• IE6 upgrade destabilized my machine (IE6 on WinME)

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    #360410

    Hoo boy! A couple of days ago I decided it was time to install IE 6.
    Everything seemed OK.
    Then I thought I’d better check Windows Udate to make sure I was really current.
    It just kept flashing the taskbar over and over…
    Then I read in Langa that this could be fixed by following the instructions at http://support.microsoft.com/directory/art…B;EN-US;q193385.
    So… I tried to do what it said but since it was talking about Win98 and IE5.5 things were slightly different.
    I ended up ennabling just about everything but still the only way I could get Windows Update to open was by making it a ‘trusted site’.
    I then downloaded and installed everything available.

    Now I go back and try to access the Lounge. Guess what – I get the same flashing taskbar and no dice until I also make that a ‘trusted site’…

    Everywhere I go I get the same problem…

    Now I discover that desktop programs I use on a daily basis suddenly start asking for passwords and even when I enter them they don’t remember and instead of opening they just keep asking…

    So… I decided to revert to IE 5.5.
    But… it kept all the new botched up settings and everything is STILL hosed!

    NOW what do I do???????????????

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    • #542672

      Hi
      In short : ditch ME immediately and install Win 2kP. How you were ever persuaded to load this monstrosity, must be one of the major questions yet left for Science to answer.
      You could also try wiping out the following folders : Cookies, Temp, Temporary Internet Files (apart from Index.dat) and History. They’ll re-build, but meanwhile you’ll need to log on again at all those sites you used to get into automatically. Also experiment with the security/privacy settings in IE6 – you may have them set too high. I’m assuming you’ve gone down the ‘Install-browser-but-choose-Repair’ route?

      Cheers

      • #542708

        Bad news! IE6 doesn’t work properly on Win2k either!
        They have really messed this one up. Wish I never installed it too. My problem is that I cannot properly view any page containing java applets without installing Java virtual machine for every single page and every single time! Moreover it fails to permanently install but, nevertheless, I can view the page.
        What a nightmare!!
        See post 74717

        • #542846

          It had corrupted my registry. I managed to repair it and I’m happily back in business – using 5.5…

        • #542847

          Hi
          Sorry guys, but I find it handles javascript and runs Java with no trouble on any of the three platforms I use. Nevertheless, it is relatively untried (beta testing apart) and I wouldn’t advise installing it to system on which your livelihood depends.

          The problem may be down to not having a JVM installed by default in the released version. Ovbiously, if you have to download this for every page there is something seriously wrong – but you knew that already.

          • #542860

            On both machines I have downloaded only the one time and the JS pages seem to run just fine [knockingonwood] (we need one of these?). I have NOT seen any machines first hand that have had any problems with IE 6.0. I have a feeling that some of these browser tools may not be working well with IE6.

            Are any of you having problems with IE 6, running any browser tools? If so which ones?

            DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
            Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

            • #542863

              scratch *asking really dumb, stupid question*…what browser tools? ….told you it was a dumb, stupid question…CRS has set in today – I am concentrating on stupid scanner right now, so my ‘little gray cells’ aren’t functioning. frown

            • #542867

              Any of those app’s that help you with your “Cookies”, Pop Up and Under ads and etc. It is NOT that you have CRS, it was just my used of not explaining my usage of the word “Tools”.

              DaveA I am so far behind, I think I am First
              Genealogy....confusing the dead and annoying the living

            • #542881

              rofl But CRS has set in…
              Privacy, Cookies is ok…especially the Privacy works great! I still get ‘cookies’ I don’t want – getting tired of typing in all the bad cookies – listing has 87 cookies, of which 26 are ‘good’…some I can’t type in cuz they are part of the “dbl click gang”.
              Haven’t used the ‘Media’ thing at all – don’t listen to music while using the computer. What else is there? doh

            • #543223

              Edited by DaveA on 20-Sep-01 12:16.

              Added HOT link code

              If you have any desire to read a LONG report on SOME of the issues with IE6 and Cookie Control, I highly recommend you read this page:
              http://www.staff.uiuc.edu/~ehowes/ie6-p3p.htm

              Eric has done an outstanding job of analyzing what IE6 “Privacy Control” can and cannot do.

              Personally, I have IE6 running with my own XML Import file and it is working superbly! I highly recommend it.

            • #543226

              Well, I am an average user of the computer…and that entire report just made more confusion for me.

