My question is in the title.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Fri Mar 11 20:48:53 CST 2005

I'll clarify the question a little further...

Is it safe to open any *.txt file in Internet Explorer?

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Galen

Galen
Fri Mar 11 20:57:12 CST 2005

In news:eIksw2qJFHA.3832@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl,
Jim Carlock <anonymous@localhost> had this to say:

> I'll clarify the question a little further...
>
> Is it safe to open any *.txt file in Internet Explorer?

It should be. Even if there were to be a virus in a text file it shouldn't
be capable of being executed. However, all systems should use full time
anti-virus scanning applications with the most up to date definitions.
Opening the text file still in IE shouldn't execute any viruses.

Here's a Google search that might help you out a bit:

http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=%22virus+in+a+text+file%3F%22

Galen
--
Signature changed for a moment of silence.
Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Matt

Matt
Fri Mar 11 21:19:55 CST 2005

The only time I could see that it wouldn't is if your mime types are screwed
up.

Then, your TXT file (which is actually an EXE) would be executed, or
something to that effect.

I'm not a MIME expert, but from what I understand, this is possible.

Matt Gibson - GSEC


"Galen" <galennews@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:upEpy8qJFHA.1308@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> In news:eIksw2qJFHA.3832@TK2MSFTNGP12.phx.gbl,
> Jim Carlock <anonymous@localhost> had this to say:
>
>> I'll clarify the question a little further...
>>
>> Is it safe to open any *.txt file in Internet Explorer?
>
> It should be. Even if there were to be a virus in a text file it shouldn't
> be capable of being executed. However, all systems should use full time
> anti-virus scanning applications with the most up to date definitions.
> Opening the text file still in IE shouldn't execute any viruses.
>
> Here's a Google search that might help you out a bit:
>
> http://www.google.com/search?num=100&hl=en&lr=&newwindow=1&safe=off&q=%22virus+in+a+text+file%3F%22
>
> Galen
> --
> Signature changed for a moment of silence.
> Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.
>



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by PA

PA
Fri Mar 11 21:42:51 CST 2005

In particular, Galen, Jim's referring to:

www.[removethis]microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt

As discussed by him in WinXP General. I encouraged him to bring the
discussion here instead. <w>
--
~PA Bear

In Memorium, MVP Alex Nichol (1935-2005)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/nichol.mspx


Jim Carlock wrote:
> My question is in the title.


Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Galen

Galen
Fri Mar 11 22:07:56 CST 2005

In news:Otr8RWrJFHA.2356@TK2MSFTNGP14.phx.gbl,
PA Bear <PABearMVP@gmail.com> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

> In particular, Galen, Jim's referring to:
>
> www.[removethis]microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt
>
> As discussed by him in WinXP General. I encouraged him to bring the
> discussion here instead. <w>

Ahh, there's a history. Well then... Should I be prepared for the worst when
clicking the above link? :)

You know, of course, that I'm going to removethis and click don't you?

Hmm... It gives me an XML error?!? I've gone up a level and am reading the
content there...

Hmm... Grabbed it with a download manager for checking out here. Seems that
I'd need to have Office XP installed? I do but didn't get an error but it
could easily be something in my configuration.

I guess I'd like to ask some history before I jump to any conclusions. If,
what you've shown me is 'correct' and does serve some function, then it's
interesting it was able to be opened at all. My thoughts are, at this point,
that it's probably not actually doing anything though it may very well be, I
have all the updates, use the best software firewall that I'm aware of, and
the like. To me it was an error page but that could just be IE's
interpretation of it. You have my interest now PA Bear! Heh!

Okay... I'm going to need a day or two and to know what other information is
available if you don't mind me looking at it. I'm rather curious here and
think that there's potentially a new game afoot. Or, at least a game I'd not
been aware of. I'll be reading this for a while and doing a bit of link
checking to see what the underworld has to say on the subject. This should
keep me busy for a little while. Thanks... I think? LOL

Galen
--
Signature changed for a moment of silence.
Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Fri Mar 11 22:19:57 CST 2005

I was going to let it run for a day or two to see everyone that
came across before I posted that. Next time... <g>

http://ww.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt

The file is safe to open. It's an XML file generated by Windows
XP when an app created with VB6 crashed. The actual software
that causes the crash requires an XML file for the ListView
control. It is NOT a virus. It is a report generated by XP during
a test trying to move ListView headers from one column to
another. I forgot about it last year and ran across it today while
digging through things and I was puzzled about the details. I've
got some of it figured out now.

