Security Warning with IE7 shortcut.

[Ed O'Brien]

I am running Vista Home Premium and I have a 'Links' bar on the left of my
desktop. Of all the links I have there, including several direct to
websites, only Internet Explorer 7 (about blank) gives this problem.

When I click the shortcut, I get a small wndow displaying "Open File -
Security Warning" and "Do you want to open this file?". This has only
started since I installed (and then uninstalled) a computer game. Before
then IExplorer opened immediately without any warning.

Can anyone tell me what I have done wrong, or how to cure this instrusive
warning?

TIA

 

[Jimmy Brush]

I am running Vista Home Premium and I have a 'Links' bar on the left of
my desktop. Of all the links I have there, including several direct to
websites, only Internet Explorer 7 (about blank) gives this problem.

When I click the shortcut, I get a small wndow displaying "Open File -
Security Warning" and "Do you want to open this file?". This has only
started since I installed (and then uninstalled) a computer game. Before
then IExplorer opened immediately without any warning.

Can anyone tell me what I have done wrong, or how to cure this
instrusive warning?

TIA

Hello,

Could you right-click the shortcut, click properties, copy the contents
of the 'target' field, and then paste that into a reply?

Also, do you get the security warning if you start internet explorer
from the start menu?

- JB

 

[Ed O'Brien]

Hi, JB.

No, no problem when going into IExplorer from the Start menu.

"C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

The path looks fine to me. I've looked in Defender but can't see anything
that would interfere. Nor can I see anything in Norton anivirus...

Thanks for looking at it.

Ed

 

[Jimmy Brush]

Try browsing to about:blank in IE, then dragging the icon inside the
location bar to your links folder to make a URL-style link to the page
instead of a shortcut to IE. That might get rid of the prompt.

- JB

 

[Ed O'Brien]

A useful work around, JB. Thanks.

Does the job, but I would like to know why as a shortcut from the Links
folder the security problem crops up. It never used to.

I'll look in again in case you come up with any ideas - or, of course,
anyone else who might know something.

Best wishes,

Ed

 

[Jimmy Brush]

Im not sure why it would just start now.

Because of IE's protected mode, only specially marked folders can be
written to from IE.

IIRC, the Links folder is set up so that internet explorer can modify
the files inside of it.

Because of this, when a program/shortcut is launched from one of these
specially marked folders, you get the prompt, since a malicious website
could potentially have replaced that shortcut/file with a malicious program.

- JB

 

[Ed O'Brien]

Thanks, Jimmy.

But as you say, why suddenly! I'll keep looking at it from time to time and
see if I can come up with the answer.

Best wishes,

Ed