IE 6 settings in a TS environment

[Nancy R]

Hi folks,

I had this posted in the Terminal Server group but no one there was able to
provide any suggestions. I have an unusual issue that only
occurs on our TS servers, it does not happen on our client workstations.

We are running 2 Citrix PS 4.0 servers on Windows Server 2003 SP1.

What is happening is every 1-2 days the Internet Explorer settings get
changed so that Outlook Express is the default mail client instead of Outlook.

Our end users then run into problems when trying to send e-mail from within
MS Office and other programs.

We have a very limited group of users (6) who have the ability to even view
the IE Programs tab, let along change it. I have spoken with all of them and
they assure me they are not doing this.

We have gone through all published application settings, current GPOs and
login settings but I cannot find out what is causing the change.

I have also checked all login times and cannot isolate a specific login or
time that this is associated with.

What I am struggling with is that we have the exact same set of applications
available on our client PCs (running Windows XP) and no one is experiencing
any issues with IE settings.

At this point, I need help to figure out either who or what is triggering
the change so I can fix it.

Does anyone have any advice or ideas? Is it possible to track this type of
change?

Thanks in advance,
Nancy

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Assuming you didn't mean that the default Mail Client is being reset to
Outlook (OL):

If the default Mail Client is reset to OL via IE Tools | Internet Options |
Programs | Email *and* via Set Program Access and Defaults, does the user
find that it's reset to OE only after a reboot?

 

[Nancy R]

It's being changed to OE which we don't use at all. Outlook 2003 is what the
e-mail client should be.

We reboot the servers nightly and the setting doesn't get changed every day.

Some mornings when I look it's fine, others it's not. I'm in the habit of
checking daily now because our support calls have spiked because of it.

We have a small user base and they all login daily.

Also, as soon as I flip the setting back everyone is fine. Thankfully it's
a per computer setting rather than per user.

Our users don't have access to the Set Program Access and Defaults screen.
They do not get a start menu or desktop, we instead publish a standard set of
programs that they launch individually.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

One or more options/settings in an ever-growing number of third-party
applications may be disallowing the change (i.e., from OL to OE) from
"sticking". These include but are not limited to Ad-aware Pro Ad-Watch,
Spybot Tea Timer, SpywareBlaster, SpySweeper, Spyware Doctor, CounterSpy,
AVG Anti-Spyware, Norton AntiVirus, McAfee VirusScan and/or Antispyware,
NOD32, and Zone Alarm (Free, Pro, & Security Suite).

 

[Nancy R]

We are primarily an MS shop with a very limited group of 3rd party programs
installed. Adobe Reader 6, AV software (Trend Micro), our ERP software and
an Inventory Management DB program are the only non-MS products installed.

It started 4-5 weeks ago but we did not apply any updates or change any
application settings around this time. We also made no changes to GPO
settings or login scripts.

Is there anything we can do to track the change or receive notification when
it occurs?

I appreciate you taking the time to help with this.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

Of the applications you've cited, I'd be looking at a "system protection" or
"real-time protection" component/option of Trend Micro AV myself.

NB: No one should be using Adobe Reader 6! Uninstall it and then install
Adobe Reader v8.1.3 (www.adobe.com/support/downloads/detail.jsp?ftpID=3967),
Adobe Reader v9.x (www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html) or
FoxitReader (www.foxitsoftware.com/pdf/rd_intro.php).

 

[Nancy R]

Thanks for the input, I'll talk to my boss and take a look at the AV software.

For Adobe 6, we don't have the option to update it at this point due to some
compatibility issues with Citrix printing and later versions of Adobe. Foxit
is great but there have been issues with double-sided printing and multiple
copies in the past so we have reluctant to switch to it.

 

[PA Bear [MS MVP]]

You should be aware that there are numerous security vulnerabilities present
in Adobe Reader 6 which are only addressed in Adobe Reader v8.1.3 or v9.x.
Contact Citrix Support about the issues.