            • #543304

              Interesting. I am very sorry you did not understand. Given the fact that you have 87 cookies in your Cookie folder, you could benefit from implementing a more intensive Privacy Policy on your computer.

              I look at it as a user who is very interested in Privacy and Security and I found it very easy to understand. I suspect it takes a general knowledge of Security Zones (Restricted and Trusted sites), Privacy Issues, and Cookies of which the average user might not be aware. However, with the increasingly virulent worms and viruses out there, I encourage every user to learn as much as they can about these issues. It is in their best interest.

              This really leads me to the disturbing underlying issue. People look at IE6’s new Privacy tab and they assume that they have now been given greater control of their Privacy. In one sense, they have. But in reality, they have not. They have been sold a bag of rocks and they seem pleased to be holding it.

              Even Woody’s newsletters hail the new Privacy settings in IE6 as an advancement. Yet, has Woody actually looked into the implications? I think not. Any one who critically evaluates the new Privacy Control in IE6 will find it inadequate. It is a sham that has been thrust upon us and we sit back and smile in our blissful ignorance and naivete.

              Eric’s page is the first that I know of that actually TESTS how the new Privacy tab works IN THE REAL WORLD. Not in some theoretical environment. This clearly shows that the default settings in IE6 do not provide the increased security for which everyone had hoped.

              I will rephrased my statement…

              If you have some underlying knowledge of Security zones and their settings, First-party and Third-party cookies and their significance, and potential privacy risks from cookies, then and only then do I recommend you review Eric’s page. 😉

            • #543404

              I don’t use IE6 and from the looks of it, I should be in no hurry to upgrade. My cookie strategy is to put annoying advertisers’ domains into the Restricted zone, using wildcards such as *.doubleclick.net, and set the Restricted zone to refuse all cookies, scripting, applets, etc. I have been building this list for about a year now, and I hardly ever come across a third party cookie request (I set prompt for cookies, and when I get around to trusting a site, I put it on my trusted sites list and stop screening). Maybe this is a short term workaround, or even a viable strategy for IE6.

            • #543453

              What you are referring to is the process that Eric calls the “Restricted Zone Block List” — a list of sites that you choose to block by adding them into the Restricted sites zone.

              Eric has painstakingly taken the Martin’s Hosts file and extracted all the major third-party advertising sites from it. He has then created a .reg file that can be merged into your registry. This file he has titled “IE-SPYADS” — and that technique is one of the SIX different methods that he used in his analysis.

              This technique was highly effective, however, it was NOT the most effective method as you cannot always know the origin of a third party cookie ahead of time. The two other techniques that proved superior to this were:

              1) Fully block cookies in your Internet zone and add the sites you wish to visit and do business with into you Trusted sites Zone.
              2) Use an XML Import file to give specific instructions on how IE6 should handle your cookies.

              If you examine Eric’s results you will see the latter technique was the most effective method.

              If you are interested in downloading and using Eric’s list of Restricted sites (this includes such well-known sites as doubleclick, focalink, and flyswat), it is available from within the link I listed above.

            • #543456

              Oh, hey, I didn’t go to the link to see that he already covered this strategy. But I don’t mind making my own lists as I go. I’m wary of pre-configured filters, and I learn more this way. smile

            • #957461

              Thank you, R2,
              I did a search for IE-SPYAD before posting my question about it, and your post helps. I do have a question, however. I thought I read the entire website of Eric’s, and I don’t remember seeing any instructions for creating an XML Import file for giving specific instructions to IE6 on handling cookies.
              I am not really a computer person. Is it terribly complicated? And I can’t remember right now. Can Word 2003 (latest update) create an XML file?

              Win XP SP2, IE 6 SP2, Word 2003 SP1
              Thank you,
              Julia Henson

            • #957808

              It appears the web site was reorganized at some point during the past two years (this sure is an old thread!). The page you want seems now to be here:

              https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource5.htm%5B/url%5D

              If you try it, please report back on how it works for you.

