This page has an unspecified potential security risk.
Hi, I've looked this issue up on multiple sites, and I've seen the same relative solutions, but none have worked for me, so I thought that I'd go to the source.Here's the issue: I have a link in my taskbar to my My Documents folder, which, when I try to open it, I'm presented w/ this message:This page has an unspecified potential security risk. Would you like to continue? If I select yes, there are no problems, and my My Documents folder opens. However, it's a nuisance, and I'd like to stop this message from popping up every time.As for my setup:I'm running XP SP2 (w/ no intention of installing SP3) on my desktop system that I'm trying to access my My Documents directory from. I also have a file server, which I call USC, running Ubuntu 8.04.4 LTS and housing a RAID 5 array and utilizing Samba. I have this array mapped to my desktop system as Y:. The path to my My Documents directory is Y:\backups\my_docs. Prior to a few days ago, I'd never had any issue regarding this topic.I'm in the process of adding another RAID 5 array to this file server, and I've been having some problems w/ Samba. At one point, I removed this mapping, while I was testing various configurations. When I tried to to re-map it, I had problems connecting. Apparently, some of the changes I'd made now required me to connect to this share w/out providing login credentials. So, just to be clear, prior to this, I had this drive mapped and set to reconnect at logon, and there were no problems. If, for some reason, I ever needed to re-map it, all I had to do was provide my credentials, and it re-mapped w/out a problem. Now, when I map it, it doesn't ask for credentials, and it simply maps the share.However, after all of this happened, when I now select the shortcut link to my My Documents directory, I receive this notification. I'd tried deleting and recreating the shortcut link, but that didn't help. As I'd previously mentioned, I'd read various other sites, and I tested a few solutions, most of them consisting of adding this share to the list of sites in my Local Intranet options w/in IE8. I even tried it under Trusted Sites. Nothing has resolved the issue. It was also recommended that I uncheck the Automatically Detect Intranet Network, which I did but to no avail. Currently, my IE8 setup is as follows:Local Intranet is set to Medium-Low Security (I'd tried it at low, but that didn't work, either.) Automatically Detect Intranet Network is checked, and file://usc is added to the zone.Trusted Sites is set to Medium Security, and I have no entries to its zone.Any help w/ this issue would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much. Jeff
July 20th, 2010 5:34pm

I'm running XP SP2 (w/ no intention of installing SP3)Note: Support for WinXP SP2 ended on 13 July 2010. Computers running WinXP SP2 "will no longer receive software updates from Windows Update" until SP3 has been installed. Extended Support for WinXP SP3 will continue through 08 April 2014. • What does it mean if my version of Windows is no longer supported? http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/help/what-does-end-of-support-mean~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
July 20th, 2010 7:08pm

Are you saying that no one in these forums will offer any guidance on how to resolve this issue, unless I have SP3 installed?
July 20th, 2010 7:35pm

No, I'm merely saying that your computer will not be offered any further critical security updates unless and until SP3 is installed. IMHO, getting SP3 installed should be more of a priority than the bothersome "unspecified potential security risk" prompt.Speaking of which, perhaps you might explain what "a link in [your] taskbar to my My Documents folder" means?Also see this related thread in IE Web Development forum: http://social.msdn.microsoft.com/Forums/en-US/iewebdevelopment/thread/dea9dbe1-c552-4b2f-9692-59fd28dbf538 Also see: http://www.raymond.cc/blog/archives/2008/02/03/right-click-zip-files-on-network-unspecified-potential-security-risk/ ~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
July 20th, 2010 9:36pm

What I was referring to when I said 'a link in my taskbar' was the shortcut is in the bar along the bottom of the screen just to the right of the Start Menu. I thought it was called the taskbar. Anyhow, neither of those links resolved my issue