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Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 7 for begginers

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Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) is a product from Microsoft that enables an organization to centrally manage the customizing, deployment, and maintenance of Microsoft's Web browser, Internet Explorer, for users on different computer platforms. There is no royalty on the deployed copies. Using IEAK, a company can set up every user's browser the same way. Microsoft offers a step-by-step process for using the kit.

Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7) enables the most efficient way to deploy and manage Web-based solutions.

Corporations

Learn how the IEAK 7 can help your organization with powerful, easy-to-use options for deploying and managing Web solutions with Internet Explorer 7.

Internet Explorer Administration Kit provides administrators with powerful, easy-to-use options designed to save you time and money in deploying and managing Web solutions.

IEAK allows you to:

· Establish version control across your organization.

· Centrally distribute and manage browser installations.

· Configure automatic connection profiles for users' machines.

· Customize virtually any aspect of Internet Explorer, including features, security, communications settings, and other important elements.

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

IEAK programs and tools make it easy for you to create, deploy, and manage custom browser packages, and save you time distributing your browser.

Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) programs and tools make it easy for you to create and deploy custom browser packages and to manage the browser after the installation.

As an ISP, you can customize Internet Explorer and make it easy for customers to sign up for your services. The IEAK works faster and more reliably to help you save time distributing your browser, get more users to the Web, and reduce your support costs.

The IEAK allows you to:

· Customize the browser and other features to match your business objectives.

· Brand Internet Explorer and the dialer software you distribute.

· Flexibly deploy and distribute the browser.

· Include third-party add-ons with installation. The Internet Explorer Administration Kit makes it easy for you to generate a custom browser with Internet Explorer that can be deployed via Web download or CD to your subscribers.

Internet Content Providers (ICPs)

Learn how the IEAK enables you to customize the appearance of the browser and tailor it for your users.

As an Internet Content Provider, you can choose customization options for Internet Explorer that help showcase your content in a number of ways. The Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) enables you to customize the appearance of the browser and the Setup program.

Customizing Internet Explorer Software by ICPs

To customize Internet Explorer, you can add your organization's name or other wording to the title bar. For example, the phrase "Windows Internet Explorer Provided by Proseware, Inc." could appear on your title bar.

You can preset the following Web pages and links:

· Customer support page

· Users' home page

· Users' search providers

· Links in the Links bar

· Links in the Favorites bar

· Links to Explorer Bars

· Add-on Components page (for optional components)

· You can also customize the appearance of the browser software so that your organization's content is more prominent when the user browses the Internet. For example, you may want to customize the user's home page with content and links related to your business. By continually updating the content on your Web sites, you can keep your customers interested and informed about your products or services.

Customization Examples for ICPs

To showcase your organization's information and services on the Internet, you may want to consider the following customization options:

* Add links to your organization's Web sites. For example, if your organization is a radio station, you could add links to Web pages that highlight play-lists and composers' biographies.

* Update the browser interface with your organization's branding. You can add your organization's name to the title bar.

* Track information about your customized browser software by using an agent string—a string of characters that a Web browser sends when it visits an Internet site. The custom string that you append to the user agent string enables Web sites to compile statistics about how many of your customers are using your browser to view those sites.

Independent Software Vendors (ISVs)

Find out how you can include your own components and controls for your users when distributing your custom browser program using Internet Explorer.

As an Independent Software Vendor, you can easily distribute your custom program with Internet Explorer. By using the Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) programs and tools you are able to create custom browser software packages that include your own components and controls for how your users install the packages.

ISVs Customizing Internet Explorer

Using the IEAK, you can include Internet Explorer technologies, such as the Web Browser control, with your custom program and easily create Internet Explorer distribution media. You can also specify home and search providers and add Web sites to the Favorites list when you create your custom browser software packages.

You can also redistribute Internet Explorer. By using setup scripts or command-line switches, you can reduce or eliminate the user interaction required to install Internet Explorer and Internet Tools. This helps ensure smooth installation when users set up your custom program with Internet Explorer.

Customization Examples for ISVs

To distribute your program with Internet Explorer, you may want to consider the following customization options:

* Use a batch file and command-line switches to install Internet Explorer in redistribution mode. This mode installs the underlying program files without overwriting the Internet Explorer icon if Internet Explorer already exists on the user's computer. You can also suppress Windows Update Setup prompts, so that your custom program does not provide setup feedback to the user.

* Update Customize Internet Explorer with links to your organization's Web sites or to sources of related technologies. Then you can use the IEAK to create a CD-ROM package that includes your custom program.

Before you install IEAK 7

Installation requirements

* You must have Internet Explorer 7 installed on your computer in order for IEAK 7 to run successfully.

* You can install this version along with an existing installation of IEAK 6 with SP1 on platforms that support that configuration.

* We recommend that you install IEAK 7 on a computer that is running the same operating system as the destination computer for which you are creating a package.

Supported operating systems

With this version of this product, you can customize and install Internet Explorer 7 on computers that are running the x86-based, x64-based, and Itanium-based versions of Microsoft Windows XP with Service Pack 2 (SP2), Windows Vista or Microsoft Windows Server 2003 operating systems.

After you install IEAK 7

To start using IEAK

1. Click Start, click All Programs, and then click Microsoft IEAK 7.

2. Then, do one of the following:

· Click Internet Explorer Customization Wizard to start creating a custom package. You can also open Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard from the command line by typing ieak7wiz.

· Click IEAK Profile Manager to edit existing settings.

