Introduction

You just installed Windows 2008 Server R2 and try to download some updates for your applications, but Internet Explorer shields you from being productive. This is called “Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration”.

Does the following page look familiar to you?

or this one?

With IE Enhanced Security Configuration you can’t download programs, you can’t copy executables from remote network locations and any browsing activity in IE results in an ugly message box. This blog post talks about how to get rid of these these annoyances and let your lions browse freely.

Windows 2003 R3

Everybody knows by now that you disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration by disabling a Windows feature using the Add/Remove Programs wizard.

Figure 1: Control Panel - Add Remove Programs

Select Add/Remove Windows Components

Figure 2: Add/Remove Windows Components

Scroll to “Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration” and un-check the checkbox next to it.

Figure 3: Un-check Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration

Click Next and you are done.

Windows 2008 R2

Here Microsoft made it a little bit trickier. But with a few clicks you can set your browser loose. Open the Control Panel.

Figure 4: Control Panel

Under Programs click on “Turn Windows features on or off”.

Figure 5: Turn Windows Features on or off

On the lower right corner you click on “Configure IE ESC”.

Figure 6: Server Manager Root Node

Switch the setting of the Administrator from On to Off.

Figure 7: Turn Internet Explorer (IE) Enhanced Security Configuration (ESC) off

Ausblick

I know… Microsoft just tries to make browsing with IE safe. But, if you don’t want anybody to use the browser, then just don’t install it. Deploying a defective browser is in my eyes just a waste of time.