Internet Explorer Security Settings (SP2)

[arthurk]

In Internet Explorer I've set my home page to a file on my computer, which is an html page of links to useful websites. I've just had to reinstall Windows, and in doing so took the opportunity to upgrade to SP2, with all its extra security features.

Now I'm finding that when I'm online and go back to my home page Internet Explorer puts up an information bar with this warning:
"To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options..."
The same happens if I right-click one of the links on the page and then click Properties.

Please can anyone tell me what's going on? I wrote this page myself and haven't a clue what active content is, so what has Internet Explorer found? And can this warning be disabled when I'm at my home page? Since it was a virus/trojan attack that led to me needing to reinstall Windows, I don't want to be vulnerable elsewhere.

Arthur

[Rod Neep]

SP2 has a "feature" that protects you by not allowing one Explorer window to open another one. It is there to prevent automatic redirects. (i.e. you go to a rogue site which has java code to automatically open up lots of oter windows and other sites).

You are falling foul of this "trap".

Rather than have your own pseudo web page of links, it would be much better to simply bookmark links to your favourite pages, and if need be, have them in folders of bookmarks to categorise them.

[Peter Goodey]

I think there is something odd about IE's treatment of local files. You could always try noting your page as a "trusted site".

[arthurk]

SP2 has a "feature" that protects you by not allowing one Explorer window to open another one. It is there to prevent automatic redirects. (i.e. you go to a rogue site which has java code to automatically open up lots of oter windows and other sites).

You are falling foul of this "trap".

Thanks, Rod (and Peter). I'm still new to SP2, so bear with me... This seems to make sense, but my page doesn't have java code in it, and doesn't have any "open new window" instructions. And in fact, I've now noticed that I don't get the warning every time

Rather than have your own pseudo web page of links, it would be much better to simply bookmark links to your favourite pages, and if need be, have them in folders of bookmarks to categorise them.

I was wondering if I might need to do that, but as I'm used to my personalised page of links (about 50 or more of them all spread out in front of me), the idea of having to open the favourites pane, and then clicking my way through a hierarchy of folders doesn't really appeal. I was hoping there might be some other remedy.

I think there is something odd about IE's treatment of local files. You could always try noting your page as a "trusted site".

I looked at this, but if I understand the IE help file correctly, you can't put a local file in one of the zones as it is automatically assumed to be safe. Ah well, computers... what would we do without them??

Arthur

[Peter Goodey]

"you can't put a local file in one of the zones as it is automatically assumed to be safe"


You're right of course. You can't alter security settings for your local machine.

You are really sure you don't have any javascript or active-x? No counters or anything like that? Nothing on any external site?

I don't get this with my local files (straight html/css).

[arthurk]

You are really sure you don't have any javascript or active-x? No counters or anything like that? Nothing on any external site?

The page in question was created some time ago using FrontPage Express, and I didn't consciously put in any javascript or active-x, nor can I see it in the code, though goodness knows what FPE did put in! There's a picture on it (also a local file), but otherwise it's just a page of links. I probably ought to tidy it up a bit, especially since I now know a bit about CSS.

One thing the page didn't have was a DOCTYPE declaration, so I've put one in and I'll see if that makes a difference. But I'm totally baffled by this - and after all this, now the information bar is hardly appearing at all. It still does invariably when I right-click a link and then click Properties, but it doesn't seem to do this on external sites.

Arthur

[Peter Goodey]

"It still does invariably when I right-click a link and then click Properties, but it doesn't seem to do this on external sites"


Yes. I get that. I think we're stuck with it unless there's a way to circumvent the default security for local files.

[arthurk]

I had a look on the Microsoft site to see if I could find an explanation, and as Rod originally said (not that I doubted you, Rod, just wanted to understand more!) it's some kind of security setting. The document I found was quite technical and I only understood about 30% of it, but the gist seemed to be that it's to prevent rogue files that might have got installed on your computer from running and doing nasty things. In view of that I think I'm going to learn to put up with it, but longer term I suppose I might go back to using the favourites menu again.

Thanks for all the help,
Arthur

[Peter Goodey]

Of course, if you actually put your magic page on a website, you won't get this problem

[arthurk]

Of course, if you actually put your magic page on a website, you won't get this problem

I'd thought of that, but I'm rather reluctant to put it online in case anyone else should stumble across it.

However, I think there's a partial solution in another program that I use a lot - Maple, which is what I think is called a Personal Information Manager. I have lots of census and certificate transcripts, PR extracts etc in there, and it's a doddle to do a global search for someone. It's a kind of totally free-form database, which I decided would suit me better than a formal database program for recording odd snippets of information, people who might eventually prove to be connected etc.

Anyway, Maple can handle hyperlinks, so I think this may be the way to go for at least some of what I'm looking for. I actually have 3 magic pages, two of which are just links, but the third has brief descriptions of the sites they link to. Simple links could go into Favourites, but I think Maple would handle this extended one very well.

Arthur