Protected Mode

Forwarded to Vista Security newsgroup via crosspost.

Vista has much more enhanced security, compared to WinXP, Jack. It'd be a
very good idea to spend some time learning about User Account Control (UAC),
Elevated Privileges, and IE Protected Mode. Vista Help is a good place to
start.

References:

Windows Vista: Features Explained: Internet Explorer Protected Mode:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro...ectedmode.mspx

Windows Vista Help: What does Internet Explorer protected mode do?
[see related links @ bottom of page]
http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...013031033.mspx

Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode (technical; DOC download)
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...2-EA28ED620AB4
--
~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
DTS-L http://dts-l.net/


Jack B wrote:

> Can anyone explain "protected mode" and maybe offer a comment on how
> important is it to keep "protected mode" turned on. I am using IE version
> 7
> with MS Vista.
>
> The reason I ask is that I went to a new web site (a trusted site where
> some
> golf lesson info that I paid for resides) and tried to play some short
> video
> clips, and they wouldn't run. There were no error messages. Then I tried
> on an XP machine and they worked fine. Then I came back to my Vista
> machine
> and turned off protected mode and some of the stuff works now, but not all
> of it. So I have 2 questions really: 1. Should I leave protected mode
> off?
> 2. What else can I try to get the rest of the stuff on this web site to
> run?
> BTW, the website is golftec.com/members
>
> Thanks,
>
> Jack

Thanks for the links. I understand the basics of what Protected mode and
Vista does more or less. And I don't have a problem with a few extra mouse
clicks when I want to run certain files or download something. But when I
try to run a simple video, like I did this morning, and it just doesn't
work, and there is no error message, that is where Vista fails miserably.
In this example I called GolfTec, and they got my info up on their screen
and told me it worked there, so that led me to think that the problem was my
computer (and Vista), so then I had to find an XP machine and try it, to
find that it worked there, and then just guessing I turned off Protected
Mode, and found that that fixed some of the problem but not all.

This is not the first time I've wasted time forcing Vista to let me do
routine things...... I guess I'll stop the Vista rant. I get myself worked
up too easy over this software. Any idea what I need to do to get the rest
of the stuff working?


"PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:%23brKDBuXIHA.3940@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

> Forwarded to Vista Security newsgroup via crosspost.
>
> Vista has much more enhanced security, compared to WinXP, Jack. It'd be a
> very good idea to spend some time learning about User Account Control
> (UAC),
> Elevated Privileges, and IE Protected Mode. Vista Help is a good place to
> start.
>
> References:
>
> Windows Vista: Features Explained: Internet Explorer Protected Mode:
> http://www.microsoft.com/windows/pro...ectedmode.mspx
>
> Windows Vista Help: What does Internet Explorer protected mode do?
> [see related links @ bottom of page]
> http://windowshelp.microsoft.com/Win...013031033.mspx
>
> Internet Explorer 7 Protected Mode (technical; DOC download)
> http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/d...2-EA28ED620AB4
> --
> ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear)
> MS MVP-IE, Mail, Security, Windows Desktop Experience - since 2002
> AumHa VSOP & Admin http://aumha.net
> DTS-L http://dts-l.net/
>
>
> Jack B wrote:

>

What exactly is it you are doing and where/how exactly is it failing? I watch
videos all the time on Vista and it never fails for me. Can you give us more
details to help figure out what is wrong here?

---
Your question may already be answered in Windows Vista Security:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047...otectyourwi-20


"Jack B" wrote:

> Thanks for the links. I understand the basics of what Protected mode and
> Vista does more or less. And I don't have a problem with a few extra mouse
> clicks when I want to run certain files or download something. But when I
> try to run a simple video, like I did this morning, and it just doesn't
> work, and there is no error message, that is where Vista fails miserably.
> In this example I called GolfTec, and they got my info up on their screen
> and told me it worked there, so that led me to think that the problem was my
> computer (and Vista), so then I had to find an XP machine and try it, to
> find that it worked there, and then just guessing I turned off Protected
> Mode, and found that that fixed some of the problem but not all.
>
> This is not the first time I've wasted time forcing Vista to let me do
> routine things...... I guess I'll stop the Vista rant. I get myself worked
> up too easy over this software. Any idea what I need to do to get the rest
> of the stuff working?
>
>
> "PA Bear [MS MVP]" <PABearMVP@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:%23brKDBuXIHA.3940@TK2MSFTNGP05.phx.gbl...

