Rendering IE harmless
Update:
Winxp sp2 has program access choices (firewall). I found it right under the control panel in the startmenu. You can choose non-Microsoft, and then (provided Mozilla Firefox and Thunderbird are installed) all shortcuts to Internet Explorer and Outlook Express are removed.
That may be a better choice for some than my rather drastic way…
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I’ve been irritated over the fact that Internet Explorer would access sites and make a thumbnail image of the site, if I even so much as clicked on a saved file with the base href in it. Considering I sometimes examine dangerous sites, and sometimes use Google’s cache, the risk is I could get infected with something nasty that way.
And add the fact that I work with end-user support, and sometimes I’d like to disable Internet Explorer for particularly clueless users. Download Firefox, then disable Internet Explorer.
So I came up with something that hopefully doesn’t break my operating system…
(Disclaimer: I’ve got the Norwegian version, so I may not guess the correct English terms)
Open Tools in the top menu. Go to Internet Options. Click on the Connections tab. Click on LAN settings. Tick the Proxy server box. Enter 127.0.0.1 as the IP number. Then maybe 8080 for the port. Click on OK, and you should have rendered Internet Explorer harmless.
Did I mention i consider Internet Explorer malware? Along with Outlook Express, of course. They’re leaking every which way. Your Windows XP computer will be infected with various parasites within half an hour of using Internet Explorer - they say.
If you’re still using either one of these, go to
http://www.mozilla.org/
Download and install Firefox (to replace Internet Esxplorer as your internet browser) and Thunderbird (to replace Outlook Express as your mail program).
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Updates:
Since Manni expressed concern about other apps that use IE’s internet settings, I’ll post my findings here:
* Windows Update. Probably doesn’t work.
* MSN messenger - doesn’t work with localhost as proxy in IE. The program itself has a Connections tab, with the possibility of entering a proxy. So I assume it could be massaged to work?
Please post your findings below if you use the proxy settings and something breaks.
September 25th, 2005 at 9:11 am
Setting the proxy for IE to something that doesn’t exist is not a bad idea. But you should be aware that, as usual, IE’s settings are also Windows’ settings. Many programs use the proxy settings for their own connections. Simply because they ask Windows for a proxy and get what you set for IE.
(btw: I think the menu entry is called ‘Internet Options’, not ‘Alternatives’).
September 25th, 2005 at 9:58 am
I’ve fixed the Alternatives/Options.
And you’re probably right. So for registering programs (and who knows what else), that could foul things up. But for clueless users, how often do they register programs? At the same time, if I really DID set some clueless user’s system this way, I should probably be close at hand for fixing problems that arise from my settings.
On the other hand, I’ve seen way too many times that clueless users go back to Internet Explorer after a day or a week, for some undisclosed reason. They don’t realize the danger they inflict on themselves.
You know, for a corporate environment, I’d think this setting would be wonderful if the computer jockeys are serious about steering their users away from Internet Explorer!
And for me, I’d rather switch the settings when I need to switch them.
I’ll keep the localhost proxy setting, and if I experience problems, I’ll detail them.
September 25th, 2005 at 3:09 pm
You could also raise the Security and Privacy levels. Then on the Advanced tab you can disable the Install on Demand options and Third Party Extentions. There must also be some way to disable Scripts though that will make Windows Update not work, but your method already does that so I assume you are updating manually. You should also check out the Policy Editor, usually found on the Windows CD.
Your proxy trick can also be used for other mail clients. I used it with Netscape 4 for years before I finally gave in and upgraded to Thunderbird this summer. I just told it to use a proxy for HTTP so mail still downloaded fine. That prevented any spammer image bugs from opening.
September 27th, 2005 at 2:47 pm
Your new program access choices option won’t help for file browsing. But if you turn off the sidebar that includes the preview you should be ok. To do that go to Folder Options, General, then select Use Windows Classic folders.
September 27th, 2005 at 6:35 pm
i fight this browser everyday … i oversee about 100 users, most aren’t “power users” and by that i’m being nice. i run the network and i handle the IT chores.
as much as i would like to swap out IE for Firefox (and for this crowd, deleting shortcuts would suffice) i simply can’t.
every single manufacturer that we deal with needs active x in under to use their site. what i have done is i have disabled all active x settings in the security settings, and then allow these few trusted sites to the trusted sites list where they have no restrictions. this is working well so far … but it’s tough as every other site doesn’t work right … luckily most are personal sites. i’m sure there are still problems that i’ll run into.
i guess my point is that while it’s one thing for novice users to use IE, it’s another when in this day and age, webmasters and programmers code sites in a way that without active x the site isn’t usable. it’s sad … because these apps can easily be rewritten to use simple posts, leaving the intelligence, validation and processing on the server side.
September 27th, 2005 at 6:40 pm
ps - funny … as i post this i notice i’m in IE, brand new install because somehow, somewhere something infected my machine and after a week of fighting it, decided my time would be better spent formatting and rebuilding my machine.
i’ve actually used Acronis to image my laptop after the new install … fully updated with all my critical apps. next time, it will be a 10 minute process getting my os drive back up. live and learn.