YouTube links : "Your browser is up to date" clicking links from Office Documents

[chrisbradbury]

We've added the ForceShellExecute registry value to all machines and it's resolved the issue. Does appear to be an office link pre-fetching User-Agent issue.

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet]
"ForceShellExecute"=dword:00000001

[Koldov]

We've added the ForceShellExecute registry value to all machines and it's resolved the issue. Does appear to be an office link pre-fetching User-Agent issue.

 

Do you see the issue (from the link posted above):

 

"A hyperlink may not go to a Microsoft Word document or a Microsoft Excel worksheet after you use this workaround."

[andy_b]

Do you see the issue (from the link posted above):

 

"A hyperlink may not go to a Microsoft Word document or a Microsoft Excel worksheet after you use this workaround."

 

Not seen it yet.

[mattgrimley]

Do you see the issue (from the link posted above):

 

"A hyperlink may not go to a Microsoft Word document or a Microsoft Excel worksheet after you use this workaround."

 

We've also rolled out the registry fix mentioned above (note, the reg path will be different if you run 32bit Office on a 64bit client).

 

It seems to work well for us.

 

SORRY, IGNORE THIS. It was launching fine, but minimised!

With regard to the above potential issue, I've just tested a hyperlink to local word document inside Word and it opens fine when our proxy is assigned via a wpad script (i.e. "use automatic configuration script" is configured).

When the proxy is issued as an explicit address, it doesn't seem to load the same link successfully (nothing happens).

 

So, working for me, but others might hit issues and need to deploy a wpad.dat file to side-step it.

Edited February 24, 2022 by mattgrimley

[Koldov]

I thought it strange the support document had the title "Error message when selecting hyperlink in Office: "Cannot locate the Internet server or proxy server".

 

We are seeing this issue, but with no proxy server that I know of...

[mattgrimley]

Sorry @Koldov - my last test was floored. It actually works regardless of the proxy setting. It just ran minimised and i didn't notice. Apologies for the confusion!

 

Proxy settings might well be a red herring.

[andy_b]

I thought it strange the support document had the title "Error message when selecting hyperlink in Office: "Cannot locate the Internet server or proxy server".

 

We are seeing this issue, but with no proxy server that I know of...

 

We were having the with youtube and have a transparent proxy - but the issue is unrelated to the proxy.

 

The issue seems to be youtube redirecting the page when it is requested by urlmon.dll (based upon some request headers). The changes outlined in the support document (for an unrelated problem) make powerpoint use the browser directly to request the page and therefore bypass the "incorrect" redirections - well that seems to be what is happening.

[jthompson]

IE really doesn't want to die, does it.

 

"I've cut yer legs off!!"

"'tis but a scratch"

[sonofsanta]

Just to be clear--because my 8am caffeine-starved brain managed to get confused on this*--this key that @chrisbradbury posted works for 64-bit Office:

We've added the ForceShellExecute registry value to all machines and it's resolved the issue. Does appear to be an office link pre-fetching User-Agent issue.

 

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet]
"ForceShellExecute"=dword:00000001

 

 

...but if you have 32-bit office on yer 64-bit OS the key path you need is actually

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

 

*I copied the latter into my own registry for testing, saw it worked, then somehow managed to copy and paste the other one into my GPP so that the fix didn't actually deploy. I'm good at this, me, proper professional.

[Koldov]

In Registry Editor, browse to one of the following subkeys (create the keys if they do not exist):

 

For a 32-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

For a 32-bit version of Office on a 32-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

For a 64-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/office/troubleshoot/office-suite-issues/cannot-locate-server-when-click-hyperlink#:~:text=then%20select%20OK.-,In%20Registry%20Editor%2C%20browse%20to%20one%20of%20the%20following%20subkeys,HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE%5CSOFTWARE%5CMicrosoft%5COffice%5C9.0%5CCommon%5CInternet,-Make%20sure%20the

 

I'm presuming the number in (my) bold is the version of Office, I don't have a 9.0 folder but I do have lots of other numbers... The one with the correct sub-folder is 16 (for Office 2016) 32-bit Office on a 64-bit version of Windows OS...?

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet

Edited February 25, 2022 by Koldov

[andy_b]

In Registry Editor, browse to one of the following subkeys (create the keys if they do not exist):

 

For a 32-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

For a 32-bit version of Office on a 32-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

For a 64-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/office/troubleshoot/office-suite-issues/cannot-locate-server-when-click-hyperlink#:~:text=then%20select%20OK.-,In%20Registry%20Editor%2C%20browse%20to%20one%20of%20the%20following%20subkeys,HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE%5CSOFTWARE%5CMicrosoft%5COffice%5C9.0%5CCommon%5CInternet,-Make%20sure%20the

 

I'm presuming the number in (my) bold is the version of Office, I don't have a 9.0 folder but I do have lots of other numbers... The one with the correct sub-folder is 16 (for Office 2016) 32-bit Office on a 64-bit version of Windows OS...?

