After IE5 installed, shortcut keys assigned to shortcuts in the start menu no longer run. I can re-assign shortcut keys and they will start the app for the remainder of that session but when I reboot I have to do it all over even though the key assignments are still showing in the properties dialog for that app in the start menu hierarchy. I love my shortcut keys - can anyone help me get them back?

Not enough info to go on. A few questions: What browser did you have originally? Did you do anything else during that time (i.e. move programs, install new partition/drive.) Have you tried uninstalling IE5 and seeing if the original shortcuts work? See what target the shortcuts have by right clicking and selecting properties. This may help you track down the source of the problem.

original browser was IE4 (on clean install 98) Yes, I've tried reverting to IE4. Nothing else was done around that time that would seem likely to cause the problem. IE5 favourites would not activate link, but shortcut keys problem was occuring before I did the fix for this. Target apps are things like Notepad, CharacterMap, and other apps which I use frequently and the exe files have not been moved. I have also tried deleting the Start Menu shortcut and recreating - to no avail. The shortcut keys assignment shows in the shortcut properties box and works for that session only. On reboot the key assignment still shows in properties but will not open the target. I suspect a changed/new/deleted key in registry but cannot find any detailed info on likely reg keys. MSKB lists problem but only for when shortcut is not in Start Menu hierarchy - which is clearly not the case here. I regularly used shortcut keys before the problem started so timing of the change was easily identified - but would not rule out the possibility that the change may have been caused by something other than IE install.

Quite the puzzler. I couldn't find any helpful info on registry keys either. If you create shortcuts on the desktop, do they also become non-functional after a reboot? Might also be a corrupt dll installed by IE5 which IE4 then uses when IE5 is uninstalled. Possible solutions? Try the following: 1) Uninstall IE5, reinstall Win98 (no formatting, just install on top of original), try IE4 shortcuts. If they work, install IE5 again. 2) Backup important data (including Favorites folder), format, then clean install of 98, then install IE5. I'm sure you've already contemplated this, but it may be the quickest solution in the long run. Make sure you have Win98 startup disk before formatting. Hope it goes well. Let us know how it goes.

I have just installed win98 service rel. 1 (which includes ie5) and have the same problem: unresponding hotkeys. I uninstalled to no avail. I tried setting my shortcut keys in the start menu and dektop icons, first to nil, then back to what I had before. Some shortcuts would the work, but only till the next reboot. My Dos shortcut key has not worked at all since this Service Release install. MS's support site seems to have nada on the subject. What gives!

This is my second response to the "shortcut key not working" problem. What worked for me was to go to control panel, add/remove programs, where I Selected "ms internet explorer" (something to that effect) and chose to uninstall. One of the options it presented me with in a dialogue box was the option to revert to previous ie version (or settings, something to that effect). I chose this and rebooted. Lo and behold, all my shortcut keys are working agin!!! IE has gone back to ver. 4, but I don't really care, I use netscape all the time anyway. An e-mail to ms feedback got a form letter type response suggesting I check out their support site, etc., etc. I've searched their site and found no help on the subject. Hope this is of help to you.

I have just developed the same problem. I have a new computer with Windows ME. Had been installing a bunch of utilities etc, and along the way, the shortcut keys quit working, even though the related icons are on the desktop. If I manually start an icon, then the shortcut key will switch back to that window, which is the way shortcuts should work for icons that are not on the desktop or start menu. This leads me to believe that Windows is now somehow treating the desktop icons in the same class as icons not on the desktop. Any suggestions? Thanks.