How to make IE 7 Internet Options> Security to be settable

[bronan]

Loaded and installed IE 7 though Windows Update. On my sup prize found that in Internet Options >Security, I can not change any settings –Slides are blocked and all options are grayed.
Please let me know how I can organize this to be able to change it as I wish.
On the bottom I have information bar ( in yellow field)
"Some Settings are managed by your system administrator"
I am logged as Administrator.
On my machine I have Spybot S&D – does this apps interferes with a/m problem
On IE6 never found something similar.
Please advice me how to fix it.

 

[smah]

It could be Spybot or some other anti-virus/anti-spyware application. They often restrict access to the relavent registry keys. During normal use, this is a good thing, during a legitimate software intstallation, it's bad. You will probably find incorrect permissions in this registry key or one below it:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions registry keys

But rather than trying to manually change these permissions, it would probably be better to uninstall IE7, disable your anti-spyware tools, & re-install IE7, then reenable your AV/ASW tools.

 

[bronan]

I am afraid that uninstall- reinstall IE 7 with previously disabled AV programs can solve the problem, because in previous IE 6 was not present.
Problem is how to detect which one of installed AV and Anti Spyware programs forced and provoked changes of default installations of IE 7.
In meantime try to uncheck in Spybot S&D >IE tweaks /Modify some hidden Internet Explorer settings/Miscellaneous locks – reboot but all remains as before.
Checked Ad-Aware Ad-Watch if there is anything restricted in connection with IE 7- nothing found.
Besides this two mentioned programs I have also AVG Anty- Spyware.

 

[linney]

Here is another possible fix you can look at.

Can't Change Security Settings in IE7 Internet Zone even as Administrator

http://groups.google.com/group/micr...em+administrator"+ie7&rnum=3#76cfbb1d126da0cf

 

[smah]

I'm not sure exactly what you're saying but, I suggest that you disable all your antispyware programs when installing IE7. Also, installing IE7 while the computer has been started in safe mode is often helpful.

 

[bronan]

Problem solved.
I’ve deleted [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Inter
net Settings]
"Security_HKLM_only"
And that was enough.

 

[gmiles]

I have the same problem on a Windows Server 2003 machine, and have seen it replicated elsewhere. In addition to being unable to change any settings, I can't add trusted sites, allow scripts to run (even at Windows Update), or change security levels. This is becoming very annoying for any number of reasons.
Unfortunately, that reg key, which seems to have worked for everyone else, isn't present in our setup, and there certainly aren't any spyware programs running on this machine.

I tried reverting to IE6 on a slightly different iteration of this Virtual Machine, however, that resulted in different problems. I'd be curious to hear if anyone has had any success in getting this to work that didn't involve that reg key or the removal of IE7.

-gmiles

 

[linney]

Have you checked to see if you have the same problem when running IE7 under the No Add-ons option (via System Tools)?

 

[gmiles]

Linney,
Thanks for the tip, but that didn't do the trick either.

That certainly is an interesting place to put IE7 with no add-ons.

-gmiles

 

[linney]

In XP, I think you just right-click on the IE icon for that option, my directions to No Add-ons were Vista oriented.

Have you thoroughly checked the Group Policy settings that are being applied to IE?

Have you considered malware as a cause and scanned accordingly?

How does IE behave from Safe Mode?

How To Reset Security Settings Back to the Defaults

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=313222#appliesto

 

[gmiles]

Linney,
Thanks for the help, but this machine is running 2003 Server EE. Nothing seems to be applied in Group Policy settings, and the machine is a brand new VM, so malware isn't really a possibility, since other clones have behaved fine. I can't really shut it down, since it's production.

Thanks for the article link, but I don't think that will help. Those instructions are for XP, and look like they would have fairly damaging effects on a server joined to a domain.

I tried applying some settings in the Group Policy editor that I thought would help, but none of them seem to have had any effect. I don't know what kind of fluke this is, but it is most obnoxious. I've seen it before, I'll be curious to see if the issue pops up on any other virtual machines as I deploy them.

-gmiles

 

[linney]

For clarification are you running a Virtual Server inside a XP machine? If so, is it the Server or the XP machine having the IE problem?

 

[gmiles]

The virtual server (Windows 2003 Enterprise Edition R2) is running inside another Windows 2003 EE R2 host. XP isn't involved at all. We're using Microsoft Virtual Server 2005R2.
At this point, I'd definitely rather be running VMware, since it seems to do virtualization a fair bit better, but the choice isn't mine.

-gmiles

 

[linney]

Are you saying it is the actual Virtual Server that cannot change the settings of the version of IE that the Virtual Server is running, and not some XP client attached to that Network?

 

[gmiles]

XP is not involved at all. It is just IE7 running on a virtual 2003 machine.

That being said, I've just noticed that I have the same problem on a physical 64-bit Windows 2003 Server Enterprise Edition machine. I was going to download some updates from Microsoft, and IE7 gives me the dread "Some settings are managed by your system administrator."... Which is precisely the user I'm operating as. This is becoming rather bothersome.

-gmiles

 

[linney]

Have you tried the 2003 Server Forum?

http://www.tek-tips.com/threadminder.cfm?pid=931

You could try resetting Internet Explorer settings. (Vista Help and Support article)

"If disabling add-ons doesn't solve the problem, try resetting Internet Explorer back to its default settings. This removes all changes that have been made to Internet Explorer since it was installed, but it does not delete your favorites or feeds.

Close all Internet Explorer or Windows Explorer windows.

Click to open Internet Explorer.

Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.

Click the Advanced tab, and then click Reset.

Click Reset.

When you are done, click Close, and then click OK.

Close Internet Explorer and reopen it for the changes to take effect."



Any later updates may also have to be installed again?

 

[gmiles]

Thanks for the help. Resetting IE didn't do the trick. I've opened a thread over at the 2003 forum about the issue:

http://www.tek-tips.com/viewthread.cfm?qid=1386179&page=1

Googling that I've done while I've experienced this problem indicates that similar problems happen on XP and Vista, but the resolutions I've seen work for those OS's haven't worked on 2003 Server. Hopefully, someone will be able to help at the above thread.

-gmiles

 

[gmiles]

For anyone who is looking, I found a work-around and posted it in the above thread. The problem, it seems, was Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration... So secure, I had to turn it off.
-gmiles