How to disable IE's Content Advisor, can't remember the password.

[TonyG]

My aunt is in a dilemma, she needs to disable Internet Explorer's Content Advisor software and she can't remember her password for it since it has been so long since she enabled it, probably 1yr+. I have flipped through a few things in the Registry edit program trying to find something on it, but I am running Win2k on my box while she has win98 and I am trying to do this over the phone. If you have any advice, please let me know.
Thanks

 

[bot2600]

call MS, if she can still get her mail, they can send her a utility that will reset it to default configuration.

 

[TonyG]

That is part of the problem, she can't get her email to come through. Everything works with Netscape, but her email is setup through IE. Don't know why that didn't come across my mind, but I think I will go take a look at microsoft's site, haven't been there in a long time anyway.

 

[deran]

I did it long time ago. In my 98 days. I think is under (registry) local_machine\software\microsoft\windows\currentversion\policies\ratings, deleate the key value. This is XP, I just tried and works. should be similar in 98.

later...

 

[gdtaylor]

This is the official party line from Microsoft regarding disabling the content advisor:

Cannot Remove a Forgotten Internet Explorer Ratings Password

While looking for the solution to your problem I came across this page:

Microsoft's Policy Regarding Missing or Invalid Passwords

Which has the following very interesting statement:

MICROSOFT ENGINEERS CANNOT ASSIST, UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES, IN THE BREAKING OF PASSWORDS APPLIED TO FILES AND FEATURES WITHIN MICROSOFT PROGRAMS. It is technically not possible for Microsoft engineers to break the password on a password-protected file or feature within a Microsoft program. The password-protection systems built into Microsoft programs are designed to be unbreakable; there would be no point in including a password-protection system that could be broken.

In spite of the Microsoft's above statement there are plenty of instructions for disabling content advisor available through Google of which I chose the following one:

How to Remove Content Advisor Password in Internet Explorer