>
>

The website is golftec.com, but you have to be a member to get into the area
where I'm having the problem. It's kind of a high tech golf lesson package
where short videos and images from the lesson are posted on the web, and
then later I can play them and work on correcting things. So, when I first
entered this site, some of the videos played and some did not. There were
no error messages - it's just that nothing happened when I clicked on them.
When I turned off protected mode, some of those that didn't work suddenly
worked, but there are some still images that won't come up when I click the
appropriate link, for example an image at the top of the backswing won't
come when I click the button.

Everything works fine when I do it on my wifes XP laptop or my sons XP
desktop.

"Jesper" <Jesper@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:4FF0A47A-9C9B-4A0C-ABFE-5B5760714E3E@microsoft.com...

> What exactly is it you are doing and where/how exactly is it failing? I
> watch
> videos all the time on Vista and it never fails for me. Can you give us
> more
> details to help figure out what is wrong here?
>
> ---
> Your question may already be answered in Windows Vista Security:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047...otectyourwi-20
>
>
> "Jack B" wrote:
>

"Jack B" <jbruss@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:479c9996$0$22823$4c368faf@roadrunner.com
....

> there are some still images that won't come up when I click the appropriate link,

Details? Some Vista users have reported problems with .png files...


---

The ones I don't get are frames of a video. For example, during a short
video of my golf swing, I can click a "top of backswing" button and I will
see an image of my swing at that point on an XP machine - the video will
have stopped playing and just the one frame is shown. When I click that
button on my Vista machine the video just keeps playing. I can stop the
video manually by pressing space bar to toggle the video between play and
pause.

The video is a .m1v file.


"Robert Aldwinckle" <robald@techemail.com> wrote in message
news:eEKRDyPYIHA.1532@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

> "Jack B" <jbruss@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
> news:479c9996$0$22823$4c368faf@roadrunner.com
> ...

>
> Details? Some Vista users have reported problems with .png files...
>
>
> ---
>
>

Try including the site in the Trusted Sites zone and see what happens. That
will tease out if it is a simple security setting that is causing the
problem.

To include the site in Trusted Sites open it up, and then double-click the
little Icon at the bottom that says "Internet"

Next click "Trusted sites" and then click the Sites button.

If you are on the golftec site already it should have that site selected in
the "Add this website..." box. You probably will need to uncheck the "Require
server verification for all sites in this zone" box though.

Hit Add, then Close, and then OK. Now try it and see if the site works.

If this makes everything work then the site is trying to do something
strange that is violating the security settings in IE. If you were curious
and demented, like me, you would at this point put the site back in the
Internet zone and then go through each of the security settings to see which
one(s) it is running afoul. Normal people would probably just leave it be at
this point.

Let us know if that works.
---
Your question may already be answered in Windows Vista Security:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047...otectyourwi-20


"Jack B" wrote:

> The ones I don't get are frames of a video. For example, during a short
> video of my golf swing, I can click a "top of backswing" button and I will
> see an image of my swing at that point on an XP machine - the video will
> have stopped playing and just the one frame is shown. When I click that
> button on my Vista machine the video just keeps playing. I can stop the
> video manually by pressing space bar to toggle the video between play and
> pause.
>
> The video is a .m1v file.
>
>
> "Robert Aldwinckle" <robald@techemail.com> wrote in message
> news:eEKRDyPYIHA.1532@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>
>

OK, I included GolfTec in the "trusted site" list and unchecked the "req
server verification" box, and no change - I still get nothing when I click
the "top of backswing" button. Also, I tried turning Prot Mode back on to
see if the other videos (drills) would play now, and they still don't - that
is I still have to have protected mode off to play those.

"Jesper" <Jesper@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:843F49B8-F66F-4A3B-BB78-B4E462B63335@microsoft.com...

> Try including the site in the Trusted Sites zone and see what happens.
> That
> will tease out if it is a simple security setting that is causing the
> problem.
>
> To include the site in Trusted Sites open it up, and then double-click the
> little Icon at the bottom that says "Internet"
>
> Next click "Trusted sites" and then click the Sites button.
>
> If you are on the golftec site already it should have that site selected
> in
> the "Add this website..." box. You probably will need to uncheck the
> "Require
> server verification for all sites in this zone" box though.
>
> Hit Add, then Close, and then OK. Now try it and see if the site works.
>
> If this makes everything work then the site is trying to do something
> strange that is violating the security settings in IE. If you were curious
> and demented, like me, you would at this point put the site back in the
> Internet zone and then go through each of the security settings to see
> which
> one(s) it is running afoul. Normal people would probably just leave it be
> at
> this point.
>
> Let us know if that works.
> ---
> Your question may already be answered in Windows Vista Security:
> http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047...otectyourwi-20
>
>
> "Jack B" wrote:
>

It does not sounds like it is all a security problem then. The things that
run when you disable protected mode are, but at the core, they are almost
certainly due to poor programming on the part of the site developers. To be
frank, they need to fix their site so it works on Vista. There is no reason
whatsoever why you should have to go through this just to view the site.

