Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8 (IEAK 8)

[pwds]

If you're tempted, like us, to make a custom Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8 (IEAK 8) applying settings like the "Provided by" and removing the "Welcome to" and configuration screens associated with a fresh install of Internet Explorer 8, please take care.

 

I cannot prove for certain that this is the case but it appears the settings applied at this point are in conflict with those set by Group Policy- causing intermittent loss of connectivity where proxy settings are lost.

 

Using the IEAK I didn't apply any connection settings and I've had constant complaints from a test area all day that external sites wheren't available. Log on remotely, gpupdate and reboot and everything works correctly. Leave it a while and the complaints start to come in again.

 

I was intermitently able to replicate this on a staff test account and proxy settings were all blank- as "set" in by the IEAK msi.

 

This has only been affecting staff, not students, as our students have their proxy settings re-applied every ten minutes. Presumably this has been preventing the IEAK from having an opportunity to re-assert itself in a noticeable way (we've had no complaints).

 

The clincher is the restrictions on menu options available set in the MSI that disappeared (i.e. all menus re-appeared) when GP applied, but the restrictions appear to be applied when the proxy settings are missing.

 

We're now switching to a vanilla IE8 install and using GP to manage it's entire behaviour, including "First Run". Thankfully that's one issue caught during limited testing.

 

Hope that saves someone some time.

[zshadar]

Hi Pwds,

I am having the same problem in my school, no matter what I tried, either not entering any settings or entering blank settings, still the proxy gpo would not apply.

I think it is a bug in IEAK 8.

What did you do at the end? Did you install IE8 using some startup script, with the original executable?

 

Thanks

[sonofsanta]

Wish I'd seen this post back in the day before I went down that route...!

 

However recent testing has shown proxy settings over-riding the baked-in settings, and in cases where it's not applying, it's a roaming profile that needs clearing.

 

I have also seen another IE setting (trusted sites) not apply from one high-level GPO, but when the same setting was set on GPO's below (i.e. on the separate staff & student GPOs, rather than the main config GPO) it applied, so try changing the settings in another, lower GPO.

[zshadar]

Hi,

Clearing the roaming profile doesn't help and the problem is with all proxy gpo, we have 3.

It is definately a problem with IEAK 8, as installing IE8 directely from the downloaded version works just fine.

If you look at RSoP then you can see that the GPO does apply. But then the IEAK setting over ride it and if you look at the registery of the HKCU the settings are not there.

 

Regards

[zshadar]

Hi, here is a solution that does work.

In your proxy setting group policy enable the following:

User/administrative templates/windows components/internet explorer

Disable external branding of internet explorer

I just wish I didn't have to use a support call to Microsoft for it, but couldn't find it anywhere including Technet people didn't know.

So I was surprise when it was such simple solution.

[6Foot2]

Thanks.

 

I will investigate this tomorrow. I thought I had tried these settings already but with you saying they are successful for you I will have another look to see if I have missed something?