· Click IEAK Help to access the IEAK 7 product documentation (IEAKHelp.chm).

What is new in IEAK 7

The following are new features in this version of IEAK 7:

Ability to use the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard or IEAK Profile Manager to customize:

· Web feeds. You can add Web feeds to your customized browser.

· Multiple home pages. You can add multiple home pages, which use the new tab-browsing feature in Internet Explorer.

· Search providers. You can make multiple search providers available to your users.

· Corporate installation options. You can specify whether the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool is updated and run.

· Anti-phishing. You can specify whether your users can manage the new anti-phishing filter in Internet Explorer.

Ability to create a single package that can automatically configure an existing installation of Internet Explorer 7 or install and configure Internet Explorer 7, depending on whether Internet Explorer is already installed.

Improved Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard pages and text designed to provide a better experience than in previous versions of IEAK.

What is not available in IEAK 7

Partly because of changes in Internet Explorer, you will not be able to perform the following tasks with IEAK 7 that you were able to perform with earlier versions of IEAK:

· The signing functionality is no longer available as a part of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard. Instead, you should include signed components while creating a package and use tools available on the Web to sign the final distribution package. More details are available in the product documentation (Ieakhelp.chm).

· You cannot change the installation directory for Internet Explorer on your users' computers.

· You cannot customize and package Outlook Express and Windows Media Player.

· You cannot customize the toolbar background bitmap for Internet Explorer.

· You cannot create custom logos or animated bitmaps for Internet Explorer.

· You cannot customize the title bar text and custom logo bitmaps for the Internet Explorer Setup Wizard.

· You cannot install multiple components of Internet Explorer from the Automatic Version Synchronization page in the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard. Internet Explorer is now installed as a single component.

· You cannot use the Download media option. This option and the Component Download Sites page have been removed.

· You cannot customize options for the Microsoft Update Web site.

· The Internet Connection Wizard is not supported on the Windows Vista™ operating system. However, ISPs can still use IEAK 7 to customize the Internet Connection Wizard for Internet Explorer 7 on computers running Windows XP with SP2 or Windows Server 2003.

·

· User rights deployment is no longer required for Internet Explorer Setup and has been removed from the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard.

· The toolkit provided with IEAK 7 has been updated and the following files have been removed: Fontinst.exe, Fontinst.inf, Ie55urd.exe, Instmsiw.exe, Welc.exe, Filewiz.exe, Cert2spc.exe, Chktrust.exe, Dumpcert.exe, Makecert.exe, Setreg.exe, Tour.exe, Cdsetup.exe, Isk3ro2.exe, Animbmp.exe, Makebmp.exe, Bitedit.exe, Paledit.exe, Inetlogn.exe, Inetlogn.inf, Netlogon.exe, Installx.exe

Internet Explorer 7 Administration Toolkit Configuration

The Administration Toolkit can be located at https://www.microsoft.com/technet/prodtechnol/ie/ieak7/default.mspx

Once installed, click on START, followed by ALL PROGRAMS, then MICROSOFT IEAK 7, then INTERNET EXPLORER CUSTOMISATION WIZARD.

Follow are the description of different stages that one need go go through (in the wizard) to create a custom IE7 package:

File Locations

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can change the destination folders where the custom package is created and the folder where Windows Internet Explorer 7 will be downloaded.

Item

Details

Destination folder

The destination folder is where the custom package is placed when the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard is finished. You can create the package on your hard disk and move it to an Internet or intranet server, or you can create it on a server.

Subfolders for each localized (language) version are created in the destination folder that you specify for each operating system and media type. For example, if you specify your destination folder as C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Cie\Dist, the English-language version for Windows is then created as C:\Inetpub\Wwwroot\Cie\Dist\Flat\Win32\En\.

If you are creating the package on a Web server that is running from your hard drive, use the path to the Web server as the destination.

Important

Whatever location you choose, it is critical that it is protected by appropriate access control lists (ACLs). If the location is not protected, the custom package may be tampered with.

Advanced Options

Click this button to customize the location and process for downloading files, or to import settings from an existing .ins file.
  • Check for latest components via Automatic Version Synchronization
  • Select this option to enable the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard to connect to the Internet Explorer 7 Downloads site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=67690) to detect whether an updated version of Internet Explorer has become available since the last time you ran the wizard. The wizard compares the version of Internet Explorer on the local computer with the latest version on this site. If you downloaded Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7) from the Internet, you must run the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard with Automatic Version Synchronization at least once, so that the wizard can check for updated versions of the browser.
  • Path of .INS file to import settings from
  • To import settings from an existing .ins file as a starting point for a new IEAK package, enter the path to the file. Importing settings can save time if your new package will have the same or similar settings. You can change any individual settings as you continue through the wizard.
  • Component Download folder
  • Specify a download location for Internet Explorer. Automatic Version Synchronization automatically checks this folder to determine whether you have the latest version of Internet Explorer. We recommend that you do not change this folder, so that you can keep the version of Internet Explorer updated. Change this folder only if you plan to retain the version of Internet Explorer that you downloaded the last time you ran the wizard, and if you want to download a new version to a different location.

Platform Selection

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you must choose the operating system and processor architecture for the computers on which you want to install the custom package.

Item

Details

Target Platform

Select the operating system that you want to use from the list.

With Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7, you can customize and install Internet Explorer 7 on computers running x86-based and x64-based versions of Windows XP with SP2, Windows Server 2003, and Windows Vista operating systems.

