Security Error??

[IanGlinka]

A user has expressed concern over the fact that his Microsoft Internet Explorer pops up an error message when he visits just about any page (usually when he uses the back button). The error is as follows:

"This page provides potentially unsafe information to an ActiveX control. Your current security settings prohibit running controls in this manner. As a result, this page may not display correctly."

Any ideas?

Thanks
Ian

 

[carrr]

Go to Tools, Internet Options, Security, Custom Level. The first five options deal with Active X. The user's either got some sort of prompting selected or, more likely, Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins disabled. Run through the settings and adjust accordingly.

 

[IanGlinka]

What SHOULD I set these activeX properties to?

Ian

 

[carrr]

What do you want for your user? If you want your user to be prompted, select prompt. If you wish to be restrictive, go with Disable on most all of them. I run the following configuration, which I'd recommend:

Download Signed ActiveX Controls - Prompt

Download Unsigned ActiveX Controls - Prompt

Initial and Script ActiveX Controls Not Marked as Safe - Disable

Run ActiveX Controls and PlugIns - Enable
(this is where I'd guess your user's problem starts)

Script ActiveX Controls Marked Safe for Scripting - Enable

Sorry for the late response, I left my office shortly after initially posting yesterday.

 

[joshbeetle]

I get this same error also. I replaced version 5 of comcat.dll with version 4.72, that didn't help. I eventually set all the activex properties to enable and that made the messages go away. I don't like having those settings though, so I guess I'll be using mozilla more now. A modal dialog every time I hit the back button was really just too much.

I don't think carrr really understood the problem, it is literally every page, but it only happens on back and forward, not the initial visit. Really seems like a bug. Why would an activex control only cause an error when you hit the back button?

 

[IanGlinka]

I don't remember what I did to fix this... I think I reinstalled Internet Explorer... I tried the above mentioned fix (changing the settings in Internet Explorer) but I was still getting the error.

Anyway, it's not a problem for me anymore, but I think the fix was to reinstall Internet Explorer. Something, somewhere, got corrupted. That's my guess...

Ian

 

[joshbeetle]

Yeah, thats probably it. I just noticed that although my IE version number is 6.0.2800.1106 in the about screen, it also shows the IE 5 logo. I checked and I am apparently sending HTTP requests with a 5.0 user agent and rendering pages as if I'm using IE 5.0. So although I have installed IE 6.0, all the security updates, and the service packs, somehow I am still using IE 5.0.

Something is definately wrong, I think I will do a reinstall.