How turn off new IE "Information Bar"?

Installed SP2 today, and already I hate the Information Bar -- I tried what Help says, which is to go into Tools / Internet Options / Security and enable all downloads and ActiveX/script stuff, but I still get the dang bar opening whenever I open a page with scripts -- since my self-made home homepage now causes the Information Bar to pop open whenever I return to it, this has very quickly become very annoying....

Thanks!

 

No1UNo-- Many/most of those notices used to be separate windows in earlier versions of Windows. So such notices are nothing new, only the form of the notice. If you do not care to see what the issue is, just click the X at the far right of that bar. The notices are triggered by your Security settings in Internet Options. WinXP SP2 may have elevated some of those setting when you installed SP2. So you may be getting more of them than before you installed SP2.
If you switch to the Low settings in IE Tools|Internet Options|Security that will trigger fewer notices. But this will compromise your security.

 

Hello No1UNo,

Go into the control panel. You will see a new entry - Security Center - and on the left under resources > "change the way security center alerts me" > alert settings > uncheck the notifications. That will also get rid of the tray icon. The center is still accessable thru the control panel.

Don't think its wise to lower your security, especially "enable all downloads ", laying youself open for mischief.

Regards - Charles

EDIT: Think I answered the wrong question

Thru the security center (or thru the old way, the IE tool bar) > Internet Options > Privacy tab > popup blocker settings, in the dialog box > uncheck information bar or change the filter level to "low ". The default is medium.

 

Hi No1UNo

This MS link has info on IE's "Information Bar" => http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=843017&product=windowsxpsp2. Note this comment on the page...

I actually like the Information Bar myself.

Alternatively you can add your Homepage address to IE's "Trusted Sites" and the bar will not show up.

1) Open IE => Click on "Tools" => select "Internet Options "
2) Click on "Security" tab => then "Trusted Sites "
3) Click "Sites" button
4) Deselect/Uncheck "Require server verification (https) for all sites in this zone "
4) In the "Add this Web site to the zone" enter your Homepage address then click "Add" button

 

Hi Kent,

I quess this is yet another "information bar" that I have not run into yet. Thanks for the info.

Regards - Charles

 

I also had the information bar popping up on my home page. The page is one that I'd made myself and at first I couldn't imagine why the bar would pop up (it asked something like, do you want to allow active content to run on this page) . I had completely forgot that I had used java script on the page to change the color of some of the text. Apparently it's considered active content. Removing the script got rid of the bar. Another way may be possible though (for your homepage anyway). Don't know for sure because I haven't put the script back and tried this myself. Click tools>internet options>advanced. Scroll to the security section and put a check-mark next to the line that says "allow active content to run in files on my computer" . I haven't checked into this enough to know the security risks of this but I suspect it's minor. It would only apply to html files that are on your hard drive so the only way I can see you getting wacked by it would be if you saved a page from the web that contained a nasty and then viewed it from your hard drive. At least that's my take on it.

MS should have given us the option to always allow it for a given page. That bar drove me nuts everytime I opened IE. Since I got rid of that though, the bar hasn't bothered me at all. Doesn't pop up all that often anyway.

 

Hi Charles...

NP.
___________________________

No1UNo

You can also find info on IE's "Information Bar" (IB) under IE's "Help" window.
1) In IE window click on "Help "
2) Select "Contents and Index "
3) Selct "Internet Explorer's Information Bar "...7th down in the left-hand menu

This is an Excerpt from Help...

Once again Note the MS Comment on bottom of IB Help page...

 

Thanks everyone -- none of those things worked (I had read the M$ Help info...) -- what did work was Tools / Internet Options / Advanced -- there are some new items there, including "Allow active content to run in files on My Computer" -- checked that box and all is ok!

 

I don't have that box checked and still haven't run into the "information bar" that's been referred to here, might be a combo of things.

I went thru my IE settings to compare pre/post SP2 and I noticed that the "Enable install on demand IE" in the Advanced tab was changed. I know it was unchecked before the install, it was checked after the install.

Regards - Charles

 

Like Charles I also don't have that box checked.

 

No1UNo--I agree with other posters that unchecking that box should have no effect on notices when you surf the Internet. (I do not have it checked and I get Information bar messages.) However, if that works for you, then it works.
If you start to get Information bar messages again, you may want to reread my original post above. I have modified it to make it clearer.

 

I see I was unclear -- by "self-made home homepage" I meant a page on my harddrive, not a page on the internet.

I also now see that Zander suggested the solution above, which I somehow missed; oops: thanks!

 

Both Zander and No1UNo seemed to have run into similiar conditions (web pages) that I haven't run into; I was wondering why I don't see this bar.

Regards - Charles

 

In my case it was popping up because of the script I had used on the page (this is a page I made myself). I just tried another page I have on my hard drive and got the same message. This page is a page of my favorites created using Favorites Home Page . The message in the bar states the following.

"To help protect your security, Internet Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could access your computer. Click here for options... "

The whole page is blank when I try to open it. This is the same message I got with my home page before I removed the script. The page would open when I selected to ignore it in the "click here for options" menu. I was wondering why you don't get this message all the time given the number of websites that use java script but then it dawned on me. I believe this message is totally related to the setting I mentioned before and you won't see it unless you open a file on your hard drive. The setting only affects files that are on your drive. If you want you can download Favorites Home Page, run it, then try to open the page it created. You'll get a first hand look at what No1UNo and I are talking about. You might have a look at it anyway. It's a pretty neat way to browse your favorites.

FWIW, the page will open without the information bar popping up if I change the setting I spoke of in my first post. I have a program I use for saving web pages called SurfSaver. It wouln't run either until I changed that setting. I wonder how many tech support calls that setting will cause.

 

Hi Zander,

Thanks for the explanation. I run Proxomitron which strips out scripts from web pages and up to now didn't know what I was missing

Everybody has their own way of using Fav's. My way is to access IE from the Favs themselves, in other words I made a shortcut to the Fav folder and initiate IE browsing that way. In the process, I've organized the Fav folder much the same way Favorites Home Page seems to.

The reason I got into doing it that way is because MSN insists on connecting thru MsnExplorer, so I sign out of MSN and then use IE for surfing

And if I want to save a web page, just use the "save as" IE option - minus scripts.

Regards - Charles

 

FWIW--Here is a lengthy discussion by MS on the SP2 Information Bar
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?kbid=843017&product=windowsxpsp2

 

I Can Confirm This

Charles

This was true for my system, too.

I made a list (of course) of the security changes SP2 made (which overrode my previous settings) and will post them just as soon as the big brown truck brings Mama's new toy. Right now, the uptime is less than 4 minutes, and I'm typing this on my kids' indestructible HP. AARRRGGHHH

Johanna