USC / University Seal

Last Revised on Monday, March 28, 2005 at 7:46 AM


Internet Explorer for Windows

In order for most Web-based processes to function as desired, the following recommendations are suggested for the end-user's desktop computer.

AIS recommends that all users of PC compatible Desktop and Laptop Computer Systems utilize the Microsoft Windows Desktop operating system and Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 with SP1 web browser or higher.

In order to verify the version of Internet Explorer installed on your machine:

  • Open an instance of Internet Explorer and locate the toolbar on the top of the browser window with the following drop down menus:
    File | Edit | View | Favorites | Tools | Help
  • From the Internet Explorer toolbar, click Help, and then click About Internet Explorer.
  • The version number will be listed in a new window. Verify that the version is either Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or higher.

If the version is not Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or higher, AIS recommends downloading the latest version of the Internet Explorer web browser.

Once verified that Internet Explorer 6.0 SP1 or higher version is running on the desktop system, confirm that the following recommended settings are selected:

  • Open an instance of Internet Explorer and locate the toolbar on the top of the browser with the following drop down menus:
    File | Edit | View | Favorites | Tools | Help
  • From the Internet Explorer toolbar, click Tools, and then click Internet Options...
  • A new browser window named Internet Options will appear on the screen with the following menu tabs:
    General | Security | Privacy | Content | Connections | Programs | Advanced

Click on the tab name below to go directly to the specific tab recommendations area within this document.

The General Tab contains the following three selection boxes:

  1. Home Page
  2. Temporary Internet files
  3. History
  1. Home Page selection box: AIS has no specific recommendations for this tab
  2. Temporary Internet files selection box

    • Click on the Delete Cookies... button daily to remove all automatically saved cookies.
    • Click on the Delete Files... button located in the middle. This task should be performed daily to remove all automatically saved files.

        • Click OK to delete all files in the Temporary Internet Files.

    • Click on the Settings... button to edit specific setting in a new Settings window.

        • In the Settings window, under "Check for newer versions of stored pages:" select the "Every visit to the page" radio button.
        • In the Temporary Internet files folder box, adjust the amount of disk space to use. The amount of disk space to use should be set to half of the RAM*.
        • Click on the OK button below to register the selection.

    • *How to check the RAM:

        • Click on the Start button on the Windows desktop.
        • Mouse over Settings, and click on the Control Panel.
        • Double click on the System icon.
        • The popup window will display the amount of RAM in the computer.
        • Click OK to close the System Properties box.

  3. History selection box: AIS has no specific recommendations for this selection box.

The General Tab also contains the following four buttons:

  1. Colors...
  2. Fonts...
  3. Languages...
  4. Accessibility...
  1. Colors... button: AIS has no specific recommendations for this button/window.
  2. Fonts... button: Click on the button to open the Fonts... window.

    • In the Fonts... selection window set the "Language script:" to "Latin based".
    • AIS has no specific recommendations for the "Web page font" and the "Plain text font" menus on the Fonts... window.
    • Click on the OK button below to register your selection.

  3. Languages... button: Click on the button to open the Languages... window.

    • AIS recommends selecting "English (United States) [en-us]".
    • Click on the OK button below to register the selection.

  4. Accessibility... button: Click on the button to open the Accessibility... window.
    • In the window locate the Formatting box and verify that none of the boxes are selected.
    • In the User style sheet box, make sure that the "format documents using my style sheet" box is not selected.
    • Click on the OK button below to register the selection.

When on the Security Tab, the following four web content zones will be displayed:

  1. Internet
  2. Local intranet
  3. Trusted sites
  4. Restricted sites
  5. From the "Select Web content zone to specify its security settings:" display menu:
    • Click on the Internet icon to select the Internet web content zone. The selection will be mimicked below the display menu.

The Security Tab also contains the following box:

  1. Security level for this zone
  2. In Security Level for this zone box:
    • Click on the Custom Level button.
    • In the Security Settings window select the specifications as listed below.

