Can IE7 Block ActiveX Popups?

[DasFox]

A webmail site I use wnats to install some sort of ActiveX which I don't want to install, and every time I need to write a letter it constantly popups.

Is there a way to block ActiveX popups with IE7?

THANKS

 

[mechBgon]

Yes there is. One option is to run it as a non-Admin user, which is a good idea for all web browsers.

Another is to use the Security Zones; for example, you could place the problem site in the Restricted zone (Tools > Internet Options > Security tab), although if it's a webmail site, this may solve one problem and create another

A more advanced technique would be to whitelist approved sites into the Trusted Sites zone and set Trusted Sites security to Medium-High, then disable the "Download signed ActiveX controls" and "Download unsigned ActiveX controls" for the Internet zone. screencapture movie showing a similar concept to control active scripting.


(edited to cover ActiveX issue)

Incidentally, what ActiveX thingamabob are they trying to push on you, exactly?

 

[DasFox]

It says it's from Starfield Technologies.

 

[DasFox]

Great now I set this all up in IE7 and I get an Information popup now, and I can't disable it, even though it says you can.

Here's the info popup:

http://img184.imageshack.us/img184/3636/popup1gh8.jpg

Here's what the HELP says:

Can I turn off the Information bar?

Yes, you can, but we don't recommend it. If you do want to turn it off, you have to turn it off for each type of message.

To turn off Information bar messages about blocked pop-up windows

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, click Pop-up Blocker, and then click Pop-up Blocker Settings.
Clear the Show Information Bar when a pop-up is blocked check box, and then click Close.
To stop the Information bar from blocking file and software downloads

Open Internet Explorer.
Click the Tools button, and then click Internet Options.
Click the Security tab, and then click Custom level.
Do one or both of the following:
To turn off the Information bar for file downloads, scroll to the Downloads section of the list, and then, under Automatic prompting for file downloads, click Enable.
To turn off the Information bar for ActiveX controls, scroll to the ActiveX controls and plug-ins section of the list, and then, under Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls, click Enable.
Click OK, click Yes to confirm that you want to make the change, and then click OK again.

Ok so I turn it off:

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/6696/popup2je3.jpg

But it's not working I still get the info popup, what's wrong?

 

[DasFox]

Now I get this popup at the bottom of the browser when I disable it.

http://img171.imageshack.us/img171/5876/popup3on5.jpg

Sheesh what a pain trying to stop all these popups...

 

[mechBgon]

That's not a popup per se, it's an Information Bar prompt. According to what the IB prompt says, it's not allowing the use of an ActiveX control that's currently installed on the computer, so it would seem to be something you already have installed.

Note that you have the webmail site in your Trusted Sites zone, which is sort of the opposite of what I was suggesting you do. If you don't want IE7 to be able to download ActiveX controls, you want to disable ActiveX download in the Internet Zone, and leave this website and others in the Internet Zone so the setting applies to them. The Trusted Sites zone would be for sites that you do want to have ActiveX download options, e.g. Microsoft Update and such.


Big picture: find out the author of the ActiveX dealiebob you don't want, and block it at your router by keyword. For example, if I don't want Flash Player, I can block Adobe's download site at the router, and that's the end of that nonsense

 

[DasFox]

Yes Info bar, BUT in the help it says you can turn it off.

But I thought if a site is not in a trusted zone like AnandTech then you can have it run other things like Java script, etc...?

The website wasn't in the Trusted zone before and I still had the ActiveX popup.

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: DasFox
Yes Info bar, BUT in the help it says you can turn it off.

But I thought if a site is not in a trusted zone like AnandTech then you can have it run other things like Java script, etc...?

You can configure the zones however you prefer. In my opinion, the logical approach is to reduce privileges on the Internet Zone, then give them back as needed in the Trusted Zone after setting the Trusted Zone security to Medium-High as a baseline.

 

[DasFox]

Ok it seems I have it blocked for now.

But what if the Info bar pops up again? Like I said in the HELP I pasted in the info here it says you can block the Info bar.

In the popup blocker settings I unchecked it, and for the Automatic prompting for ActiveX controls I enabled it, so maybe that's it, like it said.

THANKS