False alarm for local files!

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Jerry - 02 Feb 2006 21:03 GMT

I've always used a custom local HTML file as my start page, but now when I
open it in IE7, I get the warning "To help protect your security, Internet
Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could
access your computer. Click here for options."
My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

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Steven Fredette - 03 Feb 2006 02:02 GMT

> I've always used a custom local HTML file as my start page, but now when I
> open it in IE7, I get the warning "To help protect your security, Internet
> Explorer has restricted this file from showing active content that could
> access your computer. Click here for options."
> My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
> start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

Can't repeat here with:

<html>
<body>
test
</body>
</html>

*BUT* I did notice that Edit with FrontPage is missing from the File
menu with any local file.

Cordially,
Steven Fredette
President http://www.prowebsites.net
Indianapolis, Indiana. USA (-5 GMT/UT)
"For Your Internet Wants and Needs" Since 1997

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YAH - 03 Feb 2006 02:33 GMT

Does it happen every time or just occassionally? I use a local javascript
driven homepage with a mark for the web and haven't run into such a
problem with this beta. However, there is or at least was some kind of
intermittent issue or bug in IE6 which would cause it to periodically show
such a message when loading my homepage. IIRC it never happened
when a new browser instance was launched... it happened after switching
from some internet pages (Yahoo Finance comes to mind) to the home
page.

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Steven Fredette - 03 Feb 2006 03:33 GMT

> Does it happen every time or just occassionally? I use a local javascript
> driven homepage with a mark for the web and haven't run into such a
[quoted text clipped - 4 lines]
> from some internet pages (Yahoo Finance comes to mind) to the home
> page.

Yup, it stated doing it here, once I clicked home from any Internet
page. Though, if it is in the "My Webs" folder, it wont do this.

Solution is to just put the file in the My Webs folder, since once can't
add anything but HTTP and FTP to the trusted zone.

Cordially,
Steven Fredette
President http://www.prowebsites.net
Indianapolis, Indiana. USA (-5 GMT/UT)
"For Your Internet Wants and Needs" Since 1997

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YAH - 03 Feb 2006 04:06 GMT

> Yup, it stated doing it here, once I clicked home from any Internet
> page. Though, if it is in the "My Webs" folder, it wont do this.
>
> Solution is to just put the file in the My Webs folder, since once can't
> add anything but HTTP and FTP to the trusted zone.

Hmmm. Like I said, I've yet to see that with IE7 using a marked for the
web local homepage. FWIW, I just switched to a non-marked for the web
vanilla html homepage and then messed around for awhile... still didn't see it.
You guys must have caught my bug and now I'm rid of it ;-)

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Jerry - 03 Feb 2006 07:46 GMT

My file is already in the My Webs folder.

Contents:

<html>
<head>
<title>Start</title>
</head>
hello
</body>
</html>

I tried opening in all possible ways - clicking on it, right-click-open,
open from IE - but the error message is always there.

BTW, as a separate issue, you can't open a html file "in same window" within
Windows Explorer.

| > Yup, it stated doing it here, once I clicked home from any Internet
| > page. Though, if it is in the "My Webs" folder, it wont do this.
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
| vanilla html homepage and then messed around for awhile... still didn't see it.
| You guys must have caught my bug and now I'm rid of it ;-)

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YAH - 03 Feb 2006 23:49 GMT

> My file is already in the My Webs folder.
>
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
> I tried opening in all possible ways - clicking on it, right-click-open,
> open from IE - but the error message is always there.

FWIW, a stuck the above in an .html file and tried reproducing the error. I
wasn't able to. I doubt it would make any difference, but you could try a
validating document, maybe:

<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.01 Transitional//EN"
"http://www.w3.org/TR/html4/loose.dtd">
<html>
<head>
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<title>Test</title>
</head>
<body>
Testing
</body>
</html>

I was going to include a mark of the web:



right after <head> just for good measure, but then I got to wondering... are
you running any add-in toolbars/bho's that might be injecting script into the
pages you load? System been scanned for malware? It could just be a bug,
but maybe it wouldn't hurt to rule out the above.

> BTW, as a separate issue, you can't open a html file "in same window" within
> Windows Explorer.