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet

 

As far as I am aware it is always 9.0 and the article does explicity say it is for "Word for Office 365, Word 2019, Word 2016, Word 2013, Outlook for Office 365, Outlook 2019, Outlook 2016, Outlook 2013, PowerPoint for Office 365, PowerPoint 2019, PowerPoint 2016, PowerPoint 2013, Excel for Office 365, Excel 2019, Excel 2016, Excel 2013, Microsoft Word 2010, Microsoft Outlook 2010, Excel 2010, PowerPoint 2010, Microsoft Office Excel 2007, Microsoft Office Outlook 2007, Microsoft Office PowerPoint 2007".

[Boredguy]

9.0 is needed for it to work according to most articles, even though your installed version of Office might be using the 15.0 or 16.0 stubs.

[DavR]

Thanks for all this folks - I've just applied the ForceShellExecute fix here, and it's fixed the problem we were having launching certain web pages from Microsoft Excel 2016.

 

I did a bit of testing along the way and can confirm that it should always be under the 9.0 registry key. This key did not exist for us, I had to create the whole path and the value.

[ITGURU]

Why are we fixing something youtube changed, with a registry edit. Surely its for Youtube to fix?

[andy_b]

Why are we fixing something youtube changed, with a registry edit. Surely its for Youtube to fix?

 

How long you want to wait?

[DavR]

It's also not just YouTube, I was having the problem with Google Forms.

 

As I understand it, the call for the website is being invoked by a DLL Google recognises as being part of Internet Explorer, even though the website is ultimately supposed to be delivered by whatever your default browser is. IE is a dead browser, and no longer recommended by many sites, Google included. So they may argue that this is by design, and it's Microsoft's fault for using bits of IE to call websites from Office in the first place.

 

Ultimately though, when it's a simple reg fix to work round it, there's not really much point arguing who should be dealing with it. Fix it, and on to the next problem, IMO

[PurpleTentacle]

Thanks for all this folks - I've just applied the ForceShellExecute fix here, and it's fixed the problem we were having launching certain web pages from Microsoft Excel 2016.

 

I did a bit of testing along the way and can confirm that it should always be under the 9.0 registry key. This key did not exist for us, I had to create the whole path and the value.

 

Tested it here. Can confirm the key has to be under 9.0 or it doesn't work.

[timbo343]

In Registry Editor, browse to one of the following subkeys (create the keys if they do not exist):

 

For a 32-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Wow6432Node\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

For a 32-bit version of Office on a 32-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

For a 64-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

 

https://docs.microsoft.com/en-US/office/troubleshoot/office-suite-issues/cannot-locate-server-when-click-hyperlink#:~:text=then%20select%20OK.-,In%20Registry%20Editor%2C%20browse%20to%20one%20of%20the%20following%20subkeys,HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE%5CSOFTWARE%5CMicrosoft%5COffice%5C9.0%5CCommon%5CInternet,-Make%20sure%20the

 

I'm presuming the number in (my) bold is the version of Office, I don't have a 9.0 folder but I do have lots of other numbers... The one with the correct sub-folder is 16 (for Office 2016) 32-bit Office on a 64-bit version of Windows OS...?

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Office\16.0\Common\Internet

 

64bit Office on 64bit OS and working instantaneously for us after remotely editing the registry

 

For a 64-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

DWORD: ForceShellExecute = 1

[lmgtfy]

64bit Office on 64bit OS and working instantaneously for us after remotely editing the registry

 

For a 64-bit version of Office on a 64-bit version of Windows:

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Office\9.0\Common\Internet

DWORD: ForceShellExecute = 1

 

This definitely seems to fix it but only half of the time for us. Is anyone able to test if its just us this happens to please? After the reg fix sometimes YouTube opens up the correct link and other times it opens the "Your browser is up to date" page. The first time more often than not it works ok but if you click the link again more often than not it doesn't work. All very strange indeed. Thought I had it fixed until I clicked on it a few times.

 

Cheers

[Koldov]

7 times in a row, so far... still going!

[lmgtfy]

7 times in a row, so far... still going!

 

Many thanks for trying for me. For us its so inconsistent sometimes its works sometimes it doesn't. I even made a video so you don't think I'm mad haha

 

[jthompson]

Could browser or proxy cache be behind that phenomenon?

[lmgtfy]

Could browser or proxy cache be behind that phenomenon?

 

Thanks for your suggestions, I guess either is possible. At this point I will just leave it how it is and wait for YouTube to hopefully fix it properly at their end. Cheers

[Koldov]

Thanks for your suggestions, I guess either is possible. At this point I will just leave it how it is and wait for YouTube to hopefully fix it properly at their end. Cheers

 

I would normally say something like 'Grabs Popcorn' at this point to sit and wait for the outcome, but seriously I'd be waiting like...

 

[raspberryhead]

Registered an account to report on this. Our school is currently only having this issue with one teacher. Registry changes provided here did not help, tried to use tinyurl as a way of "redirecting before the redirect" no luck with that either. HOWEVER, we have had luck with changing youtube urls from

to https://www.youtube.com/watch/G1Ke-H8I1uk (changing the ?v= to a /). Hopefully this helps someone else too.