"Unspecified error" when adding a link to Favorites in Windows Vista
- By Ramesh Srinivasan
- Published March 28, 2007
After reading the blog post Folder Redirection for Favorites on the Same Machine at IE Team blog, I planned to relocate my Favorites folder to a different drive. After relocation, when I tried to add a URL to Favorites, I received the following error:
Unable to create 'Title':
Unspecified error
Resolution
There were many posts in the Windows Vista newsgroups about this problem, and here is the thread containing the original solution from MS-MVP Jimmy Brush. The solution is as follows:
- Open an elevated Command Prompt. To do so, click Start, click All Programs, click Accessories, right-click Command Prompt, and then click Run as administrator.
- Browse to the folder that contains your Favorites folder
- Type the following command:
icacls favorites /setintegritylevel (OI)(CI)low
You should now see this message:
processed file: favorites
Successfully processed 1 files; Failed processing 0 files
- To verify if the Integrity Level is correctly set (optional) to the Favorites folder, type:
icacls favorites
You should see the following line in the output:
Mandatory Label\Low Mandatory Level:(OI)(CI)(NW)
- Type EXIT to close the Command Prompt window.
You should be able to add an URL to Favorites now. Reportedly, this problem occurs as Internet Explorer in Windows Vista runs under Protected mode (low integrity level) by default, and therefore will only be able to modify objects marked with a low integrity level in their system ACLs. When you relocate the Favorites to a different drive, you need to set the integrity level for the relocated folder, so that Internet Explorer (Protected mode) can write to it. This problem does not seem to occur if the Favorites folder is located within your user profile home directory.
Defined Integrity Levels
Here is a screenshot from the Windows Vista System Integrity Technologies Webcast:
Here are some useful links for more reading on Mandatory integrity control in Windows Vista:
[Securityfocus.com] Introduction to Windows Integrity Control
[MSDN] Understanding and Working in Protected Mode Internet Explorer
[Webcast] Windows Vista System Integrity Technologies
[Steve Riley] Mandatory integrity control in Windows Vista
Spread The Word
14 Responses to ""Unspecified error" when adding a link to Favorites in Windows Vista" 
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said this on 10 Feb 2008 3:28:58 AM PDT
Worked a dream eventually, but you have to make sure the spacing is correct (trial and error) and that the file name is case sensitive - also use the correct spelling - "Favourites" in UK.
Why on earth have microsoft not fixed this - there is not even a mention on the vista support Site!!!
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said this on 06 Apr 2007 10:36:28 AM PDT
Another method is from IE export Favorites, delete all Favorites, then import back in.
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said this on 21 Apr 2007 3:48:56 AM PDT
I surely hope that this has been catalogued as a bug, and will be dealt with via some patch in some SP, has it?
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said this on 29 Apr 2007 9:48:07 PM PDT
This works very well for me in Windows Vista Home Premium. It seems somehow my IE7 folder got set to this protected position. I could got save any new favorite websites, user/<name>/favorites folder.
Thanks a billion!
Joe
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said this on 15 May 2007 3:43:15 AM PDT
Solution worked well in my Windows Ultimate. Hope that MS will fix the problem.
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said this on 21 May 2007 1:44:28 PM PDT
One question, how do you brouse to the folder from the command promt?
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Editor's note: Type "cd /d <path:foldername>" in the Command Prompt to switch to the favorites folder. Where the <path:foldername> placeholder above, represents the location of the folder which contains the Favorites folder.
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said this on 29 May 2007 11:35:36 AM PDT
I found an alternate solution to the same issues. I tried right clicking on the favorites folder, properties, security tab, advanced, onwer tab, edit, select yourself or your group, checkmark replace owner on all subdirectories, apply, ok, ok, ok, ok.
Fixed it for me?
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said this on 14 Jun 2007 10:29:22 AM PDT
Neither changing the integrity level not the folders onership properties worked for me with Vista Home Ultimate. Any other ideas?
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said this on 02 Sep 2007 2:10:03 PM PDT
Changing ownership worked as far as getting the favorites back. It created a new folder and copied the favorites into it. That folder is inside the original folder. Now when I go to favorites I see New Folder - click on that and I see favorites. At least it's back!
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said this on 22 Dec 2007 7:55:48 AM PDT
Wow this totally worked. Thanks a lot
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said this on 29 Jan 2008 2:24:39 PM PDT
Thanks for the solution. It worked perfectly. The only problem I had was trying to recall how to get out of the command prompt. I think it has been 20 years since I last used it.
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said this on 22 Mar 2008 5:06:50 PM PDT
Thank you SO much! This was driving me nuts! It worked like a charm.
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said this on 19 Mar 2008 11:17:30 AM PDT
Thanks a ton it worked for me
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said this on 08 Apr 2008 8:16:39 AM PDT
Great, thanks, worked for me too! Too bad MS didn't implement this simple step in the "Move folder" action...
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