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Further to discussion on This Topic, I received an explanation from Microsoft of the bug in IE8 on Friday (been away so only now have the opportunity to post it).

I have been debugging this issue prior to bugging it with the product groups and have some information about the cause.  The issue occurs due to the way that autorun opens Internet Explorer and the fact that we use separate processes for tabs and to define protected mode.

When autorun is given an htm file to open, it checks in the shell associations what application is the default application to open the file.  When it find this, it uses a technology called Dynamic Data Exchange to open the file.  This means it opens Internet Explorer and then passes it a data structure of the parameters it needs to open (in this case the path to the htm file). 

With the new process per tab architecture, we initially open a broker process which then opens a new tab process.  Due to the way we are opening using DDE, we play it safe and make the new tab open in low integrity mode (ie protected mode).  The path to the htm file is not in protected mode, so we must then open a new tab process to open this in.  It is here that the problem occurs.

Before opening the new tab process and redirecting to the CD path, we make a security check that we have a good path to open and call into the shell to parse the path we have.  It is here that fail to bind to the CD drive due to low integrity mode and as a result the redirect fails.  The tab process we were going to open does not get opened and our current tab process exits (as it would if we did open the new tab) and therefore the broker process, with no open tabs also exits.  This is why there is no error message.

The reason that adding the my computer zone to protected mode (as per the workaround you were given) works is that if its in protected mode then it does not needs to redirect to another tab process, therefore not doing the cd check into the shell.  Another scenario I tested was autorun from a memory stick – this works due to the fact that we do not have to bind to the CD drive.   We also do not see this issue if the IE process is already started – autorun with IE already opened simply opens a new tab.  This is also due to us again not having to call the redirect code. 

So there are several factors that are needed to see this issue:
1.       We must have protected mode enabled in a zone other than the my computer zone (as it is by default)
2.       IE must be started using DDE (as autoplay does)
3.       IE must not be running at the time that autoplay starts
4.       The htm file must be on a CD
5.       The OS cannot be XP or Windows 2003 since they do not have UAC which is needed for protected mode

In the development of a product, as many scenarios as possible are played out both automatically and manually to check for any issues.  Code reviews and continued checks by senior developers are done on every change made during development.  Once we start to enter beta testing, the product is tested not only by the product team, but internally all are encouraged to use the pre-released product and report any issues they find in everyday use.  There are so many potential different uses of products that field testing is extremely important.  Whilst still in beta, the product will get a public beta release which lets the general public use the pre-released version and also report any problems that they see.  We go through several beta releases, constantly updating until we go to RTM, but still issues are going to slip through and this is true of any product no matter who writes it. 

If a problem isn’t encountered or no one tells us about it, then it will be missed.  I searched our database and this is the first report of the problem, which is surprising seeing how easy it is to reproduce. 

I have now bugged the problem and this will then be investigated by the product group for inclusion in a future release.  By bugging it, it also ensures that this will be a scenario that will be tested against in future releases. 

I have pointed out to Microsoft that when code is developed one should not simply play out as many scenarios as possible. The correct approach is to test everything in the specification. The fact that they admit that the fault easy to reproduce indicates a major hole in the testing of the code.

I have also asked that they stop referring to field trials as testing, beta or otherwise as, in order to test something, one must know what the inputs are in order to know whether the outputs are correct or not. The statement "If a problem isn’t encountered or no one tells us about it, then it will be missed." proves it is trialing not testing.

Graham

One of our most popular items is our Family Record Workbook.

This A4 size book contains 31 Family Group Sheets and two 6-generation fold-out ancestral charts (printed on A3 paper) to enable recording of the ancestral families of a couple who are the source people on the ancestral charts.

Family Group Sheet 1 enables recording of the family of the source people, sheets 2 to 16 are for the families on the left hand chart and sheets 17 to 31 are for the families on the right hand chart.

The book has a card back and clear plastic front cover and is bound with a slide binder - enabling you to add your own extra A4 sheets if required.

Full details (with illustrations) Here.

Graham

We're still busy scanning books so here are titles of the latest releases.

Prices all include £1.00 postage & packing to anywhere in the world.

Full details on the web site HERE.

Kilmarnock & District Directory, 1928-29; £11.00

Edinburgh, Peebles & Linlithgow Trades Directory, 1933; £11.00

Dundee, Forfar & Perth Trades Directory, 1934-35; £11.00

Baines' Directory of Leeds, 1817; £11.00

Kelly's Directory of Wood Green, Southgate, Palmer's Green &c, 1931; £11.00

Kelly's Directory of Lowestoft, Beccles & Neighbourhood, 1934; £11.00

Built-Leonard's Directory of Cheltenham & County for 1935; £11.00

Graham

It's been a while since I posted details so here are titles of the latest releases.

Prices all include £1.00 postage & packing to anywhere in the world.

Full details on the web site Here.

Kelly's Directory of Stoke Newington, Stamford Hill & Upper and Lower Clapton, 1926; £12.00

Kelly's Directory of Portsmouth, Southsea etc, 1926-27; £13.00

Bemrose's Street Map of Derby 1905; £6.00

Kelly's Directory of Enfield, Winchmore Hill etc, 1930; £11.00

Kelly's Directory of Wandsworth, 1932; £11.00

Kelly's Directory of Reading, Caversham &c, 1931; £12.00

Kelly's Directory of Worcester & Neighbourhood, 1930; £11.00

Cope's Staffordshire Directory & Buyer's Guide, 1913; £11.00

Edinburgh & Peebles Trades Directory, 1909; £11.00

Pointon's Street Map of Willesden, 1933; £5.00

May's Street Plan of Leicester, ca 1933, 1933; £5.00

New Business Street Map of Ipswich &c, 1910; £5.00

Bacon's Large Scale Plan of Cardiff &c, ca 1928; £6.00.

Bacon's Large Scale Plan of Greater Manchester & Salford, mid 1920s  £6.00.

Glasgow Post Office Directory, 1849/50; £12.00

Devonshire Trades Directory, 1930; £11.00

Graham