How can I fix Internet Options it's gone...?

Question

When I go to internet options, either from toolbar or control panel, there is nothing there. I cannot access it at all.

Answer 1

It sounds like an Administrator has used Group Policy to remove the Internet Options dialog box from both your Browser and Control Panel.

If you are not at work, and depending upon which type of OS you are using, it is possible somebody either played a trick on you or you have a virus or trojan which is written in such a manner as to remove these items so you can't reconfigure options. If you have Windows XP Media Edition, Windows XP Pro, Vista Business, Vista Ultimate, Vista Enterprise, these can be configured to remove many items from the GUI of the OS.

You can check this by going into the Group Policy Editor, in XP click Start-Run, then type in gpedit.msc and then click OK, or hit Enter. The Group Policy Editor appears.

Click on User Configuration, then click on Internet Explorer, then click on Browser Menus. On the right hand side options appear. Look in the list for the setting: Tools Menu: Disable Internet Options.......menu. Click on this and read the discription, then look and see if this option is set to Enabled. If so, you can disable it here.

Then, click on Computer Configuration, and follow the same path as listed above and check to see if this option was also enabled at the computer level.

Then, go to User Configuration again, but this time go to Administrative Templates, Control Panel, look in the right pane for Hide specified Control Panel applets, double click to open its dialog box and check to see if Internet Options is in the list of hidden applets. If so, remove it. If this option is not used, next check in the Show only specified Control Panel applets list, and checking if it is set to Enabled. If so, double click and look in the list to see if Internet Options is in the list, and if not, add it to the list.

Do the same in Computer Configuration by following the same path and checking the same locations.

Group Policy has two nodes, one for Computer and one for User configurations. If both nodes have identical settings, the Computer Configuration settings take precidence over User Configuration settings. What this means is Computer Configuration policy settings are applied first, then User Configuration policy settings. So, it is also true that if there are conflicting settings in these two nodes, Computer Configuration policy will take precedence over User Configuration policy settings. If Internet Options are Enabled but Internet Options are allowed, but in User they are disallowed, you would still have access to the Internet Options dialogs because you are given permision in Computer Configuration policy settings.

It is important to know how these two nodes work together, either to compliment each other or to work against each other.

If you are at work it is very possible these settings are set at the Server computer. If so you will not have access to these settings. You will need to talk with your Network Administrator and ask why you have been locked out of all ability to make changes in your Internet Options. If it was a mistake to include your system in the policy it can be undone by your Network Administrator, or by whomever decides these things.

Now, if only the Internet Options were missing in your Browser, but not your Control Panel folder, I would say you had a corrupted browser file and to remove that browser instance and download and instal a new one.

However, because your Internet Options are missing from both locations I believe a Group Policy has been set to deny you access to these configuration options.

Hope this helps, good luck and have a nice day.