1.Open Favorites in a new window
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut\shell\Open in a new window\command]
Value Name: (Default)
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL %1
2.Disable the Internet Explorer HTML Source Editor Check (All Windows)
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
Value Name: CheckDocumentForProgID
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: "yes" or "no"
3.View Source Not Working in Internet Explorer
There are a number of reasons that the Internet Explorer View Source feature may not function correctly, below is a list of the most common causes.
Temporary Files Full
When the Internet Explorer disk cache becomes full it may stop the View Source function from working. To resolve, open Internet Explorer and click "Tools" > "Internet Options" > "Delete Files".
Cookie Folder Location
This issue can also occur if your Cookies folder is located on an NTFS partition and you do not have at least Change permissions for the Cookies folder. To resolve, make sure your account has sufficient permissions on the Cookies folder.
Missing Notepad.exe
The View Source function uses Notepad to display the HTML, if "notepad.exe" is missing from the Windows directory then it will not work. To resolve, ensure a copy of Notepad.exe is in the Windows directory.
Incomplete Page Download
If you press the ESC key before the page has completed loading then the "View Source" menu item may not be displayed.
View Source Restriction
The View Source function may have been restricted by your Administrator. To resolve, see the "NoViewSource" registry value in Internet Explorer Restrictions.
Invalid Temporary Directory
You may also receive this error if the path specified for the TMP environment variable is invalid. To resolve, make sure that the TEMP directory is a valid directory and that there is sufficient space on the drive.
Invalid View Source Program
If you have specified an alternate program to view the source code (see Use an Alternate Source Viewer with Internet Explorer). To resolve, make sure that the alternate viewer is valid and operational.
Right-click disabled by Web Page
Some web pages may implement a restriction to stop visitors from right-clicking on the web page. The source may still be viewed by clicking the main "View" menu, then "Source".
4.Change the Download Location for ActiveX Files
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: ActiveXCache
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
5.Open TIF Images with Internet Explorer
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\.tif]
Value Name: (Default)
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: Imaging.Document or WangImage.Document
6.Show My Pictures Toolbar in Internet Explorer
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
PhotoSupport]
Value Name: MyPics_Hoverbar
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = show bar, 1 = hide bar)
7.Force Plain Text Format in Internet Explorer
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: IsTextPlainHonored
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = default, 1 = treat as text file)
8.Remove Windows Messenger from Internet Explorer
Open your registry and find the key below.
Highlight the key and select Edit | Rename, add a minus symbol ("-") to the start of the key name so that it is now called "-{FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683}".
Restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect. To re-enable Messenger integration rename the key and remove the minus symbol.
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Extensions\
{FB5F1910-F110-11d2-BB9E-00C04F795683}]
9.Open Internet Explorer Shortcuts in a New Window
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
Value Name: AllowWindowReuse
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = new window, 1 = existing window)
10.Add a Menu Option to Open Shortcuts in a New Window
Open your registry and create the key below.
Set the (Default) value to "rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL %l".
Apply this tweak or open Internet Explorer and click on Tools -> Internet Options -> Advanced and uncheck "Reuse windows for launching shortcuts".
Exit Internet Explorer and right-click on a shortcut to use the new option.
(Default) REG_SZ rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL %l
HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut\shell\Open in New Window\...
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\InternetShortcut\shell\Open in New Window\command]
Value Name: (Default)
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: rundll32.exe shdocvw.dll,OpenURL %l
11.Launch Browser Windows in a Separate Process
Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Create a new String value, or modify the existing value, called "BrowseNewProcess" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry; you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
Note: Normally this is automatically enabled or disabled based on the amount of random access memory (RAM) that is installed in the computer. If the computer has less than 32 megabytes (MBs) of RAM installed, this setting is disabled. If there is 32 MBs of RAM or more installed on the computer, the setting is enabled.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
BrowseNewProcess REG_SZ "Yes"
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
BrowseNewProcess]
Value Name: BrowseNewProcess
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: Yes or No
12.Change the Internet Explorer Navigation Sound ()
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\AppEvents\Schemes\Apps\Explorer\Navigating\.current]
Value Name: (Default)
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: Sound Filename (Empty for no sound)
13.Disable Internet Explorer Download Notification
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
Value Name: NotifyDownloadComplete
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: "yes" or "no"
14.Change the Auto Complete Mode
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\
AutoComplete]
Value Name: Append Completion
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: yes or no
15.Hide Links Folder on Favorites Menu
There are two methods that can be used to hide the Links folder, one using the registry and the other using file attributes. Both methods are detailed below:
Using the Registry
Open your registry and find the key below.
