set a default webpage for ALL USERS?

[Hexametaphosphate]

Dell machines running WinXP.

Basically all the computers have Dell as the default webpage on all users, but we'd like to change this to make the school's homepage the default. I have no idea on how to do this where it will apply to all users.

Thanks for any possible suggestions and LMK if I need to provide any more information.

-Hex..

 

[lansalot]

Are you logging on to an Active Directory domain controller? It's easily set with a group policy at the OU level if so.

 

[nweaver]

eh, change the homepage in IE "Tools" menu, "Internet Options"

 

[mechBgon]

If you don't have the Active Directory toys, you can build a pre-customized IE installer using IEAK6 (search Microsoft.com for it). While you're at it, you might set the Temporary Internet Files cache size pretty small (I use 1MB) and customize the Security & Privacy settings (I use Medium-High privacy and medium-medium-medium-high for the Internet-Local-Trusted-Restricted security zones). And a plethora of other settings, including default home page 🙂

 

[lansalot]

eh, change the homepage in IE "Tools" menu, "Internet Options"

Could take a while with a lot of machines. Nothing in that to stop the kids changing it back of course. A GPO can disable that setting while you're at it. (Is your next suggestion is to manually nobble the registry so they can't.....? )

 

[Hexametaphosphate]

Originally posted by: nweaver
eh, change the homepage in IE "Tools" menu, "Internet Options"

Umm.... that will only change the setting for the user I'm logged on to, right?



lansalot - unfortunately I do not know what you're talking about by Active Directory domain controller. I'm not much of an IT guy, our IT guys are on the main campus (we're just a branch)..... I'm just more of a hardware troubleshooting and helping students type of person here. 🙂 I appreciate the help, but I think that's just a little over my head.

mechBgon - Will try that.... thanks a ton.

Also, we don't mind them changing their home page to whatever they like.... we just want it to originally go to our page for new users and not Dell's.


Thanks a ton!

-Hex..

 

[lansalot]

OK.

I guess your next simplest option is to give them access to a little shortcut that will load the registry entry to put it to your default page.

 

[Hexametaphosphate]

Am I wrong in thinking that there is a default web home page set in the registry that could be changed so that all users start with that. (HKCU\Software\Microsoft\InternetExplorer\Main, Default_page_url = ???)

Dell sets it up so that Dell.com is the default setting on anyone that uses the computer.... logging in locally or via the domain.

This said, would I be able to change this on each machine or are new user accounts going to use settings pulled from a servers on the main campus?

Does my question make sense? Students log into the student domain on one of our computers, and I want their default homepage to be the school's homepage.

Thanks, and sorry if I'm unclear...

-Hex..