IE7 and QL toolbar problems in guest account

[don]

Why would Internet Explorer 7, and associated things like the quick
launch toolbar, suddenly not work in my XP SP2 Home Edition guest
account?

This started when someone spending the weekend with us asked
innocuously enough how we accessed the internet from the computer's
guest account. I got on, IE 7 wouldn't save its preferences and half
the time wouldn't connect to the internet. I tried enabling the quick
launch toolbar (which had been there last time I looked), and got an
error message, and then couldn't do it (show quick launch toolbar)
again and again and again.

C:\Documents and Settings\Guest\Application Data\Microsoft\Internet
Explorer\Quick Launch was there, and properly populated. The ideas in
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/QLError.htm and other such sites did not
work. I even installed the very newest version of IE 7, something
newer than what I'd had, and that didn't fix anything. I still
couldn't create a quick launch toolbar from the guest account, or
access the internet fully from IE. IE worked fine in the other
accounts on the computer (one administrator and the others non-admin),
and FF 3 worked fine from the guest account.

Finally, I deleted the guest account, then recreated it, and it worked
perfectly from the start, included after restarting the computer. I
can access the internet fully from IE7, create a quick launch toolbar,
do pretty much anything one can do from a guest account.

What could have caused the problems I described?

 

[don]

"contributed" in 24hoursupport.helpdesk:

What could have caused the problems I described?

A malfunctional brain.

 

[Gordon]

Why would Internet Explorer 7, and associated things like the quick
launch toolbar, suddenly not work in my XP SP2 Home Edition guest
account?

Disable the guest account. It's a security risk.....

 

[wisdomkiller & pain]

Why would Internet Explorer 7, and associated things like the quick
launch toolbar, suddenly not work in my XP SP2 Home Edition guest
account?

Mangled permissions. You don't see ntfs permissions or registry permissions
by default, in particular with XP Home. But they are still there.

This started when someone spending the weekend with us asked
innocuously enough how we accessed the internet from the computer's
guest account. I got on, IE 7 wouldn't save its preferences and half
the time wouldn't connect to the internet. I tried enabling the quick
launch toolbar (which had been there last time I looked), and got an
error message, and then couldn't do it (show quick launch toolbar)
again and again and again.

Microsoft didn't yet manage to get a fully working "restricted account",
which would be the preferred way to do daily work included surfing and
mailing, in a halfways safe manner, for some of Microsoft's own programs.
Let alone 3rd party software ...
Therefore, every new user created, will have full rights by default. And, of
course, is another security breach.
Again, it is a great idea to do surfing and mailing from a "restricted user"
account. But then, the "guest" user is even more restricted, and special IE
security rules apply.
Since IE controls the quick launch bar as well, you are basically fubared.

Finally, I deleted the guest account, then recreated it, and it worked
perfectly from the start, included after restarting the computer. I
can access the internet fully from IE7, create a quick launch toolbar,
do pretty much anything one can do from a guest account.

What could have caused the problems I described?

A botched security concept, deliberately forcing work "as admin" to keep
business running, for (anti)virus/malware manufacturers and for gaming
(admin permissions most of the time necessary for direct hardware access in
order to implement copy protection).

 

[wisdomkiller & pain]

Why would Internet Explorer 7, and associated things like the quick
launch toolbar, suddenly not work in my XP SP2 Home Edition guest
account?

Btw., the same thing - included inability to keep language prefs - sometimes
happens with xp pro after copying a pre-crafted profile, even when properly
giving the "everyone" permission.