Anyone know how to regain access to IE options?

[Taem]

I know this isin't a technical forum (I already posted on one) but the Lurkers have been proven to be very knowledgable, so I'll give this post a shot here too. I am currently running IE 6.0 SP 2 on windows XP SP 2 and I am logged in as the system Administrator.

After downloading the Google Toolbar, I suddenly lost the ability to access Internet Options... in the Tools drop-down. When I try clicking on Internet Options..., a box pops up called "Restrictions" and states the following:

The operation has been canceled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.

I emailed Google.toolbar about my problem and they gave me a link to this site:

http://support.microsoft.com/?id=823057

I use a program called Regalyzer to view and edit my registry, however the problem is that there is no "\Internet Explorer\Restrictions" in the key listing as stated on the Microsoft support site. There is an Outlook Express, but no Internet Explorer. In the second key listed by Microsoft support, there is no "\Restrictions" in the \Toolbars key. It simply does not exist! The only thing I can think of that might be causing these keys to be misplaced is that I'm using SP 2 and that troubleshooting faq is for SP 1.

So my question is, does anyone know the correct registry keys I should edit in SP 2 to regain access to my Internet Options...?

[Archon_Wing]

I think you could find it in two possible places. Check:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions

Or maybe try using the find function in your registry editor. Search for "restrictions"

Found more info here:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFAQ.htm#Restrictions

[Taem]

I think you could find it in two possible places. Check:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions

Or maybe try using the find function in your registry editor. Search for "restrictions"

Found more info here:
http://windowsxp.mvps.org/IEFAQ.htm#Restrictions
[right][snapback]60100[/snapback][/right]

The strange thing is that the BOLD areas simply do not exist in my registry; Outlook Express and others are there, but Internet Explorer is missing...:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Restrictions

But other than that anomaly, on the Microsoft technical forums I posted on, they figured that since I was using the registry editor from the same creator of SpybotSD, that I might in fact be using SpybotSD (which I am), and that *IF* I was using SpybotSD, that I might have ‘HomePage’ and ‘Internet Options’ blocked threw that program (which I did for some reason). :lol: Can you imagine how silly I felt admitting to them that SpybotSD was in fact the problem?

To make matters even funnier, before I had the solution to my problem, I bothered to download XP SP2 thinking that might fix some registry problems. Well it was downloading the SP2 for six hours and nothing was happening (the bar had not moved at all), so I hit CANCEL on the install, but that froze my computer. I had to manually restart at which point my computer told me SP2 was not installed correctly and to uninstall it via the Remove Programs option. I also immediately get two or three warnings that certain files cannot be found before the computer finishes rebooting… So of course I go to remove SP2, only to find out that *IF* I remove it, 50% of my most useful programs will not function properly anymore… I was really dreading it, but a format of my entire drive seems inevitable.

I have a DVD RW drive and a CD ROM that came with it that only says “DRIVER” on the cover. Do you lurkers know if it’s necessary to install a DVD RW driver or if Windows has one already built in?

Also, when I first got my 250 GB hard drive (it’s my backup and storage), I had to go threw a wizard for ‘new hardware’ that recognized and partitioned my drive. My drive is already partitioned. If I only format my 20 GB that has Windows, will I have to run the hardware wizard again for the ‘C’ drive to recognize my 250 GB drive?

Thanks again for any replies ahead of time.

[Obi2Kenobi]

So my question is, does anyone know the correct registry keys I should edit in SP 2 to regain access to my Internet Options...?
[right][snapback]60047[/snapback][/right]

Um, download Firefox? :)

Anyway, curse you Microsoft forums, I was going to ask about Spybot. Same thing happened to a friend of mine (and by friend I really mean friend, not me, really!).

Also, when I first got my 250 GB hard drive (it’s my backup and storage), I had to go threw a wizard for ‘new hardware’ that recognized and partitioned my drive. My drive is already partitioned. If I only format my 20 GB that has Windows, will I have to run the hardware wizard again for the ‘C’ drive to recognize my 250 GB drive?

I'm no expert on the matter, so if anyone except some people disagree with what I'm about to say, then believe them. No.