      ActiveX controls and plug-ins

      Download asigned ActiveX controls
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Download unasigned ActiveX controls
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Initialize and script ActiveX controls not marked as safe
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Run ActiveX controls and plug-ins
      Administrator approved
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Script ActiveX controls marked safe for scripting
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt

      Downloads

      File download
      Disable
      Enable
      Font download
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt

      Microsoft VM

      Java permissions
      Custom
      Disable Java
      High safety
      Low safety
      Medium safety

      Miscellaneous

      Access data sources across domains
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Allow META REFRESH
      Disable
      Enable
      Display mixed content
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Don't prompt for client certificate selection when no certificates or only one certificate exists
      Disable
      Enable
      Drag and drop or copy and paste files
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Installation of desktop items
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Launching programs and files in an IFRAME
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Navigate sub-frames across different domains
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Software channel permissions
      High Safety
      Low Safety
      Medium Safety
      Submit nonencrypted form data
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Userdata persistence
      Disable
      Enable

      Scripting

      Active Scripting
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Allow paste opperations via script
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt
      Scripting of Java applets
      Disable
      Enable
      Prompt

      User Authentication

      Logon
      Anonympous logon
      Automatic logon only in Intranet zone
      Automatic logon with current username and password
      Prompt for username and password
    • Click on the OK button below to register the selection. (If a Warning window pops up with the following message "Are you sure you want to change the security settings for this zone?" click on the Yes button to register the selection.)

When on the Privacy Tab, the following two boxes will be displayed:

  1. Settings
  2. Web Sites
  3. In the Settings box:

    • Move the slider to select the Medium privacy setting for the Internet zone. The Medium privacy setting is the default state of the slider.
    • Do not click on either the Import... or the Advanced... buttons.

  4. In the Web Sites box: AIS has no specific recommendations for this box.

When on the Content Tab, the following three boxes will be displayed:

  1. Content Advisor
  2. Certificates
  3. Personal information
  1. Content Advisor box: AIS has no specific recommendations for this box.
  2. Certificates box: AIS has no specific recommendations for this box.
  3. In the Personal information box:
    • Click on the AutoComplete... button to edit the specifications in the AutoComplete Settings window.

      • In the Use AutoComplete for box:

        • Deselect the Web Addresses check box
        • Deselect the Forms check box.
        • Deselect the User names and passwords on forms check box.

      • In the Clear AutoComplete history box:

        • Click on the Clear Forms button
        • Click on the Clear Passwords buttons

      • Click on the OK button below to register your selection.

    • AIS has no specific recommendations for the selections within the My Profile button.

AIS has no specific recommendations for this tab.

AIS has no specific recommendations for this tab.

Select the Advanced Tab specifications as displayed below:

Accessibility

Always expand ALT text for images
Move system caret with focus/selection changes

Browsing

Always send URLs as UTF-8 (requires restart)
Automatically check for Internet Explorer updates
Close unused folders in History and Favorites (requires restart)
Disable script debugging
Display a notification about every script error
Enable folder view for FTP sites
Enable Install On Demand (Internet Explorer)
Enable Install On Demand (Other)
Enable offline items to be synchronized on a schedule
Enable page transitions
Enable Personalized Favorites Menu
Enable third-party browser extension (requires restart)
Force offscreen compositing even under Terminal Server (requires restart)
Notify when downloads complete
Reuse windows for launching shortcuts
Show friendly HTTP error message
Show friendly URLs
Show Go button in Address bar
Show Internet Explorer on the desktop

Underline links
Always
Hover
Never
Use inline AutoComplete
Use Passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem capability)
Use smooth scrolling

HTTP 1.1 settings

Use HTTP 1.1 settings
Use HTTP 1.1 through proxy connections

Java (Sun)

Use Java 2 v1.4.1_01 for <applet> (requires restart)

Microsoft VM

Java console enabled (requires restart)
Java logging enabled
JIT compiler for virtual machine enabled (requires restart)

Multimedia

Always show Internet Explorer (5.0 or later) Radio toolbar
Don’t display online media content in the media bar
Enable Automatic Image Resizing
Enable Image Toolbar (requires restart)
Play animations in web pages
Play sounds in web pages
Play videos in web pages
Show image download placeholders
Show pictures
Smart Image dithering

Printing

Print background colors and images

Search from the Address bar

When Searching
Display results, and go to the most likely site
Do not search from the Address bar
Just display the results in the main window
Just go to the most likely site

Security

Check for publisher’s certificate revocation
Check for server certificate revocation (requires restart)
Check for signatures on downloaded programs
Do not save encrypted pages to disk
Empty Temporary Internet Files folder when browser is closed
Enable Integrated Windows Authentication (requires restart)
Enable Profile Assistant
Use SSL 2.0
Use SSL 3.0
Use TLS 1.0
Warn about invalid site certificate
Warn if changing between secure and not secure mode
Warn if forms submittal is being redirected

When finished with all of the tabs and the settings contained within them, click OK button from the Internet Options window to register the changes.