Windows error opening Internet shortcut or local HTML file - Firefox

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This article also applies if two Firefox windows are opening each time you click a link from an external application.

If whenever you click on a link shortcut in Windows and an error dialog of "Windows cannot find [URL]" pops up, then you are experiencing Bug 246078. There are several workarounds in the bug report and discussion. Some are listed below.

Notice: This bug has been recently fixed so will not appear in Firefox 1.1.

The File Types Workaround

  1. Open Windows Explorer (Win+E).
  2. Go to Tools -> Folder Options -> File Types
  3. Select "Extension: (NONE)" and "File Type: HyperText Transfer Protocol".
  4. Go to Advanced -> Edit File Type -> Select "open" -> Edit
  5. Disable the DDE message box (which should contain "%1" or something similar).
  6. Repeat for "File Type: HyperText Transfer Protocol with Privacy" and any other protocols you want to fix.

[Source]

The Registry Workaround

Be sure you are familiar with the Registry as this has a chance of corrupting your entire computer system if you bother other registry entries. [Source]

  1. In Start -> Run, type "regedit" and press Enter.
  2. Use the directory tree hierarchy to navigate to "HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\HTTP\shell\open\ddeexec".
  3. Delete the "ddexec" folder.