You must create a separate package for each operating system that you want to support. To retain settings across multiple operating systems, specify the same destination folder for each package. The packages are saved in different subfolders within that destination folder.

Language Selection

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you must choose the language for the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7) custom package.

Important

On the computer on which you are installing the IEAK 7 package, the language for IEAK 7 must be the same as the language for Internet Explorer — otherwise, IEAK 7 will not work correctly.

If the language that you want to use for the package is not listed in the drop-down list on this page of the wizard, close the wizard, insert the IEAK product CD that contains the language that you want to use, and then restart the wizard. For information about ordering an IEAK product CD, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId.

Item

Details

Target language

Select the language that you want to use from this list.

You must run the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard once for each language that you plan to support. To retain settings across multiple versions of the package, specify the same destination folder for all versions. The different language versions are saved in separate subfolders within that destination folder.

For example, EN is the abbreviation for English, and DE is the abbreviation for German. If you specify C:\Cie\Build1\ as your destination folder, your customized package containing an English-language version of Internet Explorer will be created in the folder C:\Cie\Build1\Flat\Win32\EN\.

Your customized package containing a German-language version of Internet Explorer will be created in the folder C:\Cie\Build1\Flat\Win32\DE\.

Media Selection

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you must specify which type of media you will use to distribute your custom package. You can select more than one media type, if needed.

Item

Details

CD-ROM (with autorun program)

Select this option if you want to distribute your custom package using a CD-ROM. This option groups your custom package into a set of folders and provides support for autorun, which will appear when your users insert the CD-ROM into their computers. The package for this media type will be created in a folder named <systemdrive>:\builds\<buildnumber>\CD.

File

Select this option if you want to build your package on a local area network, or if you plan to move your package to one. The package for this media type will be created in a folder named <systemdrive>:\builds\<buildnumber>\FLAT.

Configuration-only package

Select this option to customize an existing installation of Internet Explorer 7. This option creates a file, Setup.exe, in a folder named <systemdrive>:\builds\<buildnumber>\BrndOnly. You can distribute this file on any media format or server. When this file is run, it customizes Internet Explorer features, including Internet sign-up for Internet service providers (ISPs), without installing Internet Explorer. You cannot include custom components or Connection Manager profiles in a configuration-only package, because the size of the package would be greater than the capacity of a floppy disk.

Important
  • The Internet sign-up option is not available for the Windows Vista operating system.
  • If you are using a configuration-only package and some of your users have Internet Explorer 4.01 Service Pack 1 or earlier, do not use the Internet Connection Wizard server-based sign-up mode on the Sign-up Method page. Instead, create a separate package using server-based sign-up in kiosk mode for these users. For more information, see Internet Sign-up Using Kiosk Mode.

Feature Selection

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can select which parts of Internet Explorer 7, setup, and sign-up that you want to customize. Your selections here determine which remaining wizard screens appear. For example, if you plan to customize only the user interface of Internet Explorer, you can clear the other check boxes, so that the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard displays only Browser Title and Toolbar Customizations page. The items on this page are also limited by the version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7) that you installed and the operating system that you are using to build the custom package. For more information, see Customization Options for Specific Audiences.

Item

Details

Select All

Click this option to indicate that you are customizing all available features.

Clear All

Click this option to indicate that you are not customizing any of the listed features.

Note

To speed up your progress through the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can use the configuration of a previously built IEAK package as the baseline configuration for this package. To do this, return to the File Locations screen and click Advanced Options to import an .ins file. As you create the new package, you can change any of the imported settings.

Automatic Version Synchronization

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, the Setup file for Internet Explorer 7 is downloaded to your computer to the location that you specify. The download contains both the full and express packages and the language that you specified earlier in the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard. Automatic Version Synchronization runs each time you run the wizard.

There are two types of versioning used by Internet Explorer Administration Kit: versioning of the custom package and versioning of Internet Explorer itself. For the first type, each Internet Explorer package that you create is assigned a version number and versioning can be enforced so that older packages are not allowed to overwrite newer versions of the same package. Automatic Version Synchronization addresses the second type — versioning for Internet Explorer.

Note

You may be prompted with a security warning before the Setup file is downloaded.

Item

Details

Version available on your machine

This number indicates the version of Internet Explorer 7 on the computer on which you are running the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard.

Latest version available on Web

This number indicates the most recently released version of the wizard and compares the version of Internet Explorer on the local computer with the latest version on the Internet Explorer 7 Downloads site (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=67690). If the version of the browser on your computer matches the most recent version from the download location, you do not need to update your browser.

Synchronize

If the version of the browser displayed next to Version available on your computer is older than Latest version available on Web, you should click Synchronize to update the version on your computer.

Disk space required

This number indicates the amount of space needed to update the browser.

Disk space available

This number indicates the amount of space available on the computer on which you are running the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard.

You can also use an older version of the browser. To do this, do the following:

To revert to an earlier version of the browser
  1. Click Cancel to exit the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard.
  2. Restart the wizard.
  3. On the File Locations page in the wizard, click Advanced Options.
  4. In the Advanced Options dialog box, change the Component Download folder to a different location.
  5. Continue through the wizard.

Add Custom Components

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can add up to ten components that your users can install at the same time that they install Internet Explorer. These components can be compressed cabinet (.cab) files or self-extracting executable (.exe) files, and can be anything from components you created for your organization to components from Microsoft. For Microsoft components, the most current versions and software patches may be available from Microsoft Update (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=284). To include any components from Microsoft Update in your package, you must bundle the associated files into a custom component.