Details about the VB6SP6 problem with ListView can be found
at: http://ww.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/ but that is not
the problem.

The problem with XML files only exists with XP or later ( I think ).
Someone with Win2K active might want to try to open the .txt
link with Win2K IE and see if it gives the same message as XP.
The file opens properly with Amaya and FireFox and Mozilla
without any problems. However, IE tries to read it as a manifest.
I left more details in the XP newsgroup.

Rather than messing with copying the details to this newsgroup...
http://tinyurl.com/7y5mo

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

"PA Bear" wrote:
In particular, Galen, Jim's referring to:

As discussed by him in WinXP General. I encouraged him to bring the
discussion here instead. <w>
--
~PA Bear
In Memorium, MVP Alex Nichol (1935-2005)
http://www.microsoft.com/windowsxp/expertzone/meetexperts/nichol.mspx



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Fri Mar 11 22:46:05 CST 2005

Don't bother with the Error 1 stuff or Error 2 stuff there.
They'll just confuse things.

What we are dealing with here are manifest type files with
a .txt extension.

Here's the link that deals with the Service Pack 6 problem
for Visual Studio. Specifically it was a problem with the
MSCOMCTL.OCX control file and a ListView control
where if you moved the column headers the app would
crash (SP6 only). The fix for SP6 was to provide a manifest
file with the problem software...
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/error3.asp

I didn't want to bother with the Service Pack 6 issue, so this
is just historical information. The app crashing generated an
XML file which would be sent to Microsoft. I happened to
put that XML file up on the website last year and used IE
to try to view it. I noticed IE didn't use the extension to read
the file, but read the contents of the file ( and thus it's looking
at it as a manifest ??? ). And I stumbled onto the link while
looking for something else and it took me a few hours to
figure out what it was all about... and so here we are.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Galen

Galen
Sat Mar 12 01:53:14 CST 2005

In news:%23JG6W4rJFHA.2980@TK2MSFTNGP10.phx.gbl,
Jim Carlock <anonymous@localhost> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

> Don't bother with the Error 1 stuff or Error 2 stuff there.
> They'll just confuse things.

I'd already clicked on the link but edited it to go up a level and see what
was posted. I'm ALMOST always willing to sacrifice a computer for the cause.
;) (I use Ghost and isolate the PC from the network for such things. Robear
probably knew I couldn't resist clicking his link...)

Anyhow, what I'm going to get to here, is this is a flaw...

No doubt about that. It's certainly a flaw and NEEDS to be reported ASAP.

However, the question was, and remains, is this a security risk? I'm going
to hope that I have your permission to explore this further. I didn't see
any copyright notice and the source is freely available, at any time you can
request I not do so if you'd like however. I would honor such requests...

What we're looking at here, if opened in IE, is a potential to include
harmful content in a file that's not rendered properly in IE. However,
because it's not rendered properly I'm inclined to say, at this point, it is
unlikely that anything can be executed from this and thus wouldn't be
executed. Safe? Yes. In my opinion! Just MY opinion! Okay? LOL Someone,
probably a 14 year old kid living in his parent's basement, is going to come
along and exploit this but I don't see that as viable.

What is odd, in the thread from the tinyurl link:

"Download it to your disk, change the extension, then Send To
Internet Explorer. With .gif, or .jpg you get a missing picture
look. With a .bmp extension you get an error message that it
is NOT a bitmap. With .txt you get what you indicated. With
an .html or .htm extension it appears similar to blank.htm. With
an .xml extension you get "The XML page cannot be displayed."."

When I opened the link in IE I got the XML page error:

*****************************************************
XML Page cannot be displayed

Cannot view XML input using style sheet. Please correct the error and then
click the Refresh button, or try again later.
*****************************************************

That was with the .txt extension... The real question is, is this flaw
capable of executing an unsafe file? No? I really HATE to give a certain
answer here. I've read, re-read, Googled, and MSN searched -- MSN search is
getting pretty good by the way -- and I really want to say "NO" but I've
always been skeptical. In this case that means that I don't THINK that
there's potential for exploitation by NORMAL means for this nor any known at
this time. However it needs more research...

IF you do NOT mind there's a few people I'd like to direct to this thread.
They are as harmless as I and probably better educated (31 and still haven't
finished college and probably never will) and are more likely to be able to
spot immediate flaws then I. Also, of note, I've read the works of Matt
Gibson and think that he's taken an interest to this thread as well. Yes,
I'm like that. Anyhow, I've done a small bit of playing over the past couple
of hours while answering email and reading a few others and I don't see a
way that this can actually execute anything.