            • #957857

              Dear Sir or Madam,
              Thank you for your response. I went to the page you suggested. The last update on these pages is 2001, so I wonder if they are still appropriate for XP SP2. I was unable to open the dslr ‘IE6 does not handle…”, the one that ‘concentrates much ore exclusively on custom XML Import files and how to use them…”. I was able to go to “Internet Privacy w/ IE6 & P3P: A summary…”. I printed it for reading.
              This whole thing might be out of my expertise range, but since someone else is also using my machine, I am trying to persevere with this thing.
              Should I start a new thread next time to bring an IE-SPYAD thread into current awareness? I had not noticed that the postings were so old. I have a slight brain injury from a car accident and I never know when I am actually seeing what I should be seeing. Please pardon that lapse.
              Gratefully,
              Julia Henson

            • #957912

              Julia, I haven’t tried Eric’s software and I didn’t read the details. You might find that a commercial “surfing protection” product provides easier configuration and, given that it will be updated to recognize current dangers, more peace of mind. That is not to discourage you from pursuing the older XML stuff out of interest, but it might not be the most efficient way to go.

            • #958026

              Thank you so much for your input. It sounds like it would be simpler than trying to figure out something that sounds so complicated as building an XML file, and having it not the most efficient way to go currently.
              You are right, I need something that updates for current things without too much for me to do. I am definitely not a computer whiz, especially since the accidents.
              Is there something that might be more efficient for me that you are aware of?
              I have Win XP SP2, MS Ofc 2003 SP1, IE 6 SP2, 37GB of space available, 512 MB RAM, Pentium 4
              I currently have: TrendMicro PC-Cillin (latest whatever), Webroot SpySweeper 4.0, and HiJackThis! on my computer. I was considering IE-SPYAD. But WindowsSecrets suggest ZoneAlarm Security Suite and Sunbelt CounterSpy. It seems to me that IE-SPYAD does something entirely different than what I already have.
              I take it there are more products that I should add that will work will what I currently have?
              Thank you,
              Julia Henson

            • #958224

              PC-cillin 2005 has an anti-spyware option you can turn on, and SpySweeper probably has “real-time” spyware protection. Do you have other concerns? Are you interested in restricting the sites visited? In that case, there is a category of software that I guess you could call “parental control” that you might consider. Otherwise, it sounds as though you have a reasonable start.

            • #958274

              Thank you for your response. I checked my PC-Cillin and it doesn’t say PC-Cillin 2005, it says PC-Cillin Internet Security. I have to open ‘Main’ in order to have it scan for spyware, but it never finds anything. I have real-time scan turned on in SpySweeper.
              I don’t want to restrict sites, particularly, since the young man that is using my computer is 45 years old! But I had been reading about ‘drive-by downloads’ and actually had one happen by another woman friend of mine who used to use my computer. She didn’t intentionally load this, but it took several things to get it off her user, my user, and off the desktops, etc.
              I don’t know this young man’s Internet habits, so when I came across IE-SPYAD saying it would eliminate ‘drive-bys’, I thought perhaps I should consider that.
              Also, I will go onto TrendMicro’s site and check out the difference of what I have versus the software title you mentioned.
              I am also doing some reading about Foxfire as opposed to Internet Explorer, but it scares me to think of learning new software. IE is beginning to scare me for 2 reasons now – someone else surfing the Net, and I am now hooked up to 128K service instead of my 56K modem. That makes me a little more vulnerable, I understand. Not as much as if I were using 256K, cable or such, but still… I don’t know what the parameters are. I ran the test given in WindowsSecrets by Secunia and it was very un-nerving to see the security breach right in front of my eyes!
              Your assistance is very much appreciated.
              Julia Henson

            • #958405

              The best way to avoid drive-by installs is to severely restrict ActiveX controls from running in the browser. Now, Flash movies play in an ActiveX control, so this also could cripple some web sites with fancy navigation systems or a Flash home page that doesn’t have a “skip” link for the rest of us. If that is a tolerable trade-off, you can visit Tools>Internet Options…, Security tab, highlight Internet, and then customize your settings to “Disable” or at least “Prompt” for the ActiveX category toward the top of the list.

              Most pages use JavaScript now, so it is painful to disable Active Scripting, and even more painful to have to answer Yes/No prompts for almost every page you load. Still, the “paranoid” turn off ActiveScripting in the Internet zone and, when they encounter a site where they want it to run, they add that site to the “Trusted Sites” list, which has lower security settings.

              As for your version of PC-cillin Internet Security, there have been annual versions for at least 2004 and 2005, so it is worth checking whether you have the latest and when you do the annual maintenance, always get the new version rather than just paying for updates on the old version (there usually is a $25 rebate for trading up a version).