You should sign any custom code that is downloaded over the Internet to let your users know that they can trust your code before downloading it to their computers. The default settings in Windows Internet Explorer 7 reject unsigned code.

Note

Certain options on this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard are only available for certain versions of Windows operating systems.

Item

Details

Component

Type the name of your component.

Location

Type the path to your program, or click Browse to search for it.

Command

If you specify a .cab file, you must also specify a command to extract the file.

GUID

A globally unique identifier (GUID) establishes a unique identity for programs, objects, and other items. If your program already has a GUID, type it in this box. If your program does not have a GUID, one is generated for you.

Description

Type up to 511 characters to describe your component.

Parameter

You can specify command-line options to run with your custom program. For example, you might want to install your program silently, so that users do not see prompts during setup of your program or Internet Explorer. For more information about using options, see Command-line Options and IExpress.

Note

Tools for creating IExpress scripts are installed with IEAK at <SystemDrive>:\Program Files\Microsoft IEAK 7\toolkit.

Uninstall Key

Microsoft Update Setup compares this value to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\ApplicationName to verify that the component installed correctly.

Version

Type the serial number that you want to assign to the custom Internet Explorer package you are creating. The correct format for this version number is xxxx,xxxx,xxxx,xxxx. The version is a number and does not include alphabetical characters.

Add

Click Add to clear the fields and add a new custom component.

Remove

Click Remove to delete the current program from your custom package.

Browse

Click Browse to find the location of your custom component.

Verify

Click Verify to determine whether the program was digitally signed. Programs installed over the Internet typically need a digital signature that identifies their source and guarantees that the code has not changed since it was signed. Depending on browser settings, users will be warned before the program is downloaded. For more about code signing, see Certificates, Digital Signatures, and IEAK.

Install Conditions

You can specify when to install components in relation to the installation of Internet Explorer.

Note

To minimize the number of system restarts for your users, you can install the component before or after Internet Explorer is installed, or after the required system restart.
  • Install before Internet Explorer
  • Click this option if you need to install a custom component before Internet Explorer is installed (for example, to run a batch file to configure user settings).
  • Install after Internet Explorer
  • Click this option if you want to install one or more Internet Explorer software updates.
  • Install after system restarts
  • Click this option if your custom component contains system service packs or Microsoft Java Virtual Machine updates.
  • Only install if Internet Explorer is installed successfully
  • Select this check box if you want to prevent a component from being installed if Internet Explorer is not installed on your users' computers. Use this for any component that requires Internet Explorer to be present to be successfully installed (for example, a security update).

Corporate Install Options

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can customize Setup for the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool, the default browser, and browser updates, based on your corporate guidelines.

Item

Details

Install the latest updates for Internet Explorer, and download and run the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool. (recommended)

You can specify whether to download Internet Explorer 7 updates and whether to download and run the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool as part of the installation. The Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool checks computers running Windows XP, Windows Server 2003, or Windows 2000 for infections by specific, prevalent malicious software, and helps to remove any infection found. For more about this tool, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=68742.

Select this check box to install the latest updates for Internet Explorer (including security updates), and to install and run the Malicious Software Removal Tool on your users' computers.

Allow user to choose

Select this option to enable your users to pick a default browser.

Do not set Internet Explorer as the default browser

Select this option to prevent Internet Explorer being the default browser.

Disable saving uninstall information

Internet Explorer Setup automatically saves information to uninstall the program. Select this check box to disable this feature. You may want to do this to save disk space on your users' computers.

Customizing the Setup Experience

In this stage of running the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can specify how setup for the custom package functions for your users.

This stage contains the following pages:

  • CD Autorun Customizations. If you are using a CD to deploy the custom package, use this page to customize the autorun screen that appears when the CD is first inserted.
  • More CD Options. If you are using a CD to deploy the custom package, use this page to provide the location to release notes and the installation instruction text that will appear in the autorun screen.
  • User Experience. For the Corporate version only: Specify the level of user interaction during the installation of the custom package.

Note

To properly run Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7, you must have Internet Explorer 7 installed.

CD Autorun Customizations

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, if you are creating a CD-ROM version of your custom package, you can create an autorun screen that displays after a user inserts the CD into the drive. As part of this, you can provide custom bitmaps.

Item

Details

Title bar text

Type the text you want to appear in the title bar of the autorun screen.

Custom background bitmap location

Specify the location of a bitmap that will appear behind the text in the autorun screen. Make sure that the background color does not conflict with the text color. The image should be a 256-color bitmap that is 540 x 357 pixels.

Standard text color

Select the color of text on the screen that is not part of a link.

Highlight text color

Select the color of the links on the screen.

Button style

Choose a style for the buttons that users will click to install Internet Explorer and to get more information.
  • Standard beveled buttons
  • These buttons are similar to the buttons that appear in Microsoft software programs. They are gray, rectangular buttons.
  • 3D bitmap buttons
  • These buttons look three-dimensional.
  • Custom button bitmap (specify location)
  • You can provide a custom bitmap. To locate the path for the image, click Browse.

More CD Options

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can further customize CD installations of Windows Internet Explorer 7 by including release notes for information about the custom package, and by having a Web page with user instructions appear after installation.

Item

Details

More information text file

Specify the name and path for the file that you want users to see after installation. By default, the CD autorun screen provides a link to this file. If you change the name of this file, you need to update the path in the autorun screen.