Once again, to repeat what's in the newsgroup thread that this is from, this
is WELL worth knowing about and IS a potential problem IF there is a way to
make this execute a file. Right now I (I wish that I could bold that I
because it's meant to diminish my importance or knowledge and not exemplify
it) can't find a way to make it do so. Someone else may very well be able to
and while I believe in full disclosure under most circumstances this isn't
necessarily one of them. If they do know how to make this do so then they
should probably inform someone more important than us here in the
newsgroups.

Galen

--
Signature changed for a moment of silence.
Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Sat Mar 12 07:41:30 CST 2005

Galen,

You can do what you like with the source code there. It's
free for the taking. LOL like it's worth anything. All it does
is place a ListView (mscomctrl.ocx) on a blank form. I was
typing the extension info and such from memory so it's exactly
as you've described it (unless you've described it wrong). <g>

Those are links on the page were other issues last year and
are completely unrelated and not worth bothering with. They
were resolved.

You can do whatever you like with them. LOL Like I could
put a patent or trademark on such code, an empty form with
an empty ListView on it. That would be like putting a patent on
the CR character. Hmmm... <snicker>

Which someone might have. IBM had CRLF patented, Digital
or somesuch had LFCR patented or somesuch. That's why
Unix started using a single character for the CRLF sequence.
<shrug> Read the rest inline below.

"Galen" wrote:
Jim Carlock had this to say:
> Don't bother with the Error 1 stuff or Error 2 stuff there.
> They'll just confuse things.

> Anyhow, what I'm going to get to here, is this is a flaw...
> No doubt about that. It's certainly a flaw and NEEDS
> to be reported ASAP.
>
> However, the question was, and remains, is this a security
> risk? I'm going to hope that I have your permission to explore
> this further. I didn't see any copyright notice and the source is
> freely available, at any time you can request I not do so if you'd
> like however. I would honor such requests...

Heh, before anyone patents it I declare it public property if I
have such rights to do so, and I declare it in the public domain,
and no one has a right to patent it. That's all I'll say about that.

> What is odd, in the thread from the tinyurl link:
>
> "Download it to your disk, change the extension, then SendTo
> Internet Explorer. With .gif, or .jpg you get a missing picture
> look. With a .bmp extension you get an error message that it
> is NOT a bitmap. With .txt you get what you indicated. With
> an .html or .htm extension it appears similar to blank.htm. With
> an .xml extension you get "The XML page cannot be displayed."."
>
> When I opened the link in IE I got the XML page error:
> *****************************************************
> XML Page cannot be displayed
>
> Cannot view XML input using style sheet. Please correct the error and then
> click the Refresh button, or try again later.
> *****************************************************

> That was with the .txt extension... The real question is, is this flaw
> capable of executing an unsafe file? No? I really HATE to give a
> certain answer here. I've read, re-read, Googled, and MSN
> searched -- MSN search is getting pretty good by the way -- and
> I really want to say "NO" but I've always been skeptical. In this case
> that means that I don't THINK that there's potential for exploitation
> by NORMAL means for this nor any known at this time. However
> it needs more research...

NOTE: It seems to be showing itself properly when it's on the hard
disk and viewed as a localized file. Bahh! I can't duplicate the problem
I had yesterday... It still gives the error message when viewed off
the website, but maybe I'm going mad. When I put it on my HDD
and try to view it... hmm, maybe I should clear the cache.<g> Bahh!

The link is placed for folks to right click and down load to their system.
http://microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt

> IF you do NOT mind there's a few people I'd like to direct to this
> thread. They are as harmless as I and probably better educated
> (31 and still haven't finished college and probably never will) and
> are more likely to be able to spot immediate flaws then I. Also,
> of note, I've read the works of Matt Gibson and think that he's
> taken an interest to this thread as well. Yes, I'm like that. Anyhow,
> I've done a small bit of playing over the past couple of hours while
> answering email and reading a few others and I don't see a way
> that this can actually execute anything.

Its in the public domain IF I can do that. Feel free. Have at it. Just
remember the first two links (the Error #1 and Error #2 would be
really confusing to anyone trying to figure those out and shouldn't
be worried about).


> Galen
> --
> Signature changed for a moment of silence.
Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.

I'm glad the title of the newsgroup message generated some
attention.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Sat Mar 12 14:39:53 CST 2005

I've run into a strange problem. Yesterday, when I sent the
.txt file to Internet Explorer and opened it up, I got the error
that you see when you open it up from the website. I thought
I tried it quite a few times and the warning displayed itself
consistently. But before I jump to conclusions, I could have
only read it off the website as a .txt file and then assumed it
was happening when it was a local file on my system.

