Fix disappearing Status Bar in Internet Explorer


You are working away in Internet Explorer 6 when you decide you need another browser window open. You open the browser window either by typing CTRL-N or going to File->New->Window in the menu. Problem is, when you open this new window you notice that the status bar at the bottom is missing. You close down Internet Explorer and restart it. The status bar is there now, but again when you open a new window it's missing. This is a known bug within Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 6 Service Pack 1 (SP1); and, fortunately there is a fix for it.

1) With only one Internet Explorer window open, in the menu click View, and select Status Bar. Make sure it is checked.
2) Right-click on IE's Toolbar and select: "Lock the Toolbar". If it's already locked, select "Unlock the Toolbar" then right-click in the toolbar again and select "Lock the Toolbar".
3) Hold down the Ctrl key and click the close button in the upper right corner of the window.
4) Open Windows Explorer, in the menu click View, and select Status Bar
5) Right-click on Explorer's Toolbar and select "Lock the Toolbar". If it's already locked, select "Unlock the Toolbar" then right-click in the toolbar again and select "Lock the Toolbar".
6) In the menu click Tools and select Folder Options. Now click on the View tab
7) Click the "Apply to all folders" button. Click on the "Yes" button in the small dialog box that appears. Click on the "Apply" button then on the "Ok" button.
8) Hold down the Ctrl key and click the close button in the upper right corner of the window.
9) Open Internet Explorer and when the page has loaded hold down the CTRL key and type the letter N. This should open a new window with the status bar present.

If you are still having problems with the status bar, use the REGEDIT program and:
10)Verify that these Registry entries exist:

HKEYCURRENTUSERSoftwareMicrosoftInternet ExplorerMain
"ShowStatusBar""yes"
"ShowURLinStatusBar""yes"

For more technical info visit us at http://www.tornadocomputers.com

About the Author

Vice President and CIO of Tornado Computers, Inc. in Oklahoma City, OK. Ron has over 30 years working with computers and has spent the last 17 years working with PCs and Apple Macintosh systems,