shellExecute cannot open Microsoft Edge in Windows Server 2016 TP3

_{Friday, November 6, 2015 12:05 AM}

I'm trying to open a URL with the default browser in C++. The following code works in Windows 10 even when default browser is Edge.

#include <Windows.h>

int main()
{
    SHELLEXECUTEINFOW sei = { sizeof sei };
    sei.lpVerb = L"open";
    sei.lpFile = L"microsoft-edge:http://www.microsoft.com";
    ShellExecuteExW(&sei);
}

However, it will fail in Windows Server 2016 when default browser is Edge and pops out an error dialog:

    Title: microsoft-edge:http://www.microsoft.com
    Content: This file does not have a program associated with it for performing this action. Please install a program or, if one is already installed, create an association in the Default Programs control panel.

I have checked the default program settings and confirmed Edge is the default browser. If changing default browser to others say Firefox or IE then everything is OK.

Removing "microsoft-edge:" from lpFile does not help.

_{Wednesday, November 11, 2015 2:43 AM ✅Answered}

Hi churiver,

Please refer to this document to check whether there’s some issue in your code. https://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/windows/desktop/bb762153(v=vs.85).aspx

This thread show how to “Use ShellExecute to launch the default Web browser”, you could refer to it.

https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/224816

If these could not solve your problem, I suggest that you could contact our paid phone support at http://support.microsoft.com . You will get 1:1 support on that.

Best Regards,

Xavier Eoro

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_{Tuesday, December 29, 2015 2:34 PM}

This is not an answer.  Code

::ShellExecute( NULL, NULL, sURL, NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL );

worked fine in all previous versions of Windows, it fail in Windows 2016 PT3 with error 5, SE_ERR_ACCESSDENIED

Your link provide sample code

LONG r = ShellExecute(NULL, "open", "http://www.microsoft.com", NULL, NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);

It fail with error 31 - SE_ERR_NOASSOC

_{Thursday, April 6, 2017 12:34 PM}

The Third parameter of ShelLExecute API is lpFile which name the application you want to launch and <g class="gr_ gr_30 gr-alert gr_gramm gr_run_anim Grammar only-ins replaceWithoutSep" data-gr-id="30" id="30">fourth</g> parameter is the parameter to that application.

if you add "iExplore.exe" as the third parameter and fourth parameter as "http://www.microsoft.com" it should work. see below code, it works for me in windows server 2016

LONG r = ShellExecute(NULL, "open", "iexplore.exe","http://www.microsoft.com", NULL, SW_SHOWNORMAL);

-Anurag