Custom IE windows

Ponster

Hi all !

Is it at all possible to design a site so that when the user visits, he doesn't get either the address bar or the tool bar?

I know it's possible to disable them from within IE but I was hoping that I could either:

a) Modify a registry key allowing me make the change of hundreds of computers remotely
b) Rewrite the HTML code on the web server to not display the tool/address bars.


All I've dug up are javascript pop-up scripts which AFAIk aren't of any use atm.


Any ideas ?

misterq

these hundreds of computers - are you the admin for them?

If you could make a change to their registry values over a website, that would be an enormous security hole in Internet Explorer.

Is it that:
a) you have a website that you don't want visitors to see the address of?
or
b) you have web browser users and you don't want them to be able to inout web addresses themselves?

Ponster

I just have to see if a simple soltion is possible. It'll be the network admins that apply the change if at all possible.

We have web browser users that are currently using their browser for non-work purposes. The solution of removing address/tool bar was decided upon by the big bosses

seamus

Group policy will allow you to lock down IE and what users can and cannot do. One of the few benefits of IE's tight integration in Windows is that you can pretty tell it to do whatever you want.

It may be a better idea to set up a proxy and control Internet Access that way. It's very difficult to stop users installing an alternative browser to get around any IE restrictions.

Serbian

If you are simply trying to restrict people's Internet access, either all the time or just at certain times, a proxy would be the way to go.

Ponster

Hmmm, while it's the easiest solution it's not one that I can put in place.

I've been told to do it by either changing the registry of the 220,000 PC's on the network or altering either the web server or the code. The proxy option isn't on the table for the moment.

It's not just Internet access but also to make the user interface more 'pretty' !
while group policies and/or a proxy would probably work, my original question was in fact:

Is it at all possible to design a site so that when the user visits, he doesn't get either the address bar or the tool bar?

The fact that they don't appear is just as important as restricting their functions from the end-user.


Thanks for the replies....I didn't know this forum was as reactive

seamus

Wow, management sometimes do make the most ridiculously unreasonable demands.

Yes it can be done. Group Policy. Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Internet Explorer

You can choose here which toolbars appear by default, and which toolbars are available from the View menu.

This will do it for all sites, and not just the site in question. It is still possible to get the url by right-clicking on the page and selecting "Properties", but with some Javascript trickery you can disable that.

Short answer; It is not possible for a single site to force IE to not display it's details in the bar.

At best you could write a short script which a user double-clicks when they want to look at the site. This would launch IE in kiosk mode, or another mode where the address bar isn't available.

Serbian

To specifically answer your original question:

Is it at all possible to design a site so that when the user visits, he doesn't get either the address bar or the tool bar?

The answer is "not really". You could make a JavaScript popup window that appears when a site is visited, strip all user controls out of the popup window and then make the window that appears close the parent window. There are a few reasons why this approach is flawed:

• Popup Blockers
• JavaScript must be enabled
• It would be possible to close the popup window before it loads (thus keeping the parent window open)

You need to explain to management or whoever thinks that this is a good idea that it really isn't a good idea. Why try and modify 220k computers across a network when they can be controlled via one PC in a central location? Or you could ask them: What if someone on our 220,000 computer network doesn't use Windows?

You have also talked about making the 'interface more pretty'. Which interface are you talking about? Is everyone working on some kind of web based application or are you talking about the Internet Explorer Interface?

GoneShootin

Ponster wrote:

We have web browser users that are currently using their browser for non-work purposes. The solution of removing address/tool bar was decided upon by the big bosses

This is insane. All the user would have to do is Google a site that allows for this kind of interaction.

Best and most common way is to use some form of proxy software at the intranet level. Block all traffice, and allow only those sites that have been approved by "management".

Just say "no" to what they want