# How do I disable the ability to change IE homepage. **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 8, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615 "2008-03-08T19:06:13Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/1 "2008-03-08T19:06:13Z")
At work we have a computer which is not connected to the office network. One of our staff has a tendency to treat it as her own and put her own homepage on it etc… How do I disable this ability (I have admin passwords) Do I have to log in to the administrator login, or can I do it via the registry (which would be enough as the person in question isn’t savvy enough to alter the registry. ---
**Author:** ![Jragon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/e19b73/32.png) [@Jragon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jragon)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/2 "2008-03-08T19:20:12Z")
Go to your regedit (make sure you’re on the user you want changed as it is HKEY\_ **CURRENT\_USER** ) HKEY\_CURRENT\_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Control Panel\ Put a new DWORD value in the Control Panel called ‘Homepage’ and modify the value from ‘0’ to ‘1.’ ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 7:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/3 "2008-03-08T19:29:27Z")
Under policies there is only one folder which is ‘systemcertificates’ there is an internet explorer folder in HKEY\_CURRENT\_USER\Software\Microsoft\ but it doesn’t have a control panel folder. edit: It just occured to me that if I made the folders myself then it might work ---
**Author:** ![mhendo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mhendo/32/3159_2.png) [@mhendo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mhendo)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 7:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/4 "2008-03-08T19:30:03Z")
If you Google: lock home page internet explorer you’ll even find a couple of sites that offer .reg files that you can download and use. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/5 "2008-03-08T19:32:40Z")
[QUOTE=mhendo] If you Google: lock home page internet explorer you’ll even find a couple of sites that offer .reg files that you can download and use. [/QUOTE] Did exactly that, thanks 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/6 "2008-03-08T21:40:06Z")
There are several freeware and commercial utility tools that allow you to configure and “lockdown” a Windows PC. I’m not talking about hackers who delight in this but average office folks who are computer savvy enough to get them in trouble and feign ignorance. ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 11:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/7 "2008-03-08T23:08:57Z")
The bizarre thing is, I now seem to be using IE6. I swear I was on IE7 before I ran the registry fix. ---
**Author:** ![Myglaren](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f1d935/32.png) [@Myglaren](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myglaren)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2008, 11:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/8 "2008-03-08T23:22:56Z")
[QUOTE=Lobsang] The bizarre thing is, I now seem to be using IE6. I swear I was on IE7 before I ran the registry fix. [/QUOTE] Not to worry, Microsoft are forcing a stealth upgrade to IE7 so it will revert. [Superantispyware](http://www.superantispyware.com/) has a tool to lock IE against unwarranted changes. ---
**Author:** ![Projammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/projammer/32/559_2.png) [@Projammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Projammer)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2008, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-do-i-disable-the-ability-to-change-ie-homepage/440615/9 "2008-03-09T04:14:12Z")
Another useful tool is [Poledit](http://support.microsoft.com/kb/910203) (policy editor) from Microsoft. I’ve used it to keep more than a few problem users out of my hair. Not the best tool, not the worst tool, but effective in many cases like this one.