              As for the additional vulnerabilities of a high-speed connection, it is true that all day long other computers are sniffing around for victims, and a full-time connection will receive a lot more packets than dialing up every now and then. The solution, however, is basically the same: set your firewall to reject anything inbound that was not in response to your outbound request. All firewalls, including the one in PC-cillin Internet Security, normally do this automatically. If you have any doubts, work through the options there.

            • #958425

              Mmmm. Well, being a very ‘basic’ sort of computer user, but also ‘paranoid’, I will check this setting. But if my memory serves me right, I get some kind of prompt every time MS or HP or some such tries to download an ActiveX program. My memory, however, is not reliable at this moment, so I will check it anyway. I don’t really go to many sites. I have had to say ‘yes’ to prompts each time they come up. But I am not sure that it is ActiveX. A bar comes up at the top which I never see until a box comes up and tells me it is there and asks me if I want to download whatever it is.
              I always get the new version instead of just updates. I figure they did something different and new for a reason and whatever that is, it’s probably an improvement. (This concept, by the way, only serves me for AV or Spyware software. Anything else new, I wait until it’s been tried and get WOW’s views and WindowsSecrets’ views on it). But I went to the TrendMicro site and none of the products said PC-Cillin 2004 or 2005. It only lists PC-Cillin Internet Security. I always get the latest version of all AV and spyware software. I just checked the ‘About’ and it said ‘Copyright 1999-2004’ so maybe I have missed something. I’ll check again. I’m paranoid.
              It sounds like I am safe about the Firewall. I have left whatever was on, on. Also, I still have to dial-up for my connection – it’s just faster now. So my phone line is usually on disconnect. I’m glad to hear I don’t have to concern myself about it until I have a full-time connection.
              Thank you for the help,
              Julia

            • #958434

              Hello, again!
              I went into Tools>Internet Options as you suggested and disabled what seemed appropriate. Went to one of my regular sites, as it happened, and I see what you mean about having to click OK for everything. But it didn’t seem so scary this time, so I clicked ‘No’. You know what? Nothing bad happened! Everything I wanted to see and needed was still there! Wow! Is this why I have this site delegated as WOW on my Favorites? So much faster, too. Now I feel like I have a little better idea of what is happening where. We’ll see how tired I get of clicking ‘OK’. The sites I visit are not expansive.
              Thank you. I’m off to PrintScreen my ‘About’ screen for TrendMicro and do some checking.
              Gratefully,
              Julia

            • #959084

              Edited by HansV to provide clickable link – see Help 19

              FWIW – I agree completely with the above. The XML files still work perfectly well in 2005 as they did in 2001. That section of IE has really not changed much. However, the XML files are specifically for controlling cookies — something that is not “extremely important” depending on whom you ask. I still prefer to limit cookies as much as a can. The simplest choice is to block 3rd party cookies under Tools | Internet Options | Privacy | Advanced.

              IF you decided to also use a “Restricted” Internet zone and place your Trusted sites in Trusted sites zone, then a more complicated cookie control scheme is helpful. To better use the Trusted sites zone I recommend Jason’s TrustSetter (http://www.jasons-toolbox.com[/url%5D). It takes a slight amount of effort, but to me the safety is worth it. I have spent too much time cleaning up Internet messes…

              Attached is the XML file I use (needs to be renamed from .txt to .xml before inporting).

              R2

            • #964941

              Hi, R2,
              Thank you for the XML file. Not only can I not find how to import it, but I really don’t understand the difference between IESPYAD, Jason’s site and the XML file. Do I do all of them? Or?
              Thank you,
              Julia Henson

            • #965903

              It appears that R2 is away for the time being. I will try to expand on his answers in his absence.

              Importing the XML file
              Have you tried the instructions given on Eric Howes’ site (mentioned above) at https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/ehowes/www/resource5.htm%5B/url%5D. In this case, the principle for all XML files is the same.

              IESPYAD
              The advice here is that the XML file is more effective than IESPYAD. On that basis, the XML file is the one to use.

              Jason’s site
              The tool recommended from Jason’s site deals only with sites that you have placed in the Trusted Sites Zone. The XML file deals both with the Internet Zone and the Trusted Sites Zone. If you find yourself having more than 1 or 2 Trusted Sites (inclusive of Windows Update), then you probably need both the XML file and Jason’s TrustSetter.

              Hope That Helps

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