Today for some reason when I send it to Internet Explorer
(IE is in my SendTo list next to FireFox) the .txt file is reading
like a text file. It still presents the error message though when
I open it from the website. So before I go any farther, maybe
someone could save it to the HDD on their system and open
it up on their system with Internet Explorer and let me know
if they get the same message as when they're reading it of the
Internet. IF it's happening the same on your local HDD as it
is when it's being read off the Internet, then something
happened to my system yesterday.

Thanks.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by PA

PA
Sat Mar 12 16:14:26 CST 2005

<ROFL> Yep!

Galen wrote:
> Robear probably knew I couldn't resist clicking his link...

Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Galen

Galen
Sun Mar 13 01:16:40 CST 2005

In news:uZCnRN0JFHA.2704@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl,
Jim Carlock <anonymous@localhost> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

> I've run into a strange problem. Yesterday, when I sent the
> .txt file to Internet Explorer and opened it up, I got the error
> that you see when you open it up from the website. I thought
> I tried it quite a few times and the warning displayed itself
> consistently. But before I jump to conclusions, I could have
> only read it off the website as a .txt file and then assumed it
> was happening when it was a local file on my system.
>
> Today for some reason when I send it to Internet Explorer
> (IE is in my SendTo list next to FireFox) the .txt file is reading
> like a text file. It still presents the error message though when
> I open it from the website. So before I go any farther, maybe
> someone could save it to the HDD on their system and open
> it up on their system with Internet Explorer and let me know
> if they get the same message as when they're reading it of the
> Internet. IF it's happening the same on your local HDD as it
> is when it's being read off the Internet, then something
> happened to my system yesterday.
>
> Thanks.

When I open it with right click > open with > IE from a copy saved to my
drive I get the text version and not the XML error that I get online.

Still no clue why... Still looking and awaiting further input on the
subject.

Galen

--
Signature changed for a moment of silence.
Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Sun Mar 13 09:01:21 CST 2005

One thing that popped in my mind... just to make sure that
it's not an IIS http header problem...

Set it up on one of your own webpages? I wonder if I have
some http-header coming off of IIS that is causing the
problem.

Time for me to look for an http header tool.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Sun Mar 13 09:21:16 CST 2005

Well that didn't take long... unless IIS sends some headers
that are invisible to the browser.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

"Jim Carlock" wrote:
One thing that popped in my mind... just to make sure that
it's not an IIS http header problem...

Set it up on one of your own webpages? I wonder if I have
some http-header coming off of IIS that is causing the
problem.

Time for me to look for an http header tool.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Sun Mar 13 20:42:57 CST 2005

The response headers if it helps anyone else:

Response Headers - http://microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt

Server: Microsoft-IIS/5.0
MicrosoftOfficeWebServer: 5.0_Pub
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 02:26:37 GMT
Content-Type: text/plain
Accept-Ranges: bytes
Last-Modified: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 22:32:42 GMT
Etag: "32459b3df01cc41:bab"
Content-Length: 40283

That's what the webdeveloper tool set up with FireFox is
displaying. There wouldn't be any other http headers that
I might be overlooking?

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Galen

Galen
Mon Mar 14 13:09:44 CST 2005

In news:eCI4w8DKFHA.2748@TK2MSFTNGP09.phx.gbl,
Jim Carlock <anonymous@localhost> had this to say:

My reply is at the bottom of your sent message:

> That's what the webdeveloper tool set up with FireFox is
> displaying. There wouldn't be any other http headers that
> I might be overlooking?

That looked correct, I'll upload it to a site later and check it out and see
what the response is. I want to upload it to a site that doesn't add any
header information of it's own other than that which I upload. Could take me
a couple of minutes to find a decent host for this. No worries though.

Galen
--
Signature changed for a moment of silence.
Rest well Alex and we'll see you on the other side.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Fri Mar 18 16:06:01 CST 2005

Another interesting thing I think... Just need someone else to
duplicate it for me before I'll say it's messed up.

http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report2.txt

Click on the first link with Internet Explorer. Then click on the
second link with Internet Explorer.

I get the same error for both pages even though the second
link is set up with, in fact it doesn't even read the page off the
server, it copies it from itself:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

where the first link is:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>

I cannot duplicate this with FireFox 0.9. FireFox shows the page
as it is. IE shows a copy of the first page rather than reading the
second page from the server. Strange I think.

