Proxy settings set in gpedit not showing in IE
I have a new PC with Windows 7 Pro 64-bit & IE 8. We connect to internet through a proxy server and our standard configuration is to use a proxy.pac file on a server, with the location defined through gpedit on the local PC. ie. run gpedit.msc on local PC and set User Configuration/Windows Settings/Internet Explorer Maintenance/Automatic Browser Configuration; enable automatic configuration & specify Automatic proxy URL. Also we enable Computer Configuration/Administrative templates/Windows Components/Internet Explorer/Make proxy settings per machine. This has always worked fine on Win XP & Vista but in Win 7 the settings are not filtering through to IE. When I look in Tools/internet Options/Connections/LAN Settings the box for 'Automatically detect settings' is ticked and the bit for 'Automatic configuration script' is blank. When I look on my Vista PC it is the other way round and the proxy.pac file is specified, albeit greyed out because it is set from gpedit. Is there something else that has to be done in Windows 7 to make the gpedit settings apply to IE 8 ?
July 21st, 2010 6:16am

Hi, Thank you for posting in Technet forum. I would like to explain that in Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2, the policy should be in: User Configuration/Windows Settings/Internet Explorer Maintenance/Connection/Automatic Browser Configuration It is different than in Windows XP and Windows Vista. Therefore Windows 7 systems are not able to apply the policy. You may refer: Configure Automatic Browser Configuration To resolve this issue, in one of the Windows 7 computer, you can open mmc.exe->add Group Policy Object snap-in->Point to one of the DCs. Then configure a new GPO, change the policy “Automatic Browser Configuration” and apply this GPO to correct OUs. Arthur Xie TechNet Subscriber Support in forum If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
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July 22nd, 2010 3:56am

I'm sorry, I don't understand the first part of your response. That location is where I have made the setting, and it is the same in XP and Vista. I don't understand what you mean by 'Therefore Windows 7 systems are not able to apply the policy'. Why not ? Why is the setting available if it cannot be applied ? I understand the GP can be applied from the Domain Controller and that is what we are going to move towards in future (it was a previous IT manager who insisted on doing everything locally), but I am still puzzled as to why the local policy cannot be applied in Win 7 like it can be in Vista & XP.
July 22nd, 2010 4:34am

Now I understand that you apply this policy via the local Group Policy Editor. In our test computers, the configuration in IE is changed properly after we change the policy. I suspect that there is any incompatible IE plug-ins that block IE to read the correct value of the policy from Registry. I suggest you temporary disable antivirus and check the result. If the issue persists, I suggest your launch IE with No Add-ons Mode and check the result. Click the Start Button, All Programs, Accessories, System Tools, and then click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons). If the issue does not reoccur, it may be caused by an IE Add-on. In that case, let’s continue to perform the following steps to narrow down the cause. Check Internet Explorer Add-Ons ========================= 1. Click Tools, and then click Internet Options. 2. Click the "Programs" tab, and then click Manage Add-ons. 3. Select an add-on in the Name list, and then click Disable. 4. Restart IE with Add-ons and check the issue again. If the issue is resolved, the disabled Add-on was the cause of the issue. If the issue reoccurs, continue to disable the next Add-on using the same method. By doing so, we could determine which Add-on contributed to the issue.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
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July 22nd, 2010 6:16am

I have tried all the things you suggested and it makes no difference at all, there is no change in the configuration in IE. Running IE without Add-ons produces the same effect. A colleague entered the proxy.pac path manually in the Address box in 'Use Automatic Configuration Script' in IE and now I can't get rid of it from there. Every time I delete it it re-appears. I changed it's name to a file that doesn't even exist and that name still stays there. I have cleaned the Temporary Internet Files cache (even delving into the hidden folders using the Windows Explorer command line trick) and I have deleted all registry Keys I can find that referenced the proxy file but still it stays there. Do you know where this info is held. ?
July 22nd, 2010 9:45am

I suspect that the cache of the auto-proxy configurations is corrupt. I suggest you disable the caching and check if it works properly. 1. Click Start, click Run, type gpedit.msc, and then click OK. 2. In Group Policy Object Editor, double-click User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer. 3. Double-click Disable caching of Auto-Proxy scripts. 5. Click Enable, and then click OK. More information, please refer: How to disable automatic proxy caching in Internet Explorer If it works properly then, you may re-enable caching and let’s see if the cache is cleared and works properly now. However if it does not work, please also check the policy “Disable changing Automatic Configuration Settings” under User Configuration\Administrative Templates\Windows Components\Internet Explorer If the policy is configured to be “Enabled” by any GPO, that should be the root cause. Such issues can also be caused by third party Internet software. If the above suggestion do not work, I suggest you troubleshoot in Clean Boot Mode. Perform a clean startup to determine whether background programs are interfering with your game or program Arthur Xie TechNet Subscriber Support in forum If you have any feedback on our support, please contact tngfb@microsoft.com.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
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July 23rd, 2010 4:09am

I followed all your suggestions but to no avail, the policy was still not being applied, and I still can't delete the text in the address box. However, on further investigation it appears that the setting in GP 'Enable Proxy settings per machine' may be what's stopping the policy being applied. If I revert this to the default of 'not configured' the IE picks up the proxy.pac file for the user; if I re-enable this setting IE doesn't locate the proxy.pac. I really appreciate all the help you have given so far in trying to get to the bottom of this issue. I have unmarked this as the answer as the problem is not solved. What I was flagging up is that the policy is not being applied when 'Enable Proxy settings per machine' is enabled. I need the settings to be applied per machine so still need to find a solution to my original question of why the policy is not being applied in this situation.
July 23rd, 2010 11:17am