Use kiosk mode start page

Select this option to use the Internet Explorer browser window in kiosk mode for the start page that appears after installation. In kiosk mode, the browser and toolbar are not displayed.

Kiosk mode start page HTML file

Specify the name and path for the .htm file that you want to appear after a user has installed Internet Explorer. This page appears in kiosk mode. You should place any graphics associated with this page in the same location as the .htm file.

User Experience

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can specify the amount of user interaction during Setup for the custom package. This page is only available in the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7).

Item

Details

Interactive Installation

Choose this option to enable your users to change installation options when they install the custom package. All of the progress dialog boxes and error messages appear during the installation.

Hands-free Installation

Choose this option if you want to make all installation decisions for your users, but still keep them informed of the installation progress and errors.

Completely Silent Installation

Choose this option if you want your users to install the customized browser without any dialog boxes or progress indicators appearing on the screen.

Both the hands-free and silent installation options do the following:

  • Answer prompts that enable Setup to continue.
  • Accept the license agreement.
  • Specify that Internet Explorer 7 is installed and not just downloaded.
  • Carry out the type of installation that you specified for this installation package.
  • Install Internet Explorer in the default location, unless it is already installed. In that case, the new version of the browser is installed in the same location as the previous version.

Neither of these modes is interactive, and users do not have control over the progress of the installation. In a silent installation, if installation does not finish successfully, users do not see an error message. You might consider using this feature for installations that are deployed when the user is not present.

Browser Title and Toolbar Customizations

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can customize the title bar text and toolbar buttons of Internet Explorer 7. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7, after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Item

Details

Customize Title Bars

Select this check box to enable you to provide custom text

Title Bar Text

Type the text here that you want to display in the custom browser. The text will appear as: Windows Internet Explorer provided by < your title bar text here >.

Delete existing toolbar buttons, if present

To delete all of the toolbar buttons in the users' browser, except the standard buttons that are installed with Internet Explorer, select this check box.

Notes
  • This option is available only to corporate administrators.
  • You cannot remove the standard toolbar buttons in Internet Explorer.

Add

Click this option to add new, custom buttons that launch scripts or programs. After adding buttons, you can return to this page of the wizard to edit or remove the buttons if needed. For more information about designing custom buttons, see the Toolbar Button Style Guide (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=68758).
  • Toolbar caption (required)
  • Type the text that should appear when users hover over the toolbar button. The recommended maximum length is 10 characters.
  • Toolbar Action, as script file or executable (required)
  • Type the name and location of the script file or executable file that will run when a user clicks this button, or click Browse to find the file.
  • Toolbar icon (required)
  • Type the name and location of the file that represents the button in its active state, or click Browse to find the file. The icon consists of 20 x 20 pixel images for active and inactive states.
  • This button should be shown on the toolbar by default
  • Select this check box to display the toolbar button in the users' browser. You should clear this check box if you want to offer a set of custom buttons, but want your users to be able to choose whether or not to use the new buttons. In this case, the buttons you add will appear in the Customize Toolbars dialog box under Available toolbar buttons. The user can access this dialog box in Internet Explorer by clicking Tools, clicking Toolbars, and then clicking Customize.

Edit

In the list of toolbar buttons, click the button that you want to change, and then click Edit.

Remove

In the list of toolbar buttons, click the item that you want to delete, and then click Remove. The toolbar button is immediately removed from the list and when you apply the customizations to your users' browsers, the button is not available.

Note

Only custom buttons can be removed this way. The default buttons for Internet Explorer cannot be removed.

Search Provider Customization

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can add search providers and set a search provider default for the customized version of Internet Explorer 7. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7), after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Note

For installations of Windows Vista, in general, MSN Search will be listed as the default search provider. However, for a computer running Windows Vista, where you have applied a configuration-only package that includes settings for one or more search provider, and the user has not yet opened Internet Explorer on that computer, the MSN Search provider will not be added for that user.

Item

Details

Search Providers

This text box lists any search providers that have been added and also indicates which search provider is the default.

Import

Click this button to import the current list of search providers from the version of Internet Explorer on your computer.

Add

Click this button to add a search provider and then provide the following information.
  • Display Name
  • Type the text you want to appear for the search provider in the Search Options menu in Internet Explorer.
  • URL
  • Type the full URL for the search provider, including the https:// prefix.

Set Default

To set a search provider as the default, select the provider under Search Providers, and then click the Set Default button.

Remove

To remove a search provider, select the provider under Search Providers,and then click the Remove button.

Note

You cannot remove the Windows Live search provided by default in Windows Vista using this method.

Search Guide URL Customization

Select this check box if you plan to add the search providers to a custom Web page for your users, and then type the URL for the custom Web page in the text box.

Important URLs - Home Page and Support

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can specify the URLs for one or more home pages and an online support page for your customized version of Internet Explorer 7. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7), after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Item

Details

URL

The home page appears when the user clicks the Home button. In Internet Explorer 7, if you specify multiple home pages, each page will be displayed on a separate tab in the browser. If you do not customize this option, Internet Explorer is configured to display https://www.msn.com/ as the home page.

Type the URL to your custom home page.

Add

After you have typed a URL for a custom home page, click Add to add that page to the list in the text box.

Remove

In the text box, click the home page that you want to delete, and then click Remove.

Retain previous Home Page (Upgrade)

For users who already have an earlier version of Internet Explorer installed on their computer, select this check box to enable them to keep their home page settings when their browser is upgraded.

