IE 8 Developer Tools not working In Windows?
I am using Internet Explorer 8, not by choice. I need to debug a script in it. However, no matter how many times I click the Developer Tools Icon, under Tools or click F12 it will not show up. Sometimes, I can see that it is minimized in the taskbar but when I actually go to click it. It will not show up...
Does anyone know how to get it to work or what the problem is? I tried updating restarting killing all the processes with no luck.
I did the following:
- Right click on developer tools in the task bar,
- Select Maximize,
- Pin the window to Internet Explorer (Ctrl + P)
- Then it should appear in IE.
- Select the restore button to unpin.
I really hope someone got fired for that.
The window/toolbar may be off-screen (often way off to the left) or have a zero size. If @EricLaw's suggestion doesn't work I'd recommend uninstalling and then reinstalling (log off or reboot between the uninstall and reinstall to allow any pending deletes to finalize).
I've encountered similar issues with various applications over the years, especially if you've shut down the application while it is minimized (occasionally, even if maximized). Often the developers haven't taken these conditions into account before saving the window/toolbar size and/or position, resulting in a set of invalid coordinates for the next launch. The root cause goes way back to Windows 3.x and the GetWindowPlacement API.
I've never heard of a problem like this before, but if I had to guess, I'd guess that the tools might be pushed off the edge of the screen? If you click on the task bar item, hit alt+space, then m, do you get the "move" cursor?
- F12 (key for developer tools)
- alt + space + x (Maximize windows)
- click in top name bar and move window
Make sure the Developer Tools is running. Launch the Windows Task Manager. Under 'Applications' right-click on 'Developer Tools', select 'Maximize'.
Presto!
Problem solved with little perspiration.