When you install Windows 2003, by default Internet Explorer is configured to be very secure. Things like ActiveX controls are blocked from being installed or even used within Internet Explorer, and every time you go to a web site, you are prompted to add the site to the trusted list.

Basically if you have to do any maintenance in an emergency or download a driver or software within Internet Explorer on a Microsoft Windows server, it is very cumbersome. This is caused by the Enhanced Security Configuration setting for IE.

To make IE run like it would on a desktop pc, you have to turn off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration for the user account :

• Log on as the user with local administrator rights on the server
• Click Start, click Run and type in regedit.exe
• Locate registry subkey:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\Zonemap
• In the details pane, right-click IEHarden , click Modify, type 0 (zero) in the Value data box, and then click OK.
• Now locate registry subkey:
  HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings
• In the details pane, right-click IEHardenIENoWarn , click Modify, type 0 (zero) in the Value data box, and then click OK.
• Exit Registry Editor, and launch Internet Explorer.

Before you can use IE you need to do one more thing.

• Within Internet Explorer go to the Tools menu and click Internet Options.
• Click the Advanced tab
• click Restore Defaults
• and now click OK.

Go ahead and close IE and launch it again. You can now browse web sites like you would using IE on a desktop PC.

Please note that IE, (Internet Explorer), is now vulnerable to downloading malicious content. So only surf websites that you fully trust. Also, make sure your antivirus software has the latest updates applied for further protection of the server.

Finally this is meant to be used to go to web sites to perform server maintenance like downloading drivers or software for the server. Do not turn off Internet Explorer Enhanced Security just to "surf" the web on the server. If you do, you will higher chances of infecting your server with a virus or spy-ware.

for further reading on this subject you can go to  upport.microsoft.com .

This entry was posted on Thursday, June 19th, 2008 at 1:43 am and is filed under Internet, Microsoft Windows Server.You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.