LWN login problems with Internet Explorer [LWN.net]

We have been getting a steady stream of mail from readers who are having a hard time logging in with Internet Explorer. If you are using IE, and you are having trouble logging in or getting your password sent to you, please have a look at this update from Microsoft; chances are it will solve your problem.

to post comments

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 18:07 UTC (Sun) by alspnost (guest, #2763) [Link] (1 responses)

More importantly, dear fellow readers, why on earth are any of you still using IE? Even if you're on Windoze, do yourself a favour and install Mozilla/Firefox or some other browser from the present century, not that primitive, insecure, obsolete browser from the last one ;-)

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 22:28 UTC (Sun) by thomask (guest, #17985) [Link]

Well, as it happens, I sometimes (like now) _have_ to use Internet Explorer - my school seems to think that M$ is the way forward...

Anyways, I had no trouble logging in. I think the school uses an ISA-type proxy from Microsoft, but it doesn't cause any trouble for me.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 18:16 UTC (Sun) by barbara (guest, #3014) [Link]

I suggest it's time for tough love here. You're actually hurting these
folks by helping them with windows. There are so many superior browsers
available these days that continuing with a brain-dead browser seems
fruitless. :-)

Barbara

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 18:41 UTC (Sun) by ttonino (guest, #4073) [Link] (5 responses)

There are probably some that visit from work and are not allowed to install software by themselves.

Thomas

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 19:53 UTC (Sun) by TheOneKEA (guest, #615) [Link] (4 responses)

You can still use Firefox if you don't have install rights; that's what the zipped builds are for.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 20:58 UTC (Sun) by simlo (guest, #10866) [Link] (1 responses)

But you can't get through a MS proxy requiring you to athenticate with NTLM. Only IE and Mozilla 1.3- can do that.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 5:42 UTC (Mon) by mcbridematt (subscriber, #10302) [Link]

But FireFox is based off the main Mozilla trunk - it will authenticate with ISA proxies just like Mozilla SeaMonkey can.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 21:51 UTC (Sun) by james (guest, #1325) [Link] (1 responses)

Yes, but may one use Firefox in a corporate environment?

In case that needs explaining: many corporate environments have an Approved List of software that may be put on their PCs. Downloading and running programs that aren't on that list can be a serious corporate offense.

Given what some of my users have downloaded, I can see their point, with all the spyware, trojan horses, potential for copyright violations, restrictive licenses, stuff that gets around firewall limitations, and other stuff that's out there.

With the wonderfully misplaced inventiveness of some users, an Approved List and severe penalties for breaking it is a relatively easy way of keeping the problem from becoming too severe.

Unfortunately, you then get Corporate Structure involved, and at best one tends to need a "valid business reason" and your boss's signature to request that a program goes onto the Approved List. If corporate structure is too baroque, it must be tempting just to use Internet Explorer. And if the company gets infected -- well, the company asked for it.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 17:09 UTC (Mon) by mrshiny (guest, #4266) [Link]

You're absolutely right, of course. Many businesses don't want to support their users on multiple browsers. My company is like that; they go to the extreme and don't even let us install browsers for testing our own applications; if we want to do that we need to use a virtual machine or a separate, test-only PC. So, if LWN stops working with IE I will have to stop subscribing, since I often read it at work.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 19:01 UTC (Sun) by marduk (guest, #3831) [Link] (2 responses)

Totally off topic, but it reminds me of a support call I got from an IE user a while back. She was having problems getting on the Internet. When I asked her what she used to get on the Internet she explained (like I was an idiot), "I double click on the 'e' icon on my desktop. You know, 'e' for Internet?!".

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 21, 2004 22:57 UTC (Sun) by adric (guest, #7180) [Link] (1 responses)

Obviously a Tolkien-themed version... Enternet Explorer. ;-)

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 16:05 UTC (Mon) by holstein (guest, #6122) [Link]

That would put a whole new dimension to the expression "Dead-tree-format"...

Possible server-side fix

Posted Mar 22, 2004 5:17 UTC (Mon) by stephenjudd (guest, #3227) [Link] (1 responses)

We have experienced this same issue at my workplace, which operates an online sales channel. Turning off SSL3 on the web server may help. MS have also hinted to us that changing keep-alive settings may help too.

Another workaround we managed was to detect affected browsers through some fairly dodgy Javascript, and redirect them to a page recommending them to apply the patch.

Possible server-side fix

Posted Mar 25, 2004 15:10 UTC (Thu) by noise (guest, #2923) [Link]

I recently battled this same problem and found a simple workaround. Increasing the keep-alive
timeout to 60 seconds did the trick. In Apache 2.0 that's:

KeepAliveTimeout 60

Enjoy!

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 10:20 UTC (Mon) by karath (subscriber, #19025) [Link]

I recently reported this situation from my employers' laptop (I am not allowed use non-approved software). I found a slightly different resolution to the problem. I added lwn.net to the list of always allowed cookies.

I suspect that MSIE, when set to reject 3rd part cookies, is treating https://lwn.net as a different site to http://lwn.net

regards,
Charles

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 14:11 UTC (Mon) by blayne (guest, #19468) [Link]

While I haven't used it, Ghostzilla is designed to run off a CD. This could be a big benefit to those unfortunates who aren't allowed to install software on their work computer. Given the insecurities in IE, you're actually doing your company a favor. Ghostzilla has been discontinued because the author had a change of heart about helping people surf at work while looking like they're working, but there are still copies that are floating around freely available.

When I was a corporate drone, I installed Netscape. It probably violated the company PC policy, but I didn't check. Better to beg forgiveness than ask permission.

Oh no. There goes Tokyo. Go go Mozilla. (No catchy tune yet for Firefox)

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 18:50 UTC (Mon) by jkirtland (guest, #6798) [Link]

Recently had this same issue at my site, and outputting a compact P3P privacy policy header staved off the tide of complaints. The MSIE 6 "privacy" slider, as documented, should not have affected the cookies I was sending, but it sure seems to be behaving incorrectly in some situations.

IBM has a free P3P constructor tool that takes most of the pain out of constructing a P3P policy, an otherwise baroque task. Google for IBM and P3P.

Cheers

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 22, 2004 19:21 UTC (Mon) by jwb (guest, #15467) [Link]

I also find that having a P3P header in every response solves a lot of MSIE user headaches.

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 25, 2004 9:36 UTC (Thu) by dale77 (guest, #1490) [Link]

OK, I admit it. I'm one of those having problems with IE. Unfortunately, Mozilla 1.5 & Firefox don't work either. This is on Win95 by the way.

Luckily I've found a work around. I can login fine if I use netscape 7 under linux...

Dale

LWN login problems with Internet Explorer

Posted Mar 26, 2004 14:46 UTC (Fri) by eaversa (guest, #4929) [Link]

Of course, if you are affected by this problem, you would have to wait at least a week to see this notice explaining that it is a bug in IE...