Proxy Settings Nightmare

[SteveLaw]

First of all, apologies if this is considered the wrong section, but ultimately the issue is seen at the workstation end so that's my reasoning.

 

Clients - Windows 7 (IE 11)

Server - Windows 2012 R2

 

Trying to set proxy settings for IE/system.

 

I currently have a Group Policy with proxy settings in Group Policy Preferences Internet Settings. I have tried it using GPP Registry and even using a logon script. In every case the correct settings are in the registry for the user but the IE Proxy settings are blank. GP Results/Modelling also showing the correct settings should be getting applied.

 

I have tried everything I can think of, does anyone have any idea what might be causing this? Two other people have looked at the settings and everything looks right to them too.

 

Thank you for any help, it's driving me insane.

 

(This was working but then after going through the settings (just to check) they stopped working. The only "change" I can think of is that this is the first time these settings were opened on a new 2012 server if that is relevant at all?)

Edited October 20, 2016 by SteveLaw

[XiJ]

The login script - if you run it locally on the client does it work?

 

Are you pushing out computer or user settings ? Can you try the other one ?

 

Finally, back in the day we had some machines that had some local gpedits during initial setup. They were overriding the domain policy. A long time ago though.

[speckytecky]

My reply isn't going to be a heap of help to you Steve but we have suffered the same or similar ever since IE11 was rolled out . Thankfully it seems to be something here that only affects Staff users and we have a .Reg file that the Staff user can click on that populates the correct settings. Please feel free to PM me if you want a copy of that file.

 

Historically our Domain has been migrated from NT, Windows Server 2003, 2008 and now to 2012. We are proxied through SWGFL's SSL filter and Sometimes staff are picking up a very old proxy setting pointing toward a school that the original IT Support Company the school used back in the turn of the century!

[SteveLaw]

The login script - if you run it locally on the client does it work?

 

Are you pushing out computer or user settings ? Can you try the other one ?

 

Finally, back in the day we had some machines that had some local gpedits during initial setup. They were overriding the domain policy. A long time ago though.

 

It's users because the staff and students get a different port. Running the script as the user doesn't populate the IE proxy, even though it puts in the registry entries.

 

My reply isn't going to be a heap of help to you Steve but we have suffered the same or similar ever since IE11 was rolled out . Thankfully it seems to be something here that only affects Staff users and we have a .Reg file that the Staff user can click on that populates the correct settings. Please feel free to PM me if you want a copy of that file.

 

Tried that too. Like I said, the registry entries are correct. The only way to currently get the proxy settings in is to manually enter them. When you do that the Internet Settings registry is exactly the same before and after (I did an export/compare). It makes no sense!

 

Changes to other parts of the Internet Settings (e.g. homepage) work fine, it's just the proxy settings.

Edited October 20, 2016 by SteveLaw

[3s-gtech]

Silly question, but it has come up many times in the past. When you set the proxy via GPP, did your press F5/F6 to highlight the setting in green instead of red? If you don't do that, it won't apply (and will give similar symptoms to those described).

[SteveLaw]

Silly question, but it has come up many times in the past. When you set the proxy via GPP, did your press F5/F6 to highlight the setting in green instead of red? If you don't do that, it won't apply (and will give similar symptoms to those described).

 

Yes I did that. (Not a silly question I had no idea about that until someone told me - if anything it's actually a silly setting, what was wrong with normal hierarchy rules?)

[Oaktech]

My other thought would be, is it possible that you still have an old IE maintenance proxy entry anywhere? This will completely spanner the application of proxy settings from any other sources.

[SteveLaw]

My other thought would be, is it possible that you still have an old IE maintenance proxy entry anywhere? This will completely spanner the application of proxy settings from any other sources.

 

I don't think so; I don't think I ever used them. Before the introduction of the delightful GPP settings I used logon scripts to set proxy (why oh why did I convince myself to "go modern" and try to do away with scripts? I soon went back on printers, GPP printers are just too slow. ). But anyway, they were working and nothing changed GP-wise. I'm now testing computer settings/updates as I'm at a dead end with users.

[3s-gtech]

If it is another GPO forcing blank settings over the top, you may be able to use the Enforced setting to override the hierarchy.

[SteveLaw]

If it is another GPO forcing blank settings over the top, you may be able to use the Enforced setting to override the hierarchy.

 

I tried that as well, also Block inheritance to isolate GPOs.

Edited October 20, 2016 by SteveLaw

[SteveLaw]

Fixed it!

 

It's almost always something really simple isn't it!? Turns out it was something it didn't like with the proxy overrides. The same overrides I'd been using previously. A few tweaks (removing spaces mostly) and reapplying them worked!

 

I can only assume that there was some update (server I'm guessing) since they were originally set that was no longer happy with the settings after I effectively re-set them when checking (even though the settings hadn't technically changed). Or something.