Member Avatar for whiptail

Can someone help me? My friend got given a computer with windows 98. He can connect to the internet via internet explorer, but he cant view any web pages because the previous owner has set a 'content advisor' password.

He doesn't know the password, can he re-install IE to fix the problem? or find an alternative password?

Please help.

Whiptail - Swim fast until you see water, then run like the birds.

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The registry-based approach described is the community-standard recovery for a forgotten Content Advisor password and the follow-up from shows it can work on Windows 98 machines; the idea is to clear the stored policy so the browser stops asking for the supervisor password. ’s suggestion to back up before making changes is sensible because these settings live outside Internet Explorer itself. (smallvoid.com)

Reinstalling Internet Explorer alone usually does not reset Content Advisor. IE loads its ratings configuration from a separate policy hive file the system keeps (the hidden Ratings.pol under the System folder) and from policy entries that live outside the IE program files; that’s why the problem survives a simple reinstall. The Sysinternals writeup explains how Content Advisor loads that hive and why the stored password persists. (learn.microsoft.com)

If the browser still shows Content Advisor errors after clearing the stored password, check for a damaged or present Ratings.pol in the Windows\System folder: vendor and community troubleshooting notes recommend renaming or removing that file (for example, rename to Ratings.old) and then restarting IE so a fresh policy can be created. That step fixes the common “missing information” or persistent-block behavior. (sony-asia.com)

Take standard precautions: export the registry or use the OS backup tools before editing system settings, and keep a copy of any Ratings.pol you rename so you can restore it if needed. Windows 98 also keeps daily registry backups (ScanReg) you can use; modern Windows use registry export/restore or system restore points—Microsoft documentation covers those backup methods. If editing system files or the registry is uncomfortable, use a technician or trusted local help. (learn.microsoft.com)

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Member Avatar for seatsd

The following steps will remove any password set in the Internet Explorer Content Advisor and allow you to reset the program to its original state.

1) Click on Start and choose Run.

2) Type in RegEdit and select OK.

3) Now click on the little plus sign to the left of H_KEY_LOCAL_MACHINE.

4) Continue to drill down, always clicking on the plus sign at the left of the named key, through Software, Microsoft, Windows, Current Version and Policies.

5) Now click on the Ratings folder.

6) In the right pane of the RegEdit window, you'll see an icon called Key. Click on it and press Delete.

7) Next, choose Registry and then Exit to exit RegEdit. You've just deleted your original Content Advisor password.

8) Restart the computer and run Internet Explorer again.

9) Choose View and then Internet Options (or Options for version 3.x). For IE 5 or greater, Click on Tools, Internet Options.

10) Click on the Content tab and click on Disable. When asked for a password, don't enter anything; just click on OK. This will disable Content Advisor because there's no longer a password.

Member Avatar for whiptail

are you positive this wont damage anything on the computer?

Member Avatar for caperjack

Tip:.make sure you go to file and export ,making a backup of your registry to you hard drive first ,then make the changes ,!

Member Avatar for seatsd

are you positive this wont damage anything on the computer?

I've had to remove a couple of content advisor passwords myself and it worked fine.

However, I give you no warranty that, if done incorrectly, it will not blow up your computer into thousands of tiny pieces. Well, that was a slight exaggeration but you could always format and reinstall everything too. :lol:

Member Avatar for whiptail

IT WORKED. :p :p :p :p :p :p

Member Avatar for nahim

thank you very much for solving my problem
nahim

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