope in the final build you will have some kind of system that automaticly warns the user if there is a redirect to a "GET FIREFOX!!!111oneone" page on the website you are surfing.

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  Ummm.... I can't get it to download, and I did the trouble shooting.

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  "Any plans to document XMLLite at all?"
  
  XmlLite Reference:
  http://windowssdk.msdn.microsoft.com/library/default.asp?url=/library/en-us/XMLLite/html/195d1b1e-f776-4c1c-90b0-a90229cd7eb8.asp

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  ok i have the same problem, no have tabs grrr.
  but i solved in 10sec. really is to easy.
  
  only need have to do.
  
  1.- descompres (unzip) the file IE7BETA2-WindowsXP-x86-enu.exe anywhere.
  
  2.- after this in this folder you find another folder named update ok.
  
  3.- close any ie browser window.
  
  4.- in this you find a file xmllitesetup.exe run and follow the instruccions, when finish.
  
  what do you thing.???
  
  i open ie and surprise whe have tabs :)
  
  sorry for my english, don't speak very whell.
  
  please if any undertand all of these translate and public to all the web, friends.
  
  whe have the answer i give to all people Thanks.
  

• Anonymous
  May 04, 2006
  Sweet... thanks for the link anphanax!

• Anonymous
  May 06, 2006
  it's strange but i was made an abstraction of the bho to be able to use ie 7
  mee too i have had this problem.
  no that i begun to look at your message how great was my surprise have seen working the broser.it's such a shame . i'm happy because of the handicap i had to use the new ie7 broser
  thanks very mutch for this .serge

• Anonymous
  May 06, 2006
  well i think i have to arrange my problem and read away your's informations

• Anonymous
  May 06, 2006
  The comment has been removed

• Anonymous
  May 07, 2006
  When I'm saving webpage all my tabs freeze.
  When will you fix this annoying bug?

• Anonymous
  May 09, 2006
  As Microsoft state that IE integrates so tightly into the OS it can't be seperated, does that mean regular Explorer windows (that is, ones that show the contents of a drive/filesystem) can also be tabbed, in the same way Konqueror in the KDE Desktop for Linux can tab filesystem windows?
  
  For example... I open My Computer, Right-Click my C drive and hit "Open in new tab" et voila, a second tab appears with my C drive contents in there?  Then I right-click "Program Files" for a third tab to open with a folder listing... etc etc.
  
  Just a thought, seeing as how IE is so embedded into the OS.

• Anonymous
  May 11, 2006
  I just installed IE 7.0.5346.5 beta2  and although tabs do show, I cannot seem to get a new tab. help says to right click on a link and select open in new tab, but there is no such option in the menu , only open in new window, also any new address only replaces the current tab.
  
  CurtisB

• Anonymous
  May 11, 2006
  I have another problem with tabs. IE 7 doesnt give the option of opening a link for a webpage in a new tab when you right click on a link on a webpage. It just gives you the option of opening it in a new window. I am having no problem with tabs but since I dont have this option ot open links from webpages in new tabs, I still end up with lots of browser windows cluttered all over my desktop.

• Anonymous
  May 11, 2006
  This was an interesting read

• Anonymous
  May 13, 2006
  I also have IE 7.0.5346.5 beta 2 installed and do have a "open in new tab" menu when I right click a link but I would like it better if it just worked automatically, like Netscape does. If you set your middle mouse button to be a middle mouse button, then, when you click a link it will open in a new tab but in the foreground, not the background like it says in the tab keyboard shortcuts.

• Anonymous
  May 14, 2006
  I love the new IE 7, but everytime I use the tab feature, I get an error message and then I lose all my open browsers.  
  
  It happens so much already, I'm considering just going back to my FireFox browser.  This is very frustrating and annoying.

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  June 01, 2006
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