Cannot View HTML Source Code for Web Pages in Internet Explorer

• Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to view the Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) source code for a Web page in Internet Explorer, the HTML source code may not be displayed, and you may not receive an error message.

CAUSE

This behavior can occur when the path specified for the TMP environment variable is invalid.

RESOLUTION

To resolve this issue, specify a valid path for the TMP environment variable. To do so, follow these steps:

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

2. Click the Environment Tab.

3. In the User Variables For <username> box, click TMP, type a valid path in the Value box, and then click Set.

4. Click Ok.

MORE INFORMATION

When you view the HTML source code of a Web page in Internet Explorer, the file that contains the source code is copied from the Temporary Internet Files folder to the folder specified by the TMP environment variable. The file in the temporary folder is then opened in Notepad.

If the folder specified by the TMP environment variable is invalid, the file cannot be copied to the temporary folder, and therefore cannot be displayed.