Hi, Glad to hear that the root cause is found.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
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July 25th, 2010 10:56pm

You may confirm if the following Registry value “AutoConfigURL” changes whatever you enable “Make proxy settings per machine” or not. HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ If it does not change or not present, I suspect that there are some third party programs that protects Registry do not let Windows to change the Registry branch. However if the value changes properly, please again check the configurations in IE. Note that you’d better restart IE after changing the configuration. It should work on a clean Windows 7 system.Please remember to click Mark as Answer on the post that helps you, and to click Unmark as Answer if a marked post does not actually answer your question. This can be beneficial to other community members reading the thread.
July 29th, 2010 1:54am

The value 'AutoConfigURL' doesn't change, but I wouldn't expect it to. My understanding is that value is connected to User Configuration\Windows Settings\Internet Explorer Maintenance\Connection\Automatic Browser Configuration in Local Group Policy Editor (GPedit.msc), so if the proxy.pac file URL is specified in there it will always be in that registry key regardless of whether 'Make proxy settings per machine' is enabled or disabled. This system was straight out of the box from Dell, so if there is any 3rd party interference it must be from something pre-installed by Dell, which is rather worrying as we buy all our systems from Dell.
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July 29th, 2010 6:44am

I have gone back to a 'blank sheet' ie. removed all reference to the proxy file in IE, GPedit & the registry. I then made one setting at a time in GPedit and traced in the registry which keys were being set for each one. Here are my conclusions: 1. GPedit User Configuration/Windows Settings/ Internet Explorer Maintenance/Connection/Automatic Browser Configuration. Tick 'Enable Automatic Configuration' and enter path for Automatic proxy (http://server/proxy.pac) This sets the following registry keys: HKCU\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Internet Settings AutoConfigURL=http://server/proxy.pac HKEY_USERS\.....\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Internet Settings AutoConfigURL=http://server/proxy.pac and also automatically sets the following in Internet Explorer Options\LAN Settings\Automatic Configuration Ticks 'Use Automatic Configuration Script' Address=http://server/proxy.pac 2. GPedit Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Internet Explorer Enable 'Make proxy settings per machine' This sets the following registry keys: HKLM\System\ControlSet001\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet\Manual Proxies (Default)=0http://server/proxy.pac HKLM\System\CurrentControlSet\Services\NlaSvc\Parameters\Internet\Manual Proxies (Default)=0http://server/proxy.pac and also changes the Options in Internet Explorer so that 'Automatically detect settings' is ticked and de-selects 'Use automatic configuration script' The text stays in the address box but is greyed out. This same change occurs in IE for a second user login who is a non-administrative user. 3. GPedit User Configuration/Windows Settings/Internet Explorer Maintenance/Connection/Automatic Browser Configuration Tick 'Automatically detect configuration settings' This sets the following registry key: HKLM\Software\Microsoft\Windows\Current Version\Internet Settings AutoConfigURL=http://server/proxy.pac and IE options stay the same as in 2. 4. GPedit Set 'Make proxy settings per machine' back to 'not configured'. This puts the IE options back to what they were in 1. ie. 'Use automatic configuration script'. My conclusion is that Computer Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Internet Explorer Enable 'Make proxy settings per machine' is having the opposite effect in Internet Explorer from what I would expect. If this setting is 'not configured' then the proxy settings are applied for all users on the machine. If this setting is 'enabled' then the proxy settings are not applied at all. It would be interesting to know if anyone else is experiencing ths with Windows 7 & IE8, or can explain to me what I am misunderstanding.
July 30th, 2010 10:18am

I am experiencing a similar issue where i have currently set 'Make proxy settings per machine' and this works fine to set proxy exceptions etc to machine with ie6 on xp sp3, when i upgrade IE to v8 then the settings do not apply. Group policy seems to create the ins files, but these are not applied to the registry. Strangely if a user with workstation admins logs on to the machine, it then update the registry key.Group policy management
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November 3rd, 2010 11:51am

please add your computer into OU, and link the GP to that OU. If you wanna enable "Make proxy settings per machine", you must have bot computer and users in that OU.( of course this means you use GPO link to OU). According to my test, if no computer in the OU, the GP will not work here, so try it.
December 2nd, 2010 1:26am

I think this is a simple problem of gateway. If you have an ISA then check to see if the software on the local machine is loaded and uncheck the script option in the proxy settings/configuration. If the ISA software not there check the config on the ISA firewall policy for that user internet user security group to see if logon proxy settings are enabled for all users. It is a handy tool to stop people doing "things" on the internet. Pretty much check your gateway settings as this is defined by windows ou. All Proxy software uses some form of logon or proxy authentication script and this should be configured on the local machine and the server as well. Hope this helps so far...In the registry if you look at the connections string and open it the value in of the 9th 00 in the string is 05 0r 09 - microsoft has a file that explains the values but when I changed the value to 05 the check box was available and to 09 inserted the url to proxy script. Can't quite remember where the detailed page is but if all else fails "google".
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December 30th, 2010 9:22am

IE8 on Win7 is loaded in two places. There is a 32 bit version and a 64 bit version. Only one will load the proxy.pac file. This is a bug in IE8 according to my Microsoft TAM and requires a ton of effort. The best option is to upgrade to IE9 or 10. Respectfully, Josh.
May 10th, 2012 9:12pm

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