As for the things that do not work even with protected mode off, that could
be a matter of them using strange video codecs that Vista does not include.
For example, there is no AVI codec on Vista. Nor is there an MP4 codec. It
could be that they have videos in those formats (you could get an AVI codec
from http://www.doom9.org/software.htm#codecs and QuickTime comes with an MP4
codec).

As I said, the best thing to do would be to complain to the site owners that
their site does not work with Vista. They will have to address that at some
point. In the meantime, you have two options for working around this:

Run IE elevated:
1. Right-click the IE icon
2. Chose "Run as administrator"
3. Browse to the site.
If you chose this option, be very very careful. You know have an IE instance
with a full administrative token, even higher than if you run it with
protected mode off but leave UAC on. While you are doing this you should
avoid clicking links in e-mail, for example, because they might open in this
instance of IE.

Run XP in a virtual machine. This works if you have a spare copy of XP that
you can install
1. Download Virtual PC from
http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/i...splayLang%3den.
2. Install it and launch it. Create a new virtual machine (VM). You can
probably use most of the defaults. If you call it something with "XP" in the
name Virtual PC will automatically detect that you are are running XP.
3. Start the Virtual Machine you created and put the XP CD into the drive.
It should automatically start the XP installation. Finish that as you
normally would
4. Boot the XP VM and launch Windows Update. Make sure you fully update the
VM. This will take about three or four reboots.

At this point you can use that VM to run XP and do things that you can't do
with Vista. It is a little cumbersome, but once you get it installed it works
great. I use VMs every day for testing. If you want to, you can set the hard
disk for the VM to undoable mode (in the settings for the VM). If you do that
it will keep the state of the hard disk across sessions and allow you to
throw away changes after each session. it has two great benefits. First, it
allows you to just close the window with the VM. You do not need to do a
graceful shutdown. Second, it means you can try some things out that may
impact the system without actually persisting the changes. It is a bit
advanced though.

Both of these options have drawbacks and advantages, and obviously, it would
be better if you did not have to go through them. However, I do not think
that will be possible until the developers fix their site.
---
Your question may already be answered in Windows Vista Security:
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/047...otectyourwi-20


"Jack B" wrote:

> OK, I included GolfTec in the "trusted site" list and unchecked the "req
> server verification" box, and no change - I still get nothing when I click
> the "top of backswing" button. Also, I tried turning Prot Mode back on to
> see if the other videos (drills) would play now, and they still don't - that
> is I still have to have protected mode off to play those.
>
> "Jesper" <Jesper@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:843F49B8-F66F-4A3B-BB78-B4E462B63335@microsoft.com...

>
>

"Jack B" <jbruss@wi.rr.com> wrote in message
news:479cb1bd$0$22815$4c368faf@roadrunner.com
....

> The ones I don't get are frames of a video.

....

> The video is a .m1v file.

That doesn't look like "still images" to me. That looks like an ActiveX
extension which might not be authorized for the user. Some of those
work better when LocalMachine_LockDown is in effect. E.g _uncheck_
Allow active content to run in files on My Computer*
* takes effect in a new instance of the browser
(in Options, Advanced tab, Security section)

Also try switching to a cmd window and enter:

assoc .m1v

and

ftype mpegfile

(assuming that .m1v=mpegfile is what the first command returns.
If assoc returns something else that would indicate that you have something
nonstandard installed which could be incompatible in this scenario.
Similarly, the filetype action could be replaced by a nonstandard
and that might also show symptoms of incompatibility (especially
if it wasn't particularly Vista-aware.)


HTH

Robert
---

> For example, during a short
> video of my golf swing, I can click a "top of backswing" button and I will
> see an image of my swing at that point on an XP machine - the video will
> have stopped playing and just the one frame is shown. When I click that
> button on my Vista machine the video just keeps playing. I can stop the
> video manually by pressing space bar to toggle the video between play and
> pause.
>
> The video is a .m1v file.
>
>
> "Robert Aldwinckle" <robald@techemail.com> wrote in message
> news:eEKRDyPYIHA.1532@TK2MSFTNGP04.phx.gbl...

>