Channel Bar Missing or Does Not Display Channels Properly

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     This article discusses a Beta release of a Microsoft
     product. The information in this article is provided as-is
     and is subject to change without notice.

     No formal product support is available from Microsoft for
     this Beta product. For information about obtaining support
     for a Beta release, please see the documentation included
     with the Beta product files, or check the Web location
     from which you downloaded the release.

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The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 for Windows 95
• Microsoft Internet Explorer version 4.0 for Windows NT 4.0
• Microsoft Windows 95

SYMPTOMS

When you start Windows, the Channel bar may be missing or may not display any active channels. Resetting your desktop to the default settings has no effect.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if the Channel folder is missing, damaged, or has been renamed.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, rename the existing Channel folder, re-create the Channel folder by resetting the desktop to the default settings, and then add Channel subscriptions to the new Channel bar. To do this, follow these steps:

Rename the Channel Folder

1. Click Start, point to Programs, and then click Command Prompt.

2. Type the following lines, pressing ENTER after each line

         cd <path>
         ren channels chan_old
         exit
   

   where <path> is the path to the Channels folder.

Reset the Desktop to the Default Settings

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.

2. Double-click Display.

3. Click the Web tab, and then click the Internet Explorer Channel Bar check box to select it.

4. Click Reset All, click Yes, and then click OK.

5. Close Control Panel.

Re-create the Channel Folder Subscriptions

1. Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files Or Folders.

2. In the Named box, type "*.cdf" (without quotation marks).

3. In the Look In box, click the hard disk on which you installed Internet Explorer.

4. Click Find Now.

5. Right-click the channel definition file (.cdf) files, and then click Subscribe.

6. Close the Find window.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about this issue, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID : Q176904
   TITLE      : Active Channel May Not Be Displayed Properly or at All