WinXP & google Icon on Desktop

I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped
working.

https://www.google.co.uk/

It has been there for a long time working fine.

Any help appreciated?

On Fri, 13 Dec 2013 08:30:49 -0000, "AAH" wrote:

I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped
working.

https://www.google.co.uk/

It has been there for a long time working fine.

Any help appreciated?


I don't think I can help, but the same thing happened to me last week,
but after two days, it was working again. Haven't got a clue why.

AAH wrote:

I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped working.

https://www.google.co.uk/

It has been there for a long time working fine.

What does "not working" mean? What happens when you double-click on the
shortcut? Is the icon a shortcut or a namespace object? Is there an
arrow showing it is a shortcut? Right-click on it to get Properties to
see if it looks like a shortcut with attributes for Target, Start In,
Change Icon, etc. Does the default web browser (and which one?) load
okay? Does it load with a blank page? Does it load and report an
error? WHAT HAPPENS?

Why are you trying to use HTTPS to get to their *home* page? Their home
doesn't doesn't require encryption. What happens when you instead use
HTTP?

VanguardLH wrote:
AAH wrote:

I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped working.

https://www.google.co.uk/

It has been there for a long time working fine.

What does "not working" mean? What happens when you double-click on
the shortcut? Is the icon a shortcut or a namespace object? Is
there an arrow showing it is a shortcut? Right-click on it to get
Properties to see if it looks like a shortcut with attributes for
Target, Start In, Change Icon, etc. Does the default web browser
(and which one?) load okay? Does it load with a blank page? Does it
load and report an error? WHAT HAPPENS?

Why are you trying to use HTTPS to get to their *home* page? Their
home doesn't doesn't require encryption. What happens when you
instead use HTTP?

Google takes me to its https site if I type http://www.google.com in my address
bar. I get https://www.google.com/

On Friday, December 13, 2013 12:10:39 PM UTC-6, Bob F wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:

AAH wrote:



I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped working.



https://www.google.co.uk/



It has been there for a long time working fine.



What does "not working" mean? What happens when you double-click on

the shortcut? Is the icon a shortcut or a namespace object? Is

there an arrow showing it is a shortcut? Right-click on it to get

Properties to see if it looks like a shortcut with attributes for

Target, Start In, Change Icon, etc. Does the default web browser

(and which one?) load okay? Does it load with a blank page? Does it

load and report an error? WHAT HAPPENS?



Why are you trying to use HTTPS to get to their *home* page? Their

home doesn't doesn't require encryption. What happens when you

instead use HTTP?



Google takes me to its https site if I type http://www.google.com in my address

bar. I get https://www.google.com/

Why not use a better search engine ?

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/web/...r=altavista&p=

Andy

Andy wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2013 12:10:39 PM UTC-6, Bob F wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:

AAH wrote:
I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped working.
https://www.google.co.uk/
It has been there for a long time working fine.
What does "not working" mean? What happens when you double-click on
the shortcut? Is the icon a shortcut or a namespace object? Is
there an arrow showing it is a shortcut? Right-click on it to get
Properties to see if it looks like a shortcut with attributes for
Target, Start In, Change Icon, etc. Does the default web browser
(and which one?) load okay? Does it load with a blank page? Does it
load and report an error? WHAT HAPPENS?
Why are you trying to use HTTPS to get to their *home* page? Their
home doesn't doesn't require encryption. What happens when you
instead use HTTP?


Google takes me to its https site if I type http://www.google.com in my address

bar. I get https://www.google.com/

Why not use a better search engine ?

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/web/...r=altavista&p=

Andy

The OP is asking a question about DNS resolution,
and how Google munges user-provided URLS into
something else. The reason investigating the question
is important, is to check that there isn't some problem
with DNS.

You can use "nslookup www.google.co.uk" to see how it
resolves, and whether your DNS is working half decent.
With my previous ISP, I used to have a lot of problems
with DNS. My current ISP is much smaller, only owns
a single (replicated) pair of DNS servers, and service
is much more reliable. With my current ISP, the DNS
server at their company, never changes.

At the moment, mine returns three IP addresses. Google
also has the ability to make a domain specific response,
such as knowing that a user in the UK, should be
connected to www.google.co.uk. So if you were to
enter www.google.com, you might end up connected
to the www.google.co.uk server. It's to keep traffic
in the area nearest to their server. And avoid unnecessary
latency.

If I use http://74.125.225.127/ , it still seems to respond,
and no attempt was made to point me to a North American server.

If such a problem lasted for several days, it could have
been some changes Google made to their DNS information.
In which case, you'd investigate, while the problem
manifested itself. In some cases, it might even be
an ISP problem, and not a Google problem.

And given an opportunity, the same problem could happen
to a Yahoo server. If it was DNS related, or ISP DNS related.

Paul

Bob F wrote:

VanguardLH wrote:
AAH wrote:

I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped working.

https://www.google.co.uk/

It has been there for a long time working fine.

What does "not working" mean? What happens when you double-click on
the shortcut? Is the icon a shortcut or a namespace object? Is
there an arrow showing it is a shortcut? Right-click on it to get
Properties to see if it looks like a shortcut with attributes for
Target, Start In, Change Icon, etc. Does the default web browser
(and which one?) load okay? Does it load with a blank page? Does it
load and report an error? WHAT HAPPENS?

Why are you trying to use HTTPS to get to their *home* page? Their
home doesn't doesn't require encryption. What happens when you
instead use HTTP?