Online support page URL

In Internet Explorer, support information is available from Microsoft when users click Help and then click Online Support. However, you can provide your own support page for your organization and make it available to users. To specify the location of a custom support page, select this check box, and then type the URL for the page.

Favorites, Links and Feeds

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can customize the Favorites, Feeds, and Links features in Internet Explorer 7 by adding links to sites related to your company or services. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7), after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Microsoft has provided items in Favorites, Links, and Web Feeds by default. However, you can remove any of these items and/or add new folders and links as part of the custom package.

Item

Details

Place favorites and links at the top of the list in the order specified below

Select this check box to specify that the items you choose are moved to the top of the users' Favorites list. When you select this option, the Up and Down buttons become active.

Delete existing Favorites and Links, if present

If you are a corporate administrator, you can select this option to delete the items on the users' Favorites and Links lists. We recommend that you use this setting with caution, because it removes the links and favorites that your users set up.
  • Only delete the favorites created by the administrator
  • This option becomes active when you select the Delete existing Favorites and Links, if present check box. This option provides a little more control for the items you delete, only deleting the items on your users' Favorites and Links lists that you set up for them.

Delete existing channels, if present

If you are a corporate administrator, select this check box to delete existing channels on your users' computers. Channels are available only on computers that have been upgraded from Internet Explorer 4.0 or Windows 98.

Add URL

To add a link, click Favorites, Links, or RSS Feeds, or a folder within one of these categories, and then click Add URL. This opens the Details dialog box.

Note

You can add up to 200 links to the Favorites folder.
  • Name
  • Type a name for link in the Name box. This can be a friendly name that helps the user recognize what the link refers to.
  • URL
  • Type the destination of your link in the URL box.
  • Icon
  • To specify a 16 x 16 pixels custom icon for this link, type the name and location of the file in the Icon box, or click Browse to locate the file
  • Make available offline
  • If you are a corporate administrator, select this check box to make this page available to users who are not connected to the Internet. This option is often helpful for users with laptop computers.

Add Folder

To add a folder, click Favorites, Links, RSS Feeds, or a folder within one of these categories, and then click Add Folder. In Name, type a name for the folder.

Edit

Select the link you want to change, and then click Edit. Make changes to the information in Name, URL, and Icon, as needed.

Remove

To delete a link from Favorites, Links, or Feeds, click the link, and then click Remove.

Test URL

To test a link, click the link in the list, and then click Test URL. This opens an instance of Internet Explorer which attempts to connect to the Web site with that URL.

Import

To import an existing folder of links, click Favorites, Links, or RSS Feeds, and then click Import. In the Browse for Folder dialog box, locate and click the folder of desired links on your computer. These links are most likely located in the <SystemDrive>:\Documents and Settings\<user_name>\Favorites folder.

Welcome Page

Internet Explorer 7 displays a first run page when a user first starts the browser. On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can disable the default first run page, and/or specify whether you want to display a custom welcome page after the first run page. If you do not customize the settings on this page of the wizard, the first time your users open Internet Explorer, they will see the first run page.

Item

Details

Disable the Internet Explorer first run page

Select this check box to prevent your users from seeing the default first run page in Internet Explorer.

Use a custom welcome page (specify URL below)

Select this check box if you want to use a custom welcome page, and then type the URL in the box below.

If you select the Disable the Internet Explorer first run page check box, this welcome page will appear the first time your users open Internet Explorer. If you clear the Disable the Internet Explorer first run page check box, your custom welcome page will appear after the default first run page.

User Agent String

Some companies track Web site statistics, such as how many times their content is accessed and what type of Web browsers are being used. You can track the use of your customized version of Internet Explorer by using a user agent string, which is sent in the header of every HTTP request so that a site's Web server can detect what type of browser is being used.

In this page in the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can customize the user agent string by adding characters to the end of the string. Customizing the user agent string is optional, but if you decide to do this, be aware that other companies that track site statistics will see the customized string.

Notes
  • For Internet Explorer 7, the value MSIE 7.0 (with a space) is used to identify browser type.
  • The recommended maximum size for the user agent string is 200 characters.

Item

Details

Customize string to be appended to user agent string

Select this check box to customize the user agent string.

Custom string to be appended to user agent string

The string you type in this box is appended to the user agent string for the customized browser. You do not need to customize the user agent string unless you want to track the usage of your custom browser.

Connection Manager Customization

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, if you have already created a custom profile using Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK), you can import it into your installation package.

Note

If you do not have a CMAK profile, you can use the Connection Settings and Proxy Settings pages in the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard to configure connections settings manually.

If you use a CMAK profile, make sure that the profile is specific to the operating system for which you are creating the package. CMAK creates a self-extracting executable (*.exe) file that installs itself on your user's computer. When your user clicks the custom icon to connect to the Internet, the custom dialer dialog box that you created as part of the CMAK profile appears.

Item

Details

Use specified custom profile

Select this check box if you have already created a custom CMAK profile, and then type the name and location of the profile. CMAK files include .cmp and .cms files. Service provider customizations are contained in the .cms file.

Connection Settings

You can use the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard to preset connection settings for your users' installations of Internet Explorer 7 by importing the connection settings from your computer. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7, after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Item

Details

Do not customize Connection Settings

Click this option if you do not want to preset your users' customization settings.

Import the current Connection Settings from this machine

Click this option to use the connection settings from your computer to preset your users' settings. To change any of these settings, click Modify Settings to open the Connections tab in the Internet Properties dialog box, and then edit the settings from there.