Set the value of "LinksFolderName" to equal a blank string. Open IE and delete the Links folder from the Favorites menu.
The next time you start Internet Explorer the Links folder will not be recreated.
Using File Attributes
Using Explorer find the location of your Favorites folder (e.g. C:\Documents and Settings\Joe Bloggs\Favorites) within that folder will be a sub-folder named Links.
Select the Links folder and right-click (or secondary click) and select Properties, check the Hidden checkbox and click OK.
From now on the Links folder should be hidden from the Favorites list. This works for any other folder or link on the favorites menu as well.
Note: The Links folder must be manually deleted from the favorites menu. This tweak stops it being automatically recreated.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
LinksFolderName REG_SZ ""
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolb...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbar]
Value Name: LinksFolderName
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
16.Internet Explorer Intercepts the FTP Command
To disable this behavior, open your registry and find the key below, then delete the value of "ftp".
To re-enable, create a new string value called "ftp" and set it to equal "ftp://".
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
ftp REG_SZ "ftp://"
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion...
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\URL\
Prefixes]
Value Name: ftp
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: ftp://
17.Control the Internet Explorer Script Debugger
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
Value Name: Disable Script Debugger
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: yes or no
18.Disable Internet Explorer Download Notification
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main]
Value Name: NotifyDownloadComplete
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: "yes" or "no"
19.Disable Internet Access
Open your registry and find the key below.
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings]
Change the value of "ProxyEnable" and set it to "1". Change the value of "ProxyServer" and set it to an IP address and port that is invalid on your network such as "10.0.0.1:5555" (i.e. "IP:Port").
By changing these settings Internet access will be disabled for any applications that rely of the Microsoft proxy server information such as Internet Explorer, Microsoft Office, Opera browser.
To stop users from modifying the proxy settings add these restrictions to disable changes to the Internet configuration.
Find or create the key below:
[HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel]
Create two DWORD values named "Connection Settings" and "Connwiz Admin Lock" and set them both to "1".
To remove the restriction, set the proxy settings back to their original values and delete the policy values.
Note: The change will take effect immediately for any new browser windows, existing Internet Explorer sessions will not be affected until the browser is closed and reopened.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
ProxyEnable REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1)
ProxyServer REG_SZ 10.0.0.1:5555
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: ProxyEnable, ProxyServer
20.Disable Internet Explorer Automatic Proxy Caching
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: EnableAutoProxyResultCache
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: 0 = disable caching
21.Use System-Wide Proxy Settings
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: ProxySettingsPerUser
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = whole machine, 1 = per user)
22.Change the Internet Explorer User Agent String
A standard user agent string would look similar to:
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.0)Which means Internet Explorer 5.5 running on Windows 2000.
Changing the Default User Agent Values
Open your registry and find the key below. If it does not already exist then create it.
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings.0\User Agent]
Create three new string values called "Compatible", "Version" and "Platform". Set them to equal what you would like to be displayed instead of "compatible", "MSIE 5.5" and "Windows NT 5.0" respectively in the example above.
You can also modify the value of "(Default)" to change the browser name "Mozilla/4.0" in the example above.
Changing the Branded User Agent String
In addition when a customized user agent string is used it may contain additional information set by the company that created a branded version of the browser. For example a branded version from an ISP may look like:
Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 5.5; Windows NT 5.0; Your_ISP_Name)Since this information is sent to the remote web server it may be stored in the web server log files and therefore possibly used to track branded versions of a web browser.
To change it open your registry and find the key [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\User Agent\Post Platform].
Each value name listed in this key will be sent to the remote web server as an additional entry in the user agent string. To remove any additional information delete the values within the [Post Platform] key. To add additional entries create a string value and name it the string you want to be sent.
Restart Internet Explorer for the changes to take effect.
Note: This tweak may affect some online services that read this information to detect the operating system such as Microsoft Windows Update.
{Default) REG_SZ Mozilla/4.0
Compatible REG_SZ compatible
Version REG_SZ MSIE 5.5
Platform REG_SZ Windows NT 5.0
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion...
