Numeric Entity Appears Instead of the Character It Represents in Internet Explorer (823185)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0, when used with:
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows XP
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 2000
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows NT 4.0
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 98 Second Edition
    • the operating system: Microsoft Windows 98

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Internet Explorer 6, when you view a large HTML document that contains a numeric entity (for example, &#x2194), the numeric entity may display instead of the character it represents.

For example, if the HTML document contains the numeric entity &#x2194, the numeric entity &#x2194 may appear instead of the intended character ?.

CAUSE

This behavior occurs because the & character of the entity is the nth character of a file where n is a multiple of 4096 (4k). For example, you can have a file that ends with "&#x2194" (without the quotes) and is exactly 4102 bytes. The & and the # characters are parsed in different buffers. As a result, the numeric entity appears instead of the character it represents.

RESOLUTION

A supported hotfix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Only apply it to systems that are experiencing this specific problem. This hotfix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, we recommend that you wait for the next Internet Explorer 6 service pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the hotfix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services telephone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

http://support.microsoft.com/contactus/?ws=support

Note In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The usual support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question. The English version of this fix has the file attributes (or later) that are listed in the following table. The dates and times for these files are listed in coordinated universal time (UTC). When you view the file information, it is converted to local time. To find the difference between UTC and local time, use the Time Zone tab in the Date and Time tool in Control Panel. 
   Date         Time   Version        Size       File name
   -----------------------------------------------------------
   16-Jul-2003  22:32                     5,126  Q823185.inf
   16-Jul-2003  22:32                     5,207  Q823185_d.inf
   08-May-2003  19:23  6.0.2800.1198     27,136  Ieupdate.exe     
   03-Mar-2003  15:24  6.0.2800.1172     33,792  Ieuninst.exe     
   16-Jul-2003  22:24  6.0.2800.1227  2,793,472  Mshtml.dll

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.
Modification Type:MinorLast Reviewed:11/1/2005
Keywords:kbHotfixServer kbQFE kbQFE kbIE600sp2fix kbIE600preSP2fix kbfix kbbug KB823185 kbAudEndUser
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