Delete existing Dial-up Connection Settings

If you are a corporate administrator, select this check box to clear the existing settings on your users' computers.

Note

If you are a corporate administrator, you can also use the options on the Additional Settings page in the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard or in IEAK Profile Manager to specify whether users can change their connection settings. You can customize additional connection settings using the Automatic Configuration page in the wizard.

If you want to first view the settings that you will import, do the following:

To view settings that will be imported
  1. In Internet Explorer, click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, and then click the Connections tab.
  2. On the tab, click Settings to view dial-up settings and click LAN Settings to view network settings.

Note

If you are planning to use an .ins file to configure your users' settings, the address for automatic configuration is not imported as part of this procedure and must be set manually.

Automatic Configuration

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can specify URLs to files that will automatically configure Internet Explorer 7 for a group of users or computers. You configure options by using Internet settings (.ins) files to set standard proxy settings. You can also specify script files in JScript (.js), JavaScript (.jvs), or proxy auto-configuration (.pac) format that enable you to configure and maintain advanced proxy settings. When an automatic proxy (auto-proxy) script file is specified, Internet Explorer uses the script to determine dynamically whether to connect directly to a host or to use a proxy server.

If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7, after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager. To use automatic configuration, you must create a profile consisting of an .ins file and any cabinet (.cab) files generated by IEAK Profile Manager. After creating the profile, you store it on a server.

You can configure network servers using Domain Name System (DNS) and Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) to automatically detect and configure a browser's settings when the user first starts the browser on a network. For more information, see the product documentation for your DNS and DHCP software packages and also Enable Automatic Detection and Configuration of Browser Settings.

Item

Details

Automatically detect configuration settings

Select this option to automatically detect browser settings.

Enable Automatic Configuration

If you want to regularly change Internet Explorer settings after the browser is deployed to your users, and you want to do this automatically by providing configuration files, select the Enable Automatic Configuration check box to set the interval for updates and then specify the location for configuration files.

Note

If you specify URLs for both automatic configuration (auto-config) and auto-proxy, the auto-proxy URL will be incorporated into the .ins file. The correct form for the URL is https://share/test.ins.
  • Automatically configure every < time interval > minutes
  • Specify the interval in minutes for settings to be applied in your organization. If you enter zero (0), or do not enter a value, automatic configuration happens only when the user's computer is restarted.
  • Auto-config URL (.INS file)
  • Type the location for the .ins file you want to use for automatic configuration (auto-config). If you need to change settings later, edit the .ins file directly. The next time your users start the browser, or on a schedule that you specify, the changes take effect on each user's computer.
  • Auto-proxy URL (.JS, .JVS, or .PAC file)
  • Type the location for the automatic proxy (auto-proxy) script.

Note

Branding changes distributed to people using automatic configuration are not applied if the Disable external branding of Internet Explorer policy is enabled in Group Policy. This policy prevents branding of Internet programs by a third party such as an Internet service provider or Internet content provider.

Before you begin, you may also want to check the automatic configuration settings on your users' computers. To do this, do the following:

To check the automatic configuration settings on your users' computers
  1. In Internet Explorer, click Tools, and then click Internet Options.
  2. Click the Connections tab, and then click LAN Settings.
  3. Verify that the Use automatic configuration script check box is selected, and confirm the path and name of the file in the Address box.

Proxy Settings

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can specify which proxy servers your users connect to for services that are included in the custom Internet Explorer 7 package. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7), after you deploy the custom package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Using a proxy server can allow you to limit access to the Internet. You can also restrict the ability of your users to change the proxy settings using Additional Settings in the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard or later, using IEAK Profile Manager.

Item

Details

Enable proxy settings

Select this check box to use proxy servers for any of the listed services.

Address of proxy

Type the address of the proxy server for a service. You must specify an address for the services for which you want to use proxy servers. In most cases, a single proxy is used for all addresses. The proxy locations that do not begin with a protocol (such as https:// or ftp://) are assumed to be a CERN-type HTTP proxy. For example, the entry proxy would be treated the same as the entry https://proxy. For FTP gateways, the proxy should be listed with the protocol ftp:// in front of the proxy name. For example, you would enter an FTP gateway ftpproxy as ftp://ftpproxy.

Port

Type the port number for each service. The default is 80.

Use the same proxy server for all addresses

Select this check box to use the same proxy server settings for all the listed services.

Do not use proxy server for addresses beginning with

Enter specific addresses for which you do not want to use a proxy server. A proxy bypass entry can begin with a protocol type, such as https://, https://, ftp://, or gopher://. If a protocol type is used, the exception entry applies only to requests for that protocol. The protocol value is not case sensitive and this field allows a wildcard character ( * ) to be used in the place of zero or more characters. Use a semicolon to separate entries. For this version of IEAK, this list is limited to 2064 characters.

Note

The gopher:// protocol type is not available for Internet Explorer 7.

Do not use proxy server for local (intranet) addresses

Select this check box to bypass proxy servers for all addresses on your intranet.

Security and Privacy Settings

On this page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can manage security zones, privacy settings, and content ratings to help you control the types of content that your users' computers can access on the Internet. You can also set the level of privacy regarding cookies for your users. You can adjust the settings to block content that may be considered offensive or otherwise inappropriate in a corporate setting. If you installed the Corporate version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7, after you deploy the custom Internet Explorer 7 package, you can update these settings using IEAK Profile Manager.