I've seen that too. I don't know whether that reflects an intention to do away
with that feature or is simply a case of explorer and iexplorer not knowing how
to work with each other.

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David Llewellyn - 09 Nov 2006 10:40 GMT

I have always had Jerry's problem every time I open in IE6 and now IE7 an htm
or html file stored locally on my machine, but when the same file is accessed
from a real site on the web to which it has been uploaded, there is no
message! Since I spend much time developing web sites, this message is very
annoying. I assume that the problem is related to the zone definitions in IE:
internet, intranet, etc. However, there is no zone specifically for local
files resident on the same machine, and I cannot find a way to make IE
recognise local files as being part of an intranet (which I do not have).
This has always seemed to me to be an analysis error on the part of
Microsoft. I have tried everything I can think of, and searched everywhere,
but I can find no solution, other than turning the message off completely
(for the internet as well as for local files), and that is dangerous.

Does anybody know how to make this message disappear for local files only?

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David Llewellyn

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David Llewellyn - 09 Nov 2006 11:09 GMT

I have just found the solution, kindly given in a post by Don Varnau (many
thanks, Don). He says:

In "Internet Options> Advanced> Security>", check "Allow active content to run
in files on My Computer ."
You will, of course, be giving up some of the enhanced security of XP SP2.
http://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/winxppro/maintain/sp2brows.mspx#EIAA

It works for me: no more messages.

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David Llewellyn

> I have always had Jerry's problem every time I open in IE6 and now IE7 an htm
> or html file stored locally on my machine, but when the same file is accessed
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> > My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
> > start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

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Code-Curious Mom - 09 Nov 2006 16:42 GMT

If this is happening in files with no active content (as Jerry mentions) see
http://groups.google.com/group/microsoft.public.internetexplorer.security/browse
_thread/thread/98b960494bfe419b/c9929770b30fab69?lnk=gst&q=undocumented&rnum=2&h
l=en

where the behavior in that case was caused by the Google Toolbar being
installed.

>I have just found the solution, kindly given in a post by Don Varnau (many
> thanks, Don). He says:
[quoted text clipped - 37 lines]
>> > My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
>> > start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

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Russ, Sonar Tech manual guy - 02 Jan 2008 03:13 GMT

I have used this and it works for XP but not for vista. Does anyone have a
work around for vista. I get the message "internet explorer cannot open the
internet site file:///c:/"... whever the file is on my harddrive or dvd. I
author interactive tech manuals on DVDs and link to visio html files in their
own window. The files have links to files on the DVD or harddrive and IE is
looking for a website. Help anyone!!!

Russ

> I have just found the solution, kindly given in a post by Don Varnau (many
> thanks, Don). He says:
[quoted text clipped - 27 lines]
> > > My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
> > > start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

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Frank Saunders MS-MVP IE,OE/WM - 02 Jan 2008 12:02 GMT

>I have used this and it works for XP but not for vista. Does anyone have a
> work around for vista. I get the message "internet explorer cannot open
[quoted text clipped - 50 lines]
>> > > My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
>> > > start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one

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Steve Easton - 02 Jan 2008 17:20 GMT

Since they are html files running in a browser,
remove the absolute "file" links and use root relative links
just like you would in any other web page.

You don't want to reference a drive letter because there is no guarantee the DVD drive will always be D:\

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>I have used this and it works for XP but not for vista. Does anyone have a
> work around for vista. I get the message "internet explorer cannot open the
[quoted text clipped - 36 lines]
>> > > My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
>> > > start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

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Russ, Sonar Tech manual guy - 03 Jan 2008 03:39 GMT

I am using relative links. The actual liks are as ..\visiofiles\table3-2.htm
The example I gave was when I copied the files to my c Drive. If I copy
them to d drive it will show file:///d:/

These work on an xp operating system when you select "In "Internet Options>
Advanced> Security>", check "Allow active content to run

>> in files on My Computer ." but not when running vista.

> Since they are html files running in a browser,
> remove the absolute "file" links and use root relative links
[quoted text clipped - 42 lines]
> >> > > My file has no scripts or activex. I even tried to name an empty file
> >> > > start.html, and the same happens when trying to open that one.

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