Symptom

From within Internet Explorer it is not possible to view the source code to all or a particular web page.

Causes and Resolution

1. Temporary Files Full

When the Internet Explorer disk cache becomes full it may stop the View Source function from working. To resolve, open Internet Explorer and click Tools > Internet Options > Delete Files.

2. Cookie Folder Location

This issue can also occur if your Cookies folder is located the user does not have at least Change permissions for the Cookies folder. To resolve, ensure the account has sufficient permissions on the Cookies folder.

3. View Source Restriction

The View Source function may have been restricted by your Administrator. To resolve, see the "NoViewSource" registry value in Internet Explorer Restrictions.

4. Incomplete Page Download

Some times if the page download is stopped before it has finished Internet Explorer may now show the "View Source" item.

5. Invalid Temporary Directory

It is unlikely but possible that this error is due to the path specified for the TMP environment variable being invalid. To resolve, ensure that the TEMP directory is a valid directory and that there is sufficient space on the drive.

6. Invalid View Source Program

The editor that is automatically opened is defined by a registry key, this could be invalid. Check the contents of the key in: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \\ SOFTWARE\\Microsoft\\Internet Explorer\\View Source Editor\\Editor Name. A string value of "%windir%\\wordpad.exe" is suggested.

7. Right-click disabled by Web Page

Some web pages implement a restriction to stop visitors from right-clicking on the web page; usually to stop the saving of media. The source may still be viewed by using the menu: View > Source.

8. Missing Notepad.exe

The View Source function uses Notepad to display the HTML, if "notepad.exe" is missing from the Windows directory then it will not work. To resolve, ensure a copy of Notepad.exe is in the Windows directory.

Category: Windows