Windows XP Permissions and Restrictions

[geekwannabe]

With IE 7 open I try to select Internet Options from the tools menu and I get the following message: Title: Restrictions Body: This operation has been cancelled due to restrictions in effect on this computer. Please contact your system administrator.

I AM the administrator! What things should I be checking or performing to get this released? I am also 99% sure there are no viruses, etc. on this computer. I have updated software that say the computer is clean.

Help Help Help

[cauzomb]

open internet options from the control panel

[geekwannabe]

it's not available to me there either

[cauzomb]

Did you add any applications before this started happening?

[geekwannabe]

No. However, this computer has been attacked before, and not lightly either. Could we speculate that there could be something residual? Maybe I need to reinstall Windows? I've a "repair" before on another computer, and that just led to a clean install. Maybe I wasn't doing it right. I'm pretty sure though that I did it right because I've done that sort of thing hundreds of times, but not as a first resort.

geekwannabe

[cauzomb]

It's possible that there is a bady on there blocking access to the options; check your "add remove programs" list for anything odd; something like dealtime, or search assistant? I'm going to recommend that you check out the spyware help section stickyThen post a hijackthis log so that we can see if that's what is going on.

Some firewall/anti-virus programs will deny access to the internet options menu, but not usually from the control panel when you are logged in as administrator. A few malware app's, block the internet options menu from both area's via registry changes; in order to protect the changes that they made, such as your home page and internet security settings.

[geekwannabe]

I've run HJT and didn't find anything too out of the ordinary. There were a few things, but nothing drastic. The items that I "fixed" did not help the situation; freeing up "restrictions" dialog. I also do not know where to post my log file from HJT. I'm presently trying this: run Ad-Aware, Spybot, AVG, and my own software that I got from Verizon (Internet Security Suite), and going from there. Any other suggestions (like hacking the registry) would be greatly appreciated.

geekwannabe

[jholland1964]

I will move this entire thread to Spyware Central for you. So the thread stays the same. I must caution you HJT is NOT a program for fixing. It is a program for scanning, locating possible nasty items, which will help determine if other steps are needed. It should be the LAST step, NOT the first. The log should be interpreted by somebody familiar with them and definitely NOT using the Analyzer on this forum...it is way, way out of date.
Go HERE
Follow all the steps given there and you wil see the LAST step will be a scan with HJT.
Do all those steps, save logs requested, and post back here with all

[cauzomb]

I have found something interesting by searching through drove's of posts from different websites; Something currenly happening is that the inetcpl.cpl is getting automatically updated, but instead of receiving the Windows XP update, users are receiving a Windows VISTA uptade, which in turn disables the windows xp internet options control panel in both the tools/internet options menu from the file/tool bar at the top of internet explorer and from the windows control panel.. To see if this is the problem that you are having, open my computer, then from the file menu at the top of the window, select TOOLS, and then select FOLDER OPTIONS. From the folder options menu select VIEW, and check SHOW HIDDEN FILES AND FOLDERS, select OK, or APPLY, Then go back to MY COMPUTER; open C:\WINDOWS directory, "or whatever drive you have windows installed on" then open the SYSTEM32 directory, locate inetcpl.cpl, right click on this file and select "properties" look for "version" or something like that; if it says "VISTA" then you may have got the wrong update...

The solution is to go to the internet explorer program folder; C:\windows\ie7 copy the inetcpl.cpl file from there, then paste it to the C:\windows\system32 folder; When it asks if you want to replace inetcpl.cpl select "yes" If windows won't allow you to select "paste" from the right click menu, or from the edit menu, try pressing CTRL+V, this is the global hotkey for "paste"

[geekwannabe]

I've tried your request, and have still come up empty handed. I also have NOT found any viruses or things of that nature on the computer. It seems to be clean. Why can I not access the Internet Options, and other options in Control Panel?

geekwannabe