Recently I installed Firefox as my default web browser. I then decided to uninstall Firefox and return to using Internet Explorer 7. Now whenever I click a link within Internet Explorer a window appears saying “Locate Link Browser” instead of opening the web page. Additionally, when I open Internet Explorer the home page does not display but instead gives the following message “Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage”. How can I fix these problems? The computer is running Windows XP SP2.

The “Locate Link Browser” message generally indicates that the association for web pages to open using Internet Explorer has become corrupted, most commonly due to another browser becoming the default and then the association not being restored following the uninstallation of that browser. To resolve this issue, open Internet Explorer and then go to the “Tools” menu > “Internet Options” (you may need to press the ALT key on the keyboard to trigger the display of the menus). In the Internet Options window, click the “Programs” tab and under the “Default web browser” heading, click the “Make Default” button. Click OK to close and save then restart the computer.

Regarding the second problem whereby Internet Explorer does not correctly display the home page when initially started, it is likely the Internet Explorer home page setting is corrupt. Go back into the Internet Options and click the “General” tab. Under the “Home page” heading, click the “Use blank” button. Click OK and then restart Internet Explorer. Internet Explorer should now open displaying a blank page. Now, visit the webpage you would like to set as the default home page then go back into the Internet Options and under “Home page” click “Use current”. Click OK and restart Internet Explorer. The nominated home page should now display correctly.