Internet Explorer is wonky and unpredictable, and it’s sometimes difficult to pin down exactly why the Windows version of Lightroom’s Web module is pitching a fit. For some Windows users, all galleries work perfectly. For others, it seems they just won’t work, no matter what you do. If you’ve tried everything else, and none of it worked, then you might try this.

First of all, let’s qualify the term “everything else”, as it is a very technical term and needs to be defined. Read the other Troubleshooting articles here on The Turning Gate. Read through the comment thread on the documentation page for the gallery for which you are having the problem, trying any possible solutions presented therein. Maybe check the forum thread for the gallery at www.lightroomforums.net; every product page on this site has a link.

If you have attempted every solution presented at all of the locations above, then try this as a last resort:

1. Open the .lrwebengine package in your file browser (Windows Explorer, I suppose).

2. Dig into the /resources/js/ folder.

3. Remove all .js files from the folder, except live_update.js. Place the files onto your desktop, or into another folder where you can easily access them later.

4. Run Lightroom, test the gallery. If it works, that’s great; continue. If it doesn’t work, see below.

5. Quit Lightroom.

6. Add the .js files back to the /resources/js/ folder one-by-one. After returning each individual file to /resources/js/ folder, run Lightroom, test the gallery, and quit. If it works, keep the .js file in the gallery. If a .js file causes the gallery not to work, keep that file separate.

7. After testing all of the files, and isolating any scripts that seem to cause problems, go ahead and configure your gallery as best you can. With scripts missing, you may find that not all features of the work as expected.

8. When you are finished, export the gallery.

9. Copy any remaining isolated files back into the /resources/js/ folder of the EXPORTED gallery (not the .lrwebengine package). Your exported gallery should now work as it’s supposed to.

If the gallery still choked at step 4, with all of the .js files removed, then you may need to try opening the head.html file in the .lrwebengine package (some galleries will have multiple head files; if so, the filenames will begin with “head_”) in a text-editor. Copy any Javascript instructions into a new text document, and delete them from the original head.html file. Save the files and launch Lightroom. If it works, do as above — copy each block of Javascript back into the head.html file one-by-one, testing as you go until you are able to isolate the problem. Work with the dissected gallery, and restore the EXPORTED gallery to its original state as the final step in the process. Be careful to look for Lua statements in the Javascript blocks, though, as these should be replaced with values in the final gallery. You may just have to guess at the values, which will sometimes be numbers, sometimes true/false or sometimes specific words. If you can’t figure it out, contact me.

This is a bit drastic, but, with any luck, will result in functional galleries for all.