You’ll find many policies for managing Internet Options under User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer. You can easily enable one or more of these policies by double-clicking the policy, selecting Enabled, and then clicking OK. In some cases, you’ll need to specify additional parameters, such as a file size limit or whether a button is active or inactive.
Table 8-1 describes the key Internet Options policies. As you’ll see when you examine the table, many of these policies are useful in preventing users from performing specific actions in Internet Explorer and for controlling Internet Explorer behavior.
Table 8-1. Key Internet Options Policies
Policy Node | Policy Name | Description |
|---|---|---|
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerInternet Control PanelAdvanced Page | Allow Active Content From CDs To Run On User Machines | By default, users see a prompt that allows them to continue or cancel the running of the active content from a CD. By enabling this policy, you override the default setting and allow active content from CDs to run without prompting. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerInternet Control PanelAdvanced Page | Allow Software To Run Or Install Even If The Signature Is Invalid | By default, downloaded files and other executables are prevented from running and installing if they have invalid signatures. By enabling this policy, you override the default setting and allow files with invalid signatures to be installed. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerToolbars | Configure Toolbar Buttons | Specifies which buttons are enabled on the standard toolbar in Internet Explorer. If you enable this policy, you can specify whether a particular button is displayed by default or is hidden. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Disable Changing Connection Settings | Prevents users from changing dial-up settings. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Disable Changing Proxy Settings | Prevents users from changing proxy server settings. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Disable Internet Connection Wizard | Prevents users from running the New Connection Wizard. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerInternet Control Panel | Disable The Advanced Page | Removes the Advanced tab in the Internet Options dialog box, preventing users from enabling advanced features. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerInternet Control Panel | Disable The Connections Page | Removes the Connections tab in the Internet Options dialog box, preventing users from changing connection settings, proxy settings, and automatic configuration settings. Also prevents users from accessing the New Connection Wizard. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerInternet Control Panel | Disable The Programs Page | Removes the Programs tab in the Internet Options dialog box, preventing users from changing the default Internet programs. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerInternet Control Panel | Disable The Security Page | Removes the Security tab in the Internet Options dialog box, preventing users from changing security settings. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Do Not Allow Users To Enable Or Disable Add-ons | Disables add-on management and prevents users from configuring the related settings. (Add-on management allows users to control whether browser add-ons are enabled or disabled.) |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerPersistence Behavior | File Size Limits For | Allows you to set size limits for cached dynamic files from each of the security zones. You can set per-domain and per-document limits. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet ExplorerBrowser Menus | Hide Favorites Menu | Removes the Favorites menu from Internet Explorer, preventing users from accessing lists for favorites. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Pop-up Allow List | Allows administrators to specify a list of sites that are permitted to use pop-ups regardless of Internet Explorer settings. Enabling this option and adding internal sites to the list is useful if these sites call the window.open() method in JavaScript or use similar methods to open windows. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Turn Off Crash Detection | Turns off crash detection. Crash detection allows the browser to track add-ons that cause problems with browser stability. The user can then elect to disable unstable add-ons. |
User ConfigurationAdministrative TemplatesWindows ComponentsInternet Explorer | Turn Off Pop-Up Management | Prevents a user from configuring pop-up options and hides related dialog boxes. This means pop-up manager controls, notifications, and dialog boxes do not appear when this option is enabled. |