Desktop.browse("file:///C:/Foo.txt") does not work on Windows

FULL PRODUCT VERSION :
java version "1.6.0"
Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0-b105)
Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.6.0-b105, mixed mode, sharing)

ADDITIONAL OS VERSION INFORMATION :
Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]

EXTRA RELEVANT SYSTEM CONFIGURATION :
Tried with both Internet Explorer 7 and with Firefox 2.0. Same results.

A DESCRIPTION OF THE PROBLEM :
The method java.awt.Desktop.browse(URI) does not work for "file:" URI's on Windows XP.

I have the following line of code in my program (a standalone Java application):

        Desktop.getDesktop().browse( new URI( "file:///C:/TestMe.html" ) );

I expect that this should launch my default browser, and open a web page containing the contents of the file "C:\TestMe.html". It does not. No exceptions are thrown, but the browser is not opened (or if it is already open, then the browser is not affected by the Java code's execution). Note that if I open the browser manually and paste the "file:///C:/TestMe.html" URI into it, it opens the page correctly.

I have tried this with IE7 and with FireFox 2.0 set as my default browser and in both cases, the behavior is the same: nothing happens when the 'browse' method is called.

Note that I get the same results for the URI "file:/C:/TestMe.html" as I do for the URI "file:///C:/TestMe.html".

If I name a file that does not exist, such as "file:///C:/TestMe2.html", then the browse method throws an IOException indicating that the file does not exist. So the JDK clearly can find the file. It just is unsuccessful at launching the browser on it.

If I use the browse method to launch a web page on the Internet via a URI such as "http://java.sun.com", then the 'browse' method works as expected. So the JDK clearly can launch the browser correctly for _some_ URI's, as long as they are not using the "file:///" protocol.

It is severely annoying not to be able to open a web browser to browse local files! Please fix this ASAP!!!

STEPS TO FOLLOW TO REPRODUCE THE PROBLEM :
1) Create a file, C:\TestMe.html, containing a typical HTML web page, on a Windows XP system, with one of the two browser types described above set as the default.

2) Execute the following line of Java code:

        Desktop.getDesktop().browse( new URI( "file:///C:/TestMe.html" ) );

3) Observe that no exception is thrown, and no browser is showing the indicated file.

EXPECTED VERSUS ACTUAL BEHAVIOR :
EXPECTED -
The browse method should open a browser as it is documented to do, or should throw an exception explaining why it didn't. .
ACTUAL -
Nothing happens as a result of the method call.

ERROR MESSAGES/STACK TRACES THAT OCCUR :
No error messages occurred, and no log file was created.

REPRODUCIBILITY :
This bug can be reproduced always.

---------- BEGIN SOURCE ----------
import java.net.URI;
import java.awt.*;
import java.io.IOException;

public class Main
{
    private Main()
    {
    }

    public static void main( String[] args ) throws IOException
    {
        Desktop.getDesktop().browse( new URI( "file:///C:/Temp/TestMe.html" ) );
    }
}

---------- END SOURCE ----------

CUSTOMER SUBMITTED WORKAROUND :
None so far.
Just got a report from a CAP member that this problem comes back again on certain machines -

J2SE Version (please include all output from java -version flag):
  java version "1.6.0_03"
  Java(TM) SE Runtime Environment (build 1.6.0_03-b05)
  Java HotSpot(TM) Client VM (build 1.6.0_03-b05, mixed mode, sharing)

Does this problem occur on J2SE 5.0.x or 6.0? Yes / No (pick one)
  Yes

Operating System Configuration Information (be specific):
  Microsoft Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600]

Bug Description:
  Desktop methods have stopped working on some computers

This is a Duplicate of 6508888 which was closed as not reproducible.

On my computer these methods were working with Java Versions 1.6.0-b49
to 1.6.0_03-b05 until today.

Note: I have tested on another computer which is also running Microsoft
Windows XP [Version 5.1.2600] and the tests still work on that computer
I have gone back and tested with each of these versions (using the same
code and test files) and now the Desktop methods are no longer
working on any of them.

It worked with 4 different JDKs and JREs, both running normally and also
running from custom launchers all on a certain computer, and then since
Sunday(11/25) it has not worked with any of them. On another computer with
the same configuration they all still work. As noted the url.dll still works,
so I am guessing that Sun is using some other dll or relying on some registry
settings which have been changed by something else on my computer - I think
Windows automatically updated itself between the last time it worked and when
it stopped working - in which case I am concerned that it will start happening
on our Customers computers. As the problem is on my computer (and it happens
every single time) I can do any tests or check anything in the registry that
the Sun Engineer would like for me to check for.

Tests that were working that now fail: (no exception, the methods just return and don't do anything)
browse(file.toURI()); where file points to any file .txt or .htm
open(file); where file points to any file .txt or .htm
edit(file); where file points to any file .txt or .htm

The following tests still work:
Runtime.getRuntime().exec("rundll32 url.dll,FileProtocolHandler " + file.toURI());
browse(new URI(website)); where website is an http address
CAP member just report that the same problem still exist with 6u4 build12.