Configure the popup blocker in Windows XP SP2

25 September 2005 by Snakefoot | Comment » | Trackback Off
Internet Explorer (IE) 6.0 SP2 was released with WinXP SP2 and includes a popup information bar. It blocks pop-up windows that appear outside the browser itself (To avoid covering the status bar, address bar, or a security dialog), and makes it harder for pop-ups to masquerade as system dialogs. It is possible to control how this popup-blocker should operate by clicking on Tools -> Popup Blocker -> Popup Blocker Settings...
  • Whether the popup-blocker is enabled (This is the checkbox on the privacy tab in the Internet Control Panel):

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    PopupMgr = "yes" ("no" = Disabled, "yes" = Enabled, Default = "yes")

  • Show the IE Information Band when a popup is blocked:

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    UseSecBand = 1 (0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled; Default = 1)

  • Play sound when a popup is blocked:

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    PlaySound = 1 (0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled; Default = 1)

  • Block popups caused by user actions (Ex. clicking a link):

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    BlockUserInit = 0 (0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled; High = 1, Medium = 0, Low = 0)

  • Block delayed popups caused by user actions:

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    UseTimerMethod = 1 (0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled; High = 0, Medium = 0, Low = 1)
    UserInitTimeout = ?

  • Hook messages going to ActiveX controls, if disabled then a control may not open a new window:

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    UseHooks = 1 (0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled; High = 0, Medium = 1, Low = 1)

  • Block popups presented on web-sites accessed with HTTPS:

    [HKEY_CURRENT_USER \ Software \Microsoft \Internet Explorer \New Windows]
    AllowHTTPS = 1 (0 = Disabled, 1 = Enabled; High = 0, Medium = 0, Low = 1)

More info Microsoft Technet: Tales from the Script

Updated: 23 September 2007

Leave a comment


You can use these tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>