If you’re sharing computer with your family or friends, most likely you’ll have a conflict of favorite default web browser problem. Let’s say you like to use Firefox and you’ve set it as your default browser. When your brother logs in to his user account and runs Internet Explorer, he’ll get a prompt that says “Internet Explorer is not currently your default browser. Would you like to make it your default browser?”
Hitting the enter key or selecting Yes will change the default web browser to Internet Explorer and this effects all other users in the same computer. This is a never ending battle of setting the default web browser. Windows XP’s user interface does not provide you an option to set a per-user default web browser. One setting affects all users, machine-wide. Here’s a solution to this annoying default web browser problem.
DefaultBrowser allows you set the default web browser for your user profile in Windows XP, without affecting the other users. The list of browsers you see in the Presets are tested and working flawlessly as user defaults. Note that the user interface in Windows XP does not provide an option for setting the default browser for each user.
Apart from the Presets list, there is an option at the bottom which allows you choose the Web Browser program file and set it as the default. You may use this section if your favorite browser is not listed under Presets. As you read in the dialog, this method does not work with all the browsers. If the results are not satisfactory using this method, you can undo the configuration by clicking the Reset button.
Currently DefaultBrowser supports Avant Browser, Deepnet Explorer, Maxthon, SlimBrowser, CrazyBrowser, GreenBrowser, Internet Explorer, Mozilla Firefox, Mozilla Firefox Portable Edition and Opera.
This tool requires Administrator or Limited User account and it does not work under Guest account. To successfully apply the per-user setting, choose No when your Web browser prompts to make itself the default, as it might affect all the user profiles. I’d also advice you to disable checking of default web browser on startup so you won’t get the prompt everything you launch the browser. This tool is a freeware and designed to use for Windows XP system only.
Now everyone can use their favorite web browser as default without making any changes on other user accounts.
[ Download DefaultBrowser ]
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the link has changed Raymond:
windowsxp.mvps.org/defaultbrowser.htm
mirror/direct link snapfiles.com/php/download.php?id=108433&a=7121782&tag=31161&loc=2
hey ray
thanks a lot
from where you find that amazing things like ashampoo 26 software pack etc.
i am a fan of you from now
i got a problem with the DL link, pls check. TIA
hi! Raymond.
Really useful article from you. I was looking this for a long time. Tnxs a lot.
Good Luck!
Something is wrong with yesterday’s mailing. Sorry about that.
Hi Raymond, I didn’t this day notification thru email like the rest of the days. Is there something wrong? Please help me out. Thanks.
Here is the home page, just in case the version number changes:
windowsxp.mvps.org/defaultbrowser.htm
@ricky: I’ve been deleting your comments because it is IRRELEVANT to this article. Please ask your question in forum, not at this blog.
This is nice, but is there a way to make different browsers the default for different programs? For instance I work from home and have to use IE with my telecommuting programs but I prefer to use firefox with everything else. I’d sure prefer to use shortcut links but they want to open with my default.
Ray why have you been deleting my comments? I am not asking a question that violates the rules of the forum! I am asking a simple compatiblity question.
Question: Is there is compatibility issue with office 07 enterprise? I was able to install it on XP but on my home computer it says that it is not a valid win.32 archieve.
Any solutions?
Thanks,
Ricky.
wow. awesome