Thnx for the answers, the server works fine. The problem was in the way ie control works when you put it to offline with .put_Offline(TRUE). Then it never tries to go online. But when you set the control to online and check the "Work Offline" option in IE, then the control asks to go online. Just didn't occur to me it works that way... Needed just a good night's sleep :)

I have implemented a small web server inside a dialog application that host the web browser control. On a good scenario, this is what happens: I pass the url to the webbrowser control and it downloads all files from my server and displays it correctly. Something like:

CString navigateTo;
navigateTo.Format((TEXT("http://127.0.0.1:%d/%s")), m\_nListeningSocketPort, GetFileName() );

try  {
	m\_IExplorer.Navigate( navigateTo, 0, 0, 0, 0 );
}
...

explorer then gets all the files needed from the web server and all is ok. Then I disconnect from internet and from that point on internet explorer doesn't download anything. It doesnt even try to contact the server! Events go like this:

http://127.0.0.1:52953/some\_page.htm
BeforeNavigate2Webbrowser()
DownloadBeginWebbrowser()
DownloadBeginWebbrowser()
DownloadBeginWebbrowser()
DownloadBeginWebbrowser()
NavigateErrorWebbrowser():: URL: http://127.0.0.1:52953/some\_page.htm
BeforeNavigate2Webbrowser():: URL: res://ieframe.dll/dnserrordiagoff_webOC.htm#http://127.0.0.1:52953/some\_page.htm
DownloadBeginWebbrowser()
DownloadBeginWebbrowser()
NavigateComplete2Webbrowser():: URL: http://127.0.0.1:52953/some\_page.htm

NavigateError() reports INET_E_DOWNLOAD_FAILURE. Can anyone explain what's going on? How can I force the web browser to contact to local web server? I implemented additinal test to verify server is up and running, and it's all good.

And than there is http://www.virtualbox.org/[^] Cannot do Vista, but I just kinda like it.

Christian Graus wrote:

Plus, I'm told it's not trivial to install XP on a notebook with a SATA drive, which is the next step.

For a computer with a SATA drive you must have a floppy drive... and that sucks because laptops don't have it. Of course, when I bought my last desktop I didn't by floppy drive with it cause' 'why would I need it'. Whee, what a mistake :) Of course, you can buy external floppy or something... But, I gooled a little and built a fresh copy of XP installation CD and put the sata drivers on cd, burnt it and when installing XP used those. cheers.