# IE security password **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 14, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298 "2002-03-14T17:18:01Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 5:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/1 "2002-03-14T17:18:01Z")
Anyone know how to clear it? One of my users with the “set and forget” method. Thanks, CP ---
**Author:** ![abel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@abel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 6:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/2 "2002-03-14T18:48:18Z")
Do you mean the Content Advisor? I did that once accidentally, and I had to reinstall IE. I think if there was some way to disable Content Advisor without reinstalling IE, thousands of teenage boys would have found it so they could look at naughty sites. And for your client… next time, write the password down somewhere safe 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/3 "2002-03-14T20:57:00Z")
Thanks, I’d rather put my client somewhere safe. 🙂 CP ---
**Author:** ![Crusoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/49beb7/32.png) [@Crusoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crusoe)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/4 "2002-03-14T21:01:18Z")
I accidentally did the same thing once. I ended up re-installing Windows 98 from scratch. ---
**Author:** ![SCSimmons](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e495f1/32.png) [@SCSimmons](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SCSimmons)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/5 "2002-03-14T21:11:27Z")
Yes, it would be rather ironic if Microsoft had put a ‘backdoor’ in their system for filtering adult content … Yes, that’s my first post on the new boards. A juvenile joke. Starting back up in style!! -Christian ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 9:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/6 "2002-03-14T21:50:55Z")
Open Regedit. Find “HKEY\_LOCAL\_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\policies\Ratings” In this key you will see a value called “key”. Delete it. You now can browse freely. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![abel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/2acd7d/32.png) [@abel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/abel)\ **Post date:** [March 14, 2002, 11:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/7 "2002-03-14T23:19:47Z")
Wow, so there IS a backdoor… how scary is that? ---
**Author:** ![BlackKnight](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/eb8c5e/32.png) [@BlackKnight](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BlackKnight)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/8 "2002-03-15T00:15:54Z")
I wouldn’t call it a “backdoor”. It’s just tricking IE into thinking there isn’t a password set by deleting the password. Nearly everything interesting that Windows keeps track of (desktop settings, file type associations, etc.) is stored in the Registry. Content Advisor for IE just happens to use a particular key in the Registry to store its password (and really, it has to store it _somewhere_ on the disk - might as well be in a standard place, where most people won’t muck around with it). I should add - fiddling with the Registry without knowing what you’re doing is asking for trouble. You can seriously screw up your system if you delete or edit the wrong key. That said, I’ve tempted fate many times by screwing with the Registry, and have only shot myself in the foot by doing so once. abel, you were right on the money when you said, “if there was some way to disable Content Advisor without reinstalling IE, thousands of teenage boys would have found it so they could look at naughty sites.” There is, and they have. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [March 15, 2002, 4:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ie-security-password/98298/9 "2002-03-15T16:32:27Z")
Thanks, BlackKnight. CP