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings.0\User Agent]
Value Name: (Default), Compatible, Version, Platform
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
23.Change the Number of Simultaneous HTTP Sessions
Windows will limit connections to a single HTTP 1.0 server to four simultaneous connections. Connections to a single HTTP 1.1 server will be limited to two simultaneous connections. The HTTP 1.1 specification (RFC2068) mandates the two connection limit while the four connection limit for HTTP 1.0 is a self-imposed restriction which coincides with the standard used by a number of popular Web browsers.
Open your registry and find the key below.
Create two new values, or modify the existing values, called 'MaxConnectionsPerServer' and 'MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server'. Change the values to equal the number of simultaneous requests allowed to a single HTTP server, the default values are 2 and 4 respectively.
Restart Windows for the change to take effect.
Note: By changing these settings you are causing Windows to break the HTTP protocol specification for any Internet applications running on your machine.
Note: This affects all Windows Internet applications that use the standard API, including Internet Explorer.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
MaxConnectionsPerServer REG_DWORD 0x00000005 (5)
MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server REG_DWORD 0x00000005 (5)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: MaxConnectionsPerServer, MaxConnectionsPer1_0Server
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: Number of Simultaneous Connections
24.Proxy Server Configuration
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings]
Value Name: ProxyServer, ProxyEnable, ProxyOverride
Data Type: REG_SZ (String Value)
Value Data: Server:Port
25.Empty Temporary Internet Files on Exit
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings\Cache]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings\Cache]
Value Name: Persistent
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = empty, 1 = do not empty)
26.Internet Explorer Toolbar Restrictions
Create a new DWORD value based on the options below, and set the new value to equal "1" to enable the restriction or "0" to disable the restriction.
NoToolbarOptions - Disable the ability to change toolbar selection.
NoAddressBar - Disable the address bar.
NoToolBar - Disable the tool bar.
NoLinksBar - Disable the links bar.
Restart Internet Explorer for the restrictions to take effect.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
NoToolbarOptions REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1)
NoAddressBar REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1)
NoToolBar REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1)
NoLinksBar REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explo...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Toolbars\
Restrictions]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\
Toolbars\Restrictions]
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = disable restriction, 1 = enable restriction)
27.Restrict Web Sites from Installing Software
These restrictions allow you to block unwanted web sites from downloading software onto your system. This can be useful in disabling the installation of some common "cursor" programs.
Open your registry and find the key below.
Create a new sub-key for each site you want to block, naming it based on the top-level domain for the site. For example to block www.restricted.com you would create a new sub-key called:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains\restricted.com]
Under the sub-key create a new DWORD value called "*" and set it to equal "4".
Restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.
Note: This setting can also be applied on a user-by-user basis by modifing the same key under the HKEY_CURRENT_USER hive.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
* REG_DWORD 0x00000004 (4)
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion...
Registry Settings
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings\ZoneMap\Domains]
Value Name: *
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (4 = restricted)
28.Disable File Download in Internet Explorer
Open your registry and find or create the key below.
Create a new DWORD value, or modify the existing value, called "1803" and set it according to the value data below.
Exit your registry; you may need to restart or log out of Windows for the change to take effect.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
1803 REG_DWORD 0x00000003 (3)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings\Zones]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\
Internet Settings\Zones]
Value Name: 1803
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (0 = downloads enabled, 3 = downloads disabled)
29.Remove the Option to Change or Hide Toolbars
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
Value Name: NoBandCustomize
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (1 = enable restriction)
30.Disable the Ability to Customize Toolbars
Open your registry and find the key below.
Create a new DWORD value named "NoToolbarCustomize" and set the value to "1" to disable the ability to customize the toolbars.
You may need to log-off for the change to take effect.
(Default) REG_SZ (value not set)
NoToolbarCustomize REG_DWORD 0x00000001 (1)
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\...
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Explorer]
Value Name: NoToolbarCustomize
Data Type: REG_DWORD (DWORD Value)
Value Data: (1 = enable restriction)
31.Clear the Internet Explorer Typed Address History
Open your registry and find the key below and delete any value you want to remove. Or remove the entire key to delete all entries.
Restart Internet Explorer for the change to take effect.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\TypedURLs]
32.Remove the Content Advisor and Ratings Password
All the Content Advisor settings are stored in the key below. If you no longer have the password, then simply delete the key, and all the settings will be removed.
Open your registry and find the key below. Single click on the key to highlight it, press the DELETE key, or alternatively select Delete from the Edit menu.
Close Internet Explorer, re-open it, and the Content Advisor feature should now be disabled.
Registry Settings
User Key: [HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Ratings]
System Key: [HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\
Ratings]
