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bbarry
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 2:09 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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I am using IE 11 and Win 10 Pro, and I'm not sure which is causing this Security Warning issue. Starting a few days ago, I now get the "File Download Security Warning" shown below every time I click on any Link listed in my Links Toolbar. Of course I am going to click on Open, else I would never get to any of my saved Links. Any idea what is causing this and how I can eliminate this warning? Since it just started, I assume it came with recent Windows update(s). Thanks in advance. Attachment:
securitywarning.JPG [ 41.82 KiB | Viewed 13569 times ]
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 7:46 pm |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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This was caused by a security update. Here's the fix.
Copy your [UserProfile] Favorites folder into the Public folder. This exists outside of your user profile. Remove the desktop toolbar for the favorites folder. Create a new one and point it to Public\Favorites. Your toolbar will now say Public Favorites instead of Favorites.
Now, I did this and am happy with it because I no longer add favorites in IE. I add them in Edge, which is my default browser. But for the sites that I use the toolbar for, they are all there already and the workaround works fine for me.
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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bbarry
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 9:44 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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MacDuffie wrote: This was caused by a security update. Here's the fix.
Copy your [UserProfile] Favorites folder into the Public folder. This exists outside of your user profile. Remove the desktop toolbar for the favorites folder. Create a new one and point it to Public\Favorites. Your toolbar will now say Public Favorites instead of Favorites.
Now, I did this and am happy with it because I no longer add favorites in IE. I add them in Edge, which is my default browser. But for the sites that I use the toolbar for, they are all there already and the workaround works fine for me. Thanks, Patty. I think I followed all of your recommended fix, although to me it seems like an unusual fix to this issue. Seems like there should be an On/Off switch in Settings so I wouldn't have to keep verifying that I want to open websites in my Favorites. If I type in the URL of a website that I want to visit, I don't get this security question. It's only when I want to open a website listed in Favorites. This seems odd to me. But my problem with implementing this fix is that IE is still my default browser and, therefore, I still add & remove Favorites in IE. I haven't yet made the switch to Edge (you know I'm slow to switch from those things with which I am familiar and comfortable, lol).
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:35 pm |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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Does the new toolbar work? I have an idea as two why this fix is a fix - not really unusual or odd really. The favorites sit inside your user profile; therefore an attacker might (if some security vulnerability existed, which assumedly it does) be able to gain access through such a vulnerability into your user profile, which contains all of your data.
Now, does putting the favorites in the public profile reduce such a risk? I have no idea! LOL I again assume that a public folder has completely different permissions - easier in some ways, more strict in others.
And finally, this is an issue with a "legacy" browser (Edge doesn't store favorites in the UserProfile\Favorites folder), so isn't likely to get any fix at all. These instructions are simply a workaround, not a fix.
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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jaylach
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 10:47 pm |
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Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am Posts: 9455 Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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@ Patty: I see that you posted while I was typing. Since you seem to have experienced this issue, while I have not, what do you think about my observation below that I had already typed. Does your Favorites folder look similar to the following shot? Somehow I doubt that the links will show the IE icon. Seeing that the message you get shows the file type as unknown I think that you MAY just have to re-associate one link back to IE selecting to always use. I don't know about the security update fix that Patty brought up as I've not had an issue. Since you applied the fix without success I'd try my suggestion of re-association. It MAY help and can't hurt. Attachment:
favorites1.jpg [ 77.5 KiB | Viewed 13554 times ]
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 11:15 pm |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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It isn't a file association issue, Jay. This is only an issue with shortcuts that originate inside the user profile, and apparently only from the Favorites folder. Shortcuts on the desktop apparently work, and the desktop is a folder inside the user profile last I looked.
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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jaylach
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Posted: Sat Sep 24, 2016 11:21 pm |
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Resident Geekazoid Administrator |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:09 am Posts: 9455 Location: The state of confusion; I just use Wyoming for mail.
