Internet Explorer May Not Start Telnet from a Gopher Link (174601)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 3.02 for Windows 95
This article was previously published under Q174601

SYMPTOMS

When you try to connect to a Telnet site from a Gopher link using Internet Explorer, the Telnet session may not start or may report that the destination must be a file.

CAUSE

Internet Explorer does not correctly handle the Gopher field type for Telnet sessions.

RESOLUTION

To work around this problem, connect to the Telnet site using the Telnet tool included with Windows 95 and Windows NT, or place a scripted redirect in an HTML file on the Gopher site.

Start the Telnet Session from the Open Line

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type telnet://<server.com>:/<port>/8 , where <server.com> is the Telnet site address, <port> is the Telnet server port number, and 8 is the Gopher field type to start a Telnet session.
  3. Click OK.

Start a Standalone Session of Telnet

  1. Click Start, and then click Run.
  2. In the Open box, type telnet, and then click OK.
  3. On the Connect menu, click Remote System.
  4. In the Host Name box, type the Telnet address.
  5. Click Connect.

Start a Telnet Session from Internet Explorer

  1. Double-click the The Internet icon on the desktop.
  2. In the Address box, type the following command, and then press ENTER

    telnet:server.com:port/8

    where <server.com> is the Telnet site address, <port> is the Telnet server port number, and 8 is the Gopher field type to start Telnet.
NOTE: The slashes are not used when you connect to a Telnet site from Internet Explorer.

Place a Scripted Redirect to the Telnet Site in an HTML File

WARNING: ANY USE BY YOU OF THE CODE PROVIDED IN THIS ARTICLE IS AT YOUR OWN RISK. Microsoft provides this code "as is" without warranty of any kind, either express or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and/or fitness for a particular purpose.

The following sample script demonstrates how to script a redirect to a Telnet session in an HTML file. When you click the HTML reference to the Web address, Telnet starts and opens the Telnet site. 
   <http><body>
   <script>
   <!---
   parent.location.href="telnet://server.com:port/8"
   -->
   </script>
   </body></html>

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

For additional information about using Telnet and Internet Explorer, click the following article numbers to view the articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

163391 Troubleshooting problems communicating with a server on the Internet using a dial-up networking connection in Windows 2000, Windows NT 4.0, or Windows NT

171648 Troubleshooting connections in NetMeeting using Telnet

163606 Changing source code editor in Internet Explorer

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:12/3/2004
Keywords:KB174601
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