Member Avatar for golden1prince

I'm working on a Compaq Presario 5150 running Windows 98. I can't copy and paste new files onto the desktop or any other part of the machine. I've tried dragging and dropping as a method of moving files but that doesn't work either. If I want to use a program from disk, I have to run it from the disk. Please help.

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by Michealruggles

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Short expert note and troubleshooting summary that explains why the IE reinstall fixed the Windows 98 copy/drag problem and what to try next if it reappears.

This symptom (no Cut/Copy/Paste or drag‑and‑drop in Explorer while programs only run from disk) commonly comes from broken or mismatched shell/OLE components that Internet Explorer installs or updates into the Windows shell (Windows Desktop Update / shell integration). When those shared DLLs are missing, out of date, or not correctly registered, Explorer’s drag/drop and clipboard code can stop working — which is why ’s uninstall/reinstall of IE often restores normal behavior. (arstechnica.com)

Practical checklist (work in the order shown; these are the usual, low-risk fixes):

  1. Re-register the main IE/shell DLLs (run each command, accepting the success dialog, then reboot if any succeed). Typical names shown in Microsoft troubleshooting: 
    regsvr32 urlmon.dll
regsvr32 shdocvw.dll
regsvr32 actxprxy.dll
regsvr32 oleaut32.dll
regsvr32 mshtml.dll
regsvr32 browseui.dll
regsvr32 shell32.dll

    (If a DLL cannot be registered because it is missing, the installer/repair or reinstall of IE will replace it.) (att.newsmth.net)

Other checks and causes to rule out:

  • A security setting or patch can disable drag/drop/copy‑paste for zones (you may see “Your current security settings prohibit copying or moving files from this zone.”). That setting and the MS04‑038 update behavior are documented by Microsoft. (support.microsoft.com)
  • Third‑party shell extensions, BHOs or toolbars can break Explorer’s shell behavior; temporarily disable third‑party browser extensions or perform a clean boot/safe mode test to isolate them. Microsoft’s guidance for disabling third‑party tool bands/BHOs and using clean‑boot troubleshooting applies. ()

Note on causes: as observed, an IE installer that could not overwrite files because a component was in use during the update can leave mixed versions behind — reinstallation or repair completes the replacement and re‑registration of those shared components, which is why the reinstall “fix” is common. (att.newsmth.net)

If the machine is still available: document the IE version, whether any shell utilities or toolbars are installed, and whether Safe Mode/clean‑boot restores drag & drop; that points to either a missing/bad DLL (repair/reinstall) or a third‑party extension conflict.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for Catweazle

Have you, by any chance, run a refresh install of Windows without first uninstalling any updated version of Internet Explorer? That's a common cause of this problem, and the solution is to uninstall then reinstall Internet Explorer.

Have you got any 'Shell' software utilities loaded on your system which enhance and/or extend the features provided by Windows Explorer? If so I'd suggest uninstalling it.

You could also try downloading and using the utility linked to by BillDL in this discussion:

http://www.experts-exchange.com/Operating_Systems/Win98/Q_21184159.html

Member Avatar for golden1prince

Thanx a bunch!!!!!!!!!!! The uninstall-reinstall worked perfectly. Any idea why that happens?

Member Avatar for lex43506

The suggestion to uninstall and reinstall IE worked great. Thanks!

Member Avatar for mmiikkee12

Any idea why that happens?

I think it's from conflicting files between the two IE versions that don't get replaced for some reason. Like if you have an IE window open while updating IE, it can't update the iexplore.exe file (the main Internet Explorer application) or any other files it might be using.

Member Avatar for m610

I know, this is an old thread, but it just helped me out. I'm keeping an old Compaq Win98 laptop alive so I can take it on trips so I can off-load my photographs to it.

Thanks.

Member Avatar for The Dude

Welcome :)

Im glad you found a solution so quickly :)

Pleez feel free to stick around!

Member Avatar for Michealruggles

Long Path Tool helped me in this situation if you want than you can use them. I hope that you will resolve your problem
http://PathTooDeep.com

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