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MacDuffie wrote: It isn't a file association issue, Jay. This is only an issue with shortcuts that originate inside the user profile, and apparently only from the Favorites folder. Shortcuts on the desktop apparently work, and the desktop is a folder inside the user profile last I looked. OK, I was just going with the alert showing the file type as unknown.
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bbarry
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 8:48 am |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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Patty & Jay: Please don't misunderstand.....I did not yet apply the fix, since I still use IE. I will investigate my specific situation further. Now I'm off on my monthly Walmart excursion......something I dread. But they sell paper towels and toilet paper so much cheaper (of course, you have to purchase 56 rolls of each).
I still don't understand why I get the security question when I click on a link and not when I type in a website's URL address. Perplexing........
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sboots
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 9:40 am |
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Site Admin |
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Joined: Tue Apr 10, 2012 9:48 pm Posts: 2954 Location: New Jersey
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bbarry wrote: Patty & Jay: Please don't misunderstand.....I did not yet apply the fix, since I still use IE. I will investigate my specific situation further. Now I'm off on my monthly Walmart excursion......something I dread. But they sell paper towels and toilet paper so much cheaper (of course, you have to purchase 56 rolls of each).
I still don't understand why I get the security question when I click on a link and not when I type in a website's URL address. Perplexing........ The fix is specifically for IE. The problem is apparently with the Favorites, which are shortcuts or links saved in a folder, in the default location -- your User profile Favorites folder. The problem, as I read it, is resolved by moving your Favorites to the Public Favorites folder as Patty described. I presume that new saved Favorites from within IE will experience the same issue until you move them. -steve
_________________ stephen boots Microsoft MVP 2004 - 2020 "Life's always an adventure with computers!"
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 12:03 pm |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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Bb, I am trying to understand why you are perplexed. The problem only exists with a shortcut clicked on that is inside your user profile. When you type a URL into the address bar, you are not inside your user profile. It's as simple as that. When you click on a favorite from inside the browser, you are not inside your user profile, so that works also.
Do you have a question as to what it means to be inside your user profile? It doesn't mean that you are logged into Windows in your user profile. It means that you are accessing material that is stored in one of your user profile folders, the Favorites folder in this case. When you type in an address, you aren't accessing anything that is stored.
When you click on a Favorite from the toolbar, the computer code is literally to a pointer. It points to your User Profile\Favorites folder. If malware captured that click and code, it would have the path to your User Profile. When you type a URL there is no such path to capture. Make sense?
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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bbarry
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:22 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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MacDuffie wrote: Bb, I am trying to understand why you are perplexed. The problem only exists with a shortcut clicked on that is inside your user profile. When you type a URL into the address bar, you are not inside your user profile. It's as simple as that. When you click on a favorite from inside the browser, you are not inside your user profile, so that works also.
Do you have a question as to what it means to be inside your user profile? It doesn't mean that you are logged into Windows in your user profile. It means that you are accessing material that is stored in one of your user profile folders, the Favorites folder in this case. When you type in an address, you aren't accessing anything that is stored.
When you click on a Favorite from the toolbar, the computer code is literally to a pointer. It points to your User Profile\Favorites folder. If malware captured that click and code, it would have the path to your User Profile. When you type a URL there is no such path to capture. Make sense? I was/am perplexed because I didn't (and probably still don't) fully understand what constitutes my User Profile. For one thing, I didn't know that clicking on a Favorite from the toolbar was merely a pointer, since it showed the same URL address as if I had typed it in. And secondly, I got confused when the fix was to copy my Favorites to my Public Folder; putting my info in a Public folder just seemed illogical to me, although I realize that it's not really public-public. But all this now makes a little more sense with your explanation. I even experimented and clicked on a Favorite within my IE browser, and sure enough I didn't get the security warning. I also clicked on a shortcut on my desktop and didn't get the security warning. And this happened to be a same shortcut as listed in my Favorites. Now that really doesn't make sense to me. I guess if I don't want to implement this IE fix, the safest thing to do is to only click on a Favorite from inside my browser. Patty, thanks for continuing my education into the wacky world of computers.