Google takes me to its https site if I type http://www.google.com in my address
bar. I get https://www.google.com/

Yes, Google issues a 302 status code when connecting via HTTP. See:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/HTTP_302
http://www.checkupdown.com/status/E302.html

The request is to tunnel to www.goggle.com over port 443. Once the
redirection occurs and your client gets the new page, or if you use
HTTPS to start with, you get back a 200 status (OK). Even if you have
meta-refresh disabled in your web browser, the client (web browser) will
still do the redirection because it isn't using the META tag to check
for a refresh attribute to get redirected. So even if you disable meta-
refresh and use a web browser (or add-on) that shows you to where the
page wants to redirect you as a security measure, the 302 redirection is
automatic and server controlled so a site can still redirect you without
your knowledge. The client is supposed to NOT show you the 302 status.

Barry mentioned his shortcut wasn't working but did after a couple days.
So if could be Google's server(s) were screwed up in not giving a legit
redirection URL when they sent the 302 status.

The OP may have installed an add-on or security software that interferes
with the web browser performing the requested redirection (to the
suggested new URL). Don't know because "not working" wasn't detailed.

In message , Paul
writes:
[]
You can use "nslookup www.google.co.uk" to see how it
resolves, and whether your DNS is working half decent.

Assuming you mean in a command window, I use ping - I could say because
it's shorter and also tells me whether the remote site is responding,
but if I'm honest it's because I can remember it (-:.
[]
At the moment, mine returns three IP addresses. Google
also has the ability to make a domain specific response,
such as knowing that a user in the UK, should be
connected to www.google.co.uk. So if you were to
enter www.google.com, you might end up connected
to the www.google.co.uk server. It's to keep traffic
in the area nearest to their server. And avoid unnecessary
latency.

If I use http://74.125.225.127/ , it still seems to respond,
and no attempt was made to point me to a North American server.

Do I take it you are in the UK, then, Paul?
[]
And given an opportunity, the same problem could happen
to a Yahoo server. If it was DNS related, or ISP DNS related.

Indeed. That suggestion wasn't really addressing the question originally
posed.

Paul
--
J. P. Gilliver. UMRA: 1960/1985 MB++G()AL-IS-Ch++(p)Ar@T+H+Sh0!:`)DNAf

_IMPORTANT INSTRUCTIONS_ BEFORE ALL TECHNICAL INTERVENTION ON THE [CASE CUT THE
ELECTRICAL FEEDING REGULAR MAINTENANCE PROVIDES THE GOOD WORKING OF A CASE (SEE
INSTRUCTIONS BOOK) [seen on bacon cabinet in Tesco (a large grocery chain)]

On 12/13/2013 2:57 PM, Paul wrote:
Andy wrote:
On Friday, December 13, 2013 12:10:39 PM UTC-6, Bob F wrote:
VanguardLH wrote:

AAH wrote:
I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped working.
https://www.google.co.uk/
It has been there for a long time working fine.
What does "not working" mean? What happens when you double-click on
the shortcut? Is the icon a shortcut or a namespace object? Is
there an arrow showing it is a shortcut? Right-click on it to get
Properties to see if it looks like a shortcut with attributes for
Target, Start In, Change Icon, etc. Does the default web browser
(and which one?) load okay? Does it load with a blank page? Does it
load and report an error? WHAT HAPPENS?
Why are you trying to use HTTPS to get to their *home* page? Their
home doesn't doesn't require encryption. What happens when you
instead use HTTP?


Google takes me to its https site if I type http://www.google.com in
my address
bar. I get https://www.google.com/

Why not use a better search engine ?

http://us.yhs4.search.yahoo.com/web/...r=altavista&p=

Andy

The OP is asking a question about DNS resolution,
and how Google munges user-provided URLS into
something else. The reason investigating the question
is important, is to check that there isn't some problem
with DNS.

You can use "nslookup www.google.co.uk" to see how it
resolves, and whether your DNS is working half decent.
With my previous ISP, I used to have a lot of problems
with DNS. My current ISP is much smaller, only owns
a single (replicated) pair of DNS servers, and service
is much more reliable. With my current ISP, the DNS
server at their company, never changes.

At the moment, mine returns three IP addresses. Google
also has the ability to make a domain specific response,
such as knowing that a user in the UK, should be
connected to www.google.co.uk. So if you were to
enter www.google.com, you might end up connected
to the www.google.co.uk server. It's to keep traffic
in the area nearest to their server. And avoid unnecessary
latency.

If I use http://74.125.225.127/ , it still seems to respond,
and no attempt was made to point me to a North American server.

If such a problem lasted for several days, it could have
been some changes Google made to their DNS information.
In which case, you'd investigate, while the problem
manifested itself. In some cases, it might even be
an ISP problem, and not a Google problem.

And given an opportunity, the same problem could happen
to a Yahoo server. If it was DNS related, or ISP DNS related.

Paul

This redirection is not just UK-specific. I'm in the US.
If I point my browser (at least for Firefox, Chrome, and IE)
to www.google.com, it gets auto-redirected to
https://www.google.com/, and everything seems to work OK.

Using IE (but not Firefox or Chrome), I noticed the address bar
change from www.google.com to http://www.google.com *and then*
to https://www.google.com -- I did not notice the intermediate
step with Firefox or Chrome. May only indicate that IE is slower
than the other two in handling this redirection; I neither know
nor care since IE is my last choice for a browser.

FYI, I didn't try Opera. I use it daily, but only to read the
morning ePaper.
--
Cheers, Bob

"AAH" wrote in message ...
I have google Icon on my desktop which has stopped
working.

https://www.google.co.uk/

It has been there for a long time working fine.

Any help appreciated?


Was there a Error message?

If so did windows look for
The root file for the Google Icon?