Internet Explorer Maintenance overview for GPMC

Applies To: Windows Server 2003, Windows Server 2003 R2, Windows Server 2003 with SP1, Windows Server 2003 with SP2

Internet Explorer Maintenance

Group Policy supports the administration and customization of Microsoft Internet Explorer on computers running Windows 2000, Windows XP, and Windows Server 2003.

Settings for these features can be customized using Group Policy:

  • Browser User Interface
    Settings for the user interface and the appearance of the browser are available for the following areas:
    • Browser Title

    • Custom Logo and Animated Bitmaps

    • Toolbar Customization (toolbar background and toolbar buttons)

  • Connection Settings
    Settings for the presetting and control of the user's connection settings, such as dial-up and local area network (LAN) connections, are available for the following areas:
    • Connection Settings

    • Automatic Browser Configuration

    • Proxy Settings

    • User Agent String

  • Custom URLs
    Settings for specifying the URLs that appear on users' browsers, such as the Home page, Search page, and customized Favorites and Links, are available for the following options:
    • Favorites and Links

    • Important URLs

  • Security
    Settings for specifying presetting and controlling user security settings, such as security zones, privacy settings, and content ratings, are available for the following areas:
    • Security Zones and Content Ratings

    • Authenticode Settings

  • Program Associations
    Settings for specifying which Internet programs are used by default for common Internet tasks, such as reading e-mail or viewing newsgroups, are available in the following area:
    • Programs

For more information on Internet Explorer Maintenance, see the Internet Explorer Maintenance Help, which is accessible in Windows Server 2003, either from Group Policy Object Editor or, through this link: Internet Explorer Maintenance overview for GPMC.

Notes

  • Windows Server 2003 includes a new default security configuration for Internet Explorer, called Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (ESC). ESC impacts the Security Zones and Privacy settings within the Internet Explorer Maintenance settings of a GPO. The Security Zones and Privacy settings can either be ESC enabled or not. For more details, see Deployment considerations for Group Policy

  • If you are running Group Policy Management Console on a computer running Windows XP Professional, Internet Explorer Maintenance Help might not be available. To access the Help, install Windows Help from the Windows Server 2003 installation CD onto a computer running Windows XP Professional.

To customize Internet Explorer before deployment or to administer Internet Explorer on other operating systems, you can use the Profile Manager. The Profile Manager is part of the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK), which is available in the Windows 2000 and Windows XP Resource Kit and on the Microsoft Windows Web site.

See Also

Concepts

Group Policy Object Editor Extensions
Security settings overview for GPMC