XULRunner Version 1.9 Issue Reading Local Files With No Internet Connectivity

[anthony at evolutionindesignz.com]

I am aware that the OLPC project is moving into Webkit for future 
projects. However, it is necessary to complete a current project on 
XULRunner.

With the OLPC laptop disconnected from the Internet, I try to startup 
XULRunner and read local files using the browser tag like this:
  <browser type="content" src="http://localhost/myfile.html" 
autoscroll="true" flex="1"/>

With XULRunner 1.9, the screen remains blank, and the file is not 
loaded.
I installed XULRunner 8.0 on the OLPC laptop. I am not able to 
replicate the problem with XULRunner version 8.0(that is, the 
application starts correctly and reads the local files as expected.)

Given that XULRunner 8.0 may not be installed on the OLPC, are there 
any suggestions that I could use to get XULRunner 1.9 to read local 
files?