Symptom
An alert box with this message appears when you open the Browse the Internet application:
"A System error occurred while executing an Internet Scripting command."
Solution
When Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X are both installed on the same hard disk, using the Browse the Internet application may result in this alert. Instead of using Browse the Internet, open the desired Web browser directly from the Finder. Alternatively, create and use an alias of the Web browser application.
In the absence of Mac OS X, this issue can occur if system software is incomplete, improperly installed, or has become unusable. You may try these steps:
Additional information
Browse the Internet is a script (a small application) that opens the Web browser that you have chosen in the Internet control panel of Mac OS 9. It is not a browser and does not add any other features to your Web browser. It is functionally similar to an alias.
This issue may occur if you use Browse the Internet when Mac OS 9 and Mac OS X are installed on the same disk or partition. This is the manner in which new computers are shipped from Apple.
Mac OS X includes a later version of Internet Explorer designed to work only in Mac OS X. When the Browse the Internet application is opened, the operating system looks for the Web browser designated in the Internet control panel; additionally it looks for the latest version of that browser on your hard disk, without differentiating whether the latest version is exclusively for Mac OS 9 or Mac OS X. If the Internet control panel is set to use Internet Explorer, Browse the Internet may attempt to open the version of Internet Explorer designed for Mac OS X. It will not be able to open this application, and the alert results.
For more information about the launch order of applications under OS 9, see technical document 17713, "
Finder Search Path for Applications".