Let me know if you can duplicate that. I cleared the cache on IE,
and Refreshed but it still read the first link/page above, when I've
changed the text in the address line to the second link above.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Phillip

Phillip
Fri Mar 18 16:27:22 CST 2005

My IE retrieves each page just fine. They are not text files inspite of the
extension,..they are XML files and it looks like IE is smart enought to know
the difference inspite of what the file's extension says it is. Therefore it
tries to "interpret and render" the files like it would an html file instead
of just displaying them as a "text" file.

Here is the first few lines from the first file (too large to post the whole
thing):
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<DATABASE>
<EXE NAME="vb6.exe" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_PRIVACY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ADDSCCUS.DLL" SIZE="77312" CHECKSUM="0xE19A217F"
BIN_FILE_VERSION="6.0.81.42" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="6.0.0.0"
PRODUCT_VERSION="06.00.0000" FILE_DESCRIPTION="Microsoft SourceSafe Add-In
Resource DLL" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft SourceSafe" FILE_VERSION="06.00.8142"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="ADDSCCUS.DLL" INTERNAL_NAME="ADDSCCUS" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="©
1994-1998 Microsoft ® Corporation. All rights reserved."
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the *entire* second file:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DATABASE>
<EXE NAME="ntdll.dll" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_THISFILEONLY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ntdll.dll" SIZE="654336" CHECKSUM="0xC568C00F"
BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217"
PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217" FILE_DESCRIPTION="NT Layer DLL"
COMPANY_NAME="Microsoft Corporation" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft® Windows®
Operating System" FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217 (xpsp2.030429-2131)"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="ntdll.dll" INTERNAL_NAME="ntdll.dll" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="©
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved." VERFILEDATEHI="0x0"
VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004" VERFILETYPE="0x2"
MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0xA5841" LINKER_VERSION="0x50001"
UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217" LINK_DATE="05/01/2003 23:56:10"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="05/01/2003 23:56:10" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States)
[0x409]" />
</EXE>
</DATABASE>
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com


"Jim Carlock" <anonymous@localhost> wrote in message
news:%23mYkUZALFHA.2468@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Another interesting thing I think... Just need someone else to
> duplicate it for me before I'll say it's messed up.
>
> http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt
> http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report2.txt
>
> Click on the first link with Internet Explorer. Then click on the
> second link with Internet Explorer.
>
> I get the same error for both pages even though the second
> link is set up with, in fact it doesn't even read the page off the
> server, it copies it from itself:
>
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
>
> where the first link is:
>
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
>
> I cannot duplicate this with FireFox 0.9. FireFox shows the page
> as it is. IE shows a copy of the first page rather than reading the
> second page from the server. Strange I think.
>
> Let me know if you can duplicate that. I cleared the cache on IE,
> and Refreshed but it still read the first link/page above, when I've
> changed the text in the address line to the second link above.
>
> --
> Jim Carlock
> Please post replies to newsgroup.
>
>



Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Jim

Jim
Fri Mar 18 19:25:57 CST 2005

Thanks Phillip.

Something went wrong with my IE. I originally had the same file
as both files. Then I copied the newer shorter one with the
UTF-8 there. But IE was still reading it as the older one. I even
cleared the cache and hit refresh a number of times. It did not
correct itself until I closed down Internet Explorer window and
then go back to the page with a new Internet Explorer window.

I was messing around with some global.asa settings as well on the
server reloading the same page, but I don't think that was the
reason for the problem. It's a bug within Internet Explorer.

Internet Explorer is a web-browser. There is no such thing as smart
software, so I won't buy into your claim that it is "smart" or "trying to
be smart". It's programmed to do what it does by Microsoft and that's
the way it is. "Smart" software is an advertising gimmic to make the
companies that build the software feel better about it. They actually
feel better when they call it smart. ;-) In fact, it's so smart, Internet
Explorer errors trying to present a .txt file. <snicker>

It's "smart enough to know..." HTML encoding inside of an .xml
file... <beg>

1) Check out the <html> document with no doctype tag:
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report3a.xml
2) Check out the same <html> document with an XHTML strict
doctype tag:
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report3.xml
3) Check out the same strict XHTML doctype as #2 but with
an .htm extension or a .txt extension:
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report3.htm
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report3.txt

Furthermore, copy this file to your local system... and then open
it with IE, then see if the results match up with it opened from the
website:
http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt

I'd refrain from saying things like "IE is smart enough to...". <beg>

Thanks Phillip.