Item

Details

Do not customize security zones and privacy

Click this option if you do not want to customize these settings for your users. The default security zones and privacy settings vary depending on the version of Windows operating system that you are running.

Import the current security zones and privacy settings

Click this option to import the settings from your computer. This opens the Security tab in the Internet Properties dialog box.

If you receive a warning that the settings you are importing do not have Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration enabled, then you should ensure that this is acceptable in your organization. In this case, when you apply the settings from your computer, computers that do have the enhanced security configuration enabled will maintain the enhanced security configuration. Computers that do not have the enhanced security configuration enabled with be configured with the settings you are importing. If this is okay, click Continue,and then click Modify Settings.

Note

You can view all the security settings by clicking Internet Options in Control Panel, and then clicking the Security tab. See the Internet Explorer 7 product documentation for details of what the rules are for each of these settings.

Do not customize Content Ratings

Click this option if you do not want to customize content ratings. The categories of content ratings that you can use to manage the Web browsing in your organization vary depending on the version of Windows operating system that you are using.

Import the current Content Ratings settings

Click this option to import the settings from your computer. To change the settings that you are importing, click Modify Settings. This opens the Ratings tab in the Content Advisor dialog box.

Note

Not all Internet content is rated. If you choose to allow users to view unrated sites, some of those sites could contain inappropriate material.

Additional Customizations

In this stage of running the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, depending on the version of Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7) that you installed and the operating system that you are using, you can specify settings for Internet sign-up, a root certificate, and access to browser features for the custom Internet Explorer 7 package.

Important

The Internet sign-up option in this stage of the wizard is not available for the Windows Vista operating system.

This stage contains the following pages:

  • Add a Root Certificate. For the ISP version only: Specify a root certificate to add to the custom package to automatically certify a set of sites, people, and content publishers as trusted for your users.
  • Sign-up Method. For the ISP version only: Specify the method that you will use to provide Internet connection sign-up for your users after the custom browser is installed.
  • Sign-up Files. For the ISP version only: Specify the location and name of files that will be used to configure sign-up. You can also specify whether these files will be used as they are or configured during the next steps of the wizard.
  • Sign-up Server Information. For the ISP version only: Specify connection information for your users to connect to your sign-up server. This information is stored as an .isp file.
  • Internet Settings Files. For the ISP version only. Specify a custom .ins file to post on your server or to include in the custom package for client-based sign-up.
  • Internet Connection Wizard. For the ISP version only: If you are using this tool to enable your users to connect to the Internet, customize the title bar and image. This option is not applicable to the Windows Vista operating system.
  • Programs. For all versions: Specify the programs to use for various Internet services such as newsgroups, e-mail, and a calendar.
  • Additional Settings. For the Corporate version only: Configure settings to further control access to features of Internet Explorer for the users and computers in your organization as part of the custom package.

Note

To properly run IEAK 7, you must have Internet Explorer 7 installed.

Known issues

The following are the known issues with this product:

* Starting in October 2007, the Windows Genuine Advantage validation check was removed from the Internet Explorer 7 installation executable. The updated IEAK 7 released in English, German, Japanese, French, Spanish, Korean, Simplified Chinese, and Traditional Chinese languages. Additional localized Internet Explorer 7 installation executables will be released for download as they become available. If you use IEAK 7 to customize an internationalized Internet Explorer 7 version before the new Internet Explorer 7 installation executables (without the WGA check) are available, the customized package will contain the Windows Genuine Advantage validation check. To learn more, read the Knowledge Base article “.MSI in Active Directory environments”.

* The Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard does not work with user names that use double-byte character sets - for example, Chinese and Japanese. To fix this, you need to set the TEMP and TMP environment variable to a path that does not use these characters (for example, C:\temp). To do this, open System Properties and on the Advanced tab, click Environmental Variables. Then, click Edit and modify TEMP and TMP to a directory that is not in the user profile.

* Content ratings and the following groups of settings under the Corporate Restrictions node on the Additional Settings page do not work on computers that are running Windows Vista. That is, if you set one of these settings, the setting will not be retained on computers running Windows Vista. This is because IEAK packages do not have sufficient user rights to set these policies and restrictions.

· Internet Property Pages

· General Page

· Connections Page

· Content Page

· Programs Page

· Browser Menus

· Favorites and Search

· Explorer Bars

· Persistence

· Dial-Up Settings

· Security Page

· Software Updates

· Startup Restrictions

· Toolbars (Machine)

· Temp Internet Files (Machine)

If you are using the IEAK 7 to package Internet Explorer 7 in other languages, the settings on the Additional Settings page (which appears at the end of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard) will always appear in English, irrespective of the language of IEAK 7.

* When you add feeds using the Favorites, Links and Feeds page of the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you can only add feeds underneath a single folder. If you create two levels of folders and create a feed under the subfolder, then the feed will not work.

* The organization name that you specify when installing IEAK 7 should be 15 characters or less. If you specify a name that is longer than 15 characters, the package you create will have 'UNKNOWN PUBLISHER' in the place of your organization's name. To work around this issue, see https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=75695.

* When you create a custom component, the file name needs to be 16 characters or less, or you will not be able to install the component. If it is longer than 16 characters, the installation will fail but you will not receive an error.

* If IEAK 7 is corrupted, you should uninstall and then reinstall IEAK instead of using the Repair option. If you use the Repair option, then the installation will default to the ISP mode, regardless of the previous mode.