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:35 pm |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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Bb, in Windows 10, Microsoft has made it much more difficult to get a visual representation of what a user profile is. If you go to your Windows 7 Machine, somewhere on the start menu you will see your profile name with some sort of a people icon on it, I believe. You can right-click on it and send a shortcut to the desktop if you like. Whether you then click on the shortcut, or whether you left-click on your profile name/icon on the start menu (it's on the top, I just don't recall if it is on the left or right side of the menu), it will open a window that shows all of your User folders. They are: Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Music, Pictures, Saved Games, Searches, and maybe a couple of others. If you look in the address bar of that window, you will see your profile name. So that is a visual representation of what your User Profile consists of.
I still have that shortcut on my desktop because I created it before an easy, or at least obvious, way to do so disappeared in Windows 10.
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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bbarry
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 3:45 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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MacDuffie wrote: Bb, in Windows 10, Microsoft has made it much more difficult to get a visual representation of what a user profile is. If you go to your Windows 7 Machine, somewhere on the start menu you will see your profile name with some sort of a people icon on it, I believe. You can right-click on it and send a shortcut to the desktop if you like. Whether you then click on the shortcut, or whether you left-click on your profile name/icon on the start menu (it's on the top, I just don't recall if it is on the left or right side of the menu), it will open a window that shows all of your User folders. They are: Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Music, Pictures, Saved Games, Searches, and maybe a couple of others. If you look in the address bar of that window, you will see your profile name. So that is a visual representation of what your User Profile consists of.
I still have that shortcut on my desktop because I created it before an easy, or at least obvious, way to do so disappeared in Windows 10. Thanks, Patty. I will certainly do that a little later. Right now I am using my Win 7 computer to download the latest Garmin maps to both my GPS and my computer. Last time I did that it literally took hours.
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bbarry
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 9:51 pm |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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MacDuffie wrote: Bb, in Windows 10, Microsoft has made it much more difficult to get a visual representation of what a user profile is. If you go to your Windows 7 Machine, somewhere on the start menu you will see your profile name with some sort of a people icon on it, I believe. You can right-click on it and send a shortcut to the desktop if you like. Whether you then click on the shortcut, or whether you left-click on your profile name/icon on the start menu (it's on the top, I just don't recall if it is on the left or right side of the menu), it will open a window that shows all of your User folders. They are: Contacts, Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Favorites, Links, Music, Pictures, Saved Games, Searches, and maybe a couple of others. If you look in the address bar of that window, you will see your profile name. So that is a visual representation of what your User Profile consists of.
I still have that shortcut on my desktop because I created it before an easy, or at least obvious, way to do so disappeared in Windows 10. Patty, turns out I already had that shortcut on my desktop. It was called my Personal Folder (Bill), and it was exactly as you described. It did indeed include all my user folders. I guess I just never thought of that as the visual representation of my User Profile. Thanks for clarifying....I learned something else, lol.
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Sun Sep 25, 2016 11:03 pm |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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You're welcome, Bb!
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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bbarry
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:06 am |
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welcoming committee |
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2012 12:47 am Posts: 2406 Location: North Central Arkansas
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MacDuffie wrote: You're welcome, Bb! Patty, I just checked on my Win 10 computer, and I have that same shortcut on my desktop. It is also called my Personal Folder (BB), and it includes all my Win 10 user folders. I'm not sure how it got there....I guess it was left over when I updated that computer from Win 7 to Win 10.
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MacDuffie
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Posted: Mon Sep 26, 2016 9:27 am |
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Fearless Leader |
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Joined: Wed Mar 21, 2012 5:42 am Posts: 2819
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Yes, I suspect so. While you can find your profile folder via File Explorer in Windows 10, a shortcut to it will simply look like any other folder shortcut; while the one I have has a "person" icon on it, indicating that it is a special system file. Of course it is possible you could create that shortcut from the file system and though it may initially look like just a regular file folder, perhaps Windows will later change it to a system icon. Not sure.
_________________ Patty MacDuffie Computer Haven Administrator
Live Long and Prosper Mr. Spock
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