--
Jim Carlock
Please post replies to newsgroup.

"Phillip Windell" wrote:
My IE retrieves each page just fine. They are not text files inspite of the
extension,..they are XML files and it looks like IE is smart enought to know
the difference inspite of what the file's extension says it is. Therefore it
tries to "interpret and render" the files like it would an html file instead
of just displaying them as a "text" file.

Here is the first few lines from the first file (too large to post the whole
thing):
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
<DATABASE>
<EXE NAME="vb6.exe" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_PRIVACY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ADDSCCUS.DLL" SIZE="77312" CHECKSUM="0xE19A217F"
BIN_FILE_VERSION="6.0.81.42" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="6.0.0.0"
PRODUCT_VERSION="06.00.0000" FILE_DESCRIPTION="Microsoft SourceSafe Add-In
Resource DLL" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft SourceSafe" FILE_VERSION="06.00.8142"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="ADDSCCUS.DLL" INTERNAL_NAME="ADDSCCUS" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="©
1994-1998 Microsoft ® Corporation. All rights reserved."
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Here is the *entire* second file:
--------------------------------------------------------------------
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<DATABASE>
<EXE NAME="ntdll.dll" FILTER="GRABMI_FILTER_THISFILEONLY">
<MATCHING_FILE NAME="ntdll.dll" SIZE="654336" CHECKSUM="0xC568C00F"
BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217" BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217"
PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217" FILE_DESCRIPTION="NT Layer DLL"
COMPANY_NAME="Microsoft Corporation" PRODUCT_NAME="Microsoft® Windows®
Operating System" FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217 (xpsp2.030429-2131)"
ORIGINAL_FILENAME="ntdll.dll" INTERNAL_NAME="ntdll.dll" LEGAL_COPYRIGHT="©
Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved." VERFILEDATEHI="0x0"
VERFILEDATELO="0x0" VERFILEOS="0x40004" VERFILETYPE="0x2"
MODULE_TYPE="WIN32" PE_CHECKSUM="0xA5841" LINKER_VERSION="0x50001"
UPTO_BIN_FILE_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217"
UPTO_BIN_PRODUCT_VERSION="5.1.2600.1217" LINK_DATE="05/01/2003 23:56:10"
UPTO_LINK_DATE="05/01/2003 23:56:10" VER_LANGUAGE="English (United States)
[0x409]" />
</EXE>
</DATABASE>
--------------------------------------------------------------------

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com


"Jim Carlock" <anonymous@localhost> wrote in message
news:%23mYkUZALFHA.2468@tk2msftngp13.phx.gbl...
> Another interesting thing I think... Just need someone else to
> duplicate it for me before I'll say it's messed up.
>
> http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report.txt
> http://www.microcosmotalk.com/images/xpsp6/report2.txt
>
> Click on the first link with Internet Explorer. Then click on the
> second link with Internet Explorer.
>
> I get the same error for both pages even though the second
> link is set up with, in fact it doesn't even read the page off the
> server, it copies it from itself:
>
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
>
> where the first link is:
>
> <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-16"?>
>
> I cannot duplicate this with FireFox 0.9. FireFox shows the page
> as it is. IE shows a copy of the first page rather than reading the
> second page from the server. Strange I think.
>
> Let me know if you can duplicate that. I cleared the cache on IE,
> and Refreshed but it still read the first link/page above, when I've
> changed the text in the address line to the second link above.
>
> --
> Jim Carlock
> Please post replies to newsgroup.
>
>




Re: Is it safe to open a text file in Internet Explorer? by Phillip

Phillip
Tue Mar 22 10:42:45 CST 2005

"Jim Carlock" <anonymous@localhost> wrote in message
news:OXMMDJCLFHA.1308@TK2MSFTNGP15.phx.gbl...
> Internet Explorer is a web-browser. There is no such thing as smart
> software, so I won't buy into your claim that it is "smart" or "trying to
> be smart". It's programmed to do what it does by Microsoft and that's
> the way it is. "Smart" software is an advertising gimmic to make the
> companies that build the software feel better about it. They actually
> feel better when they call it smart. ;-) In fact, it's so smart, Internet
> Explorer errors trying to present a .txt file. <snicker>
>
> I'd refrain from saying things like "IE is smart enough to...". <beg>

No, I don't think I would refrain from it, and I think you got too carried
away with something that was nothing more than a figure of speach and has
nothing to do with gimmics and sales tactics that I have no use for.

--

Phillip Windell [MCP, MVP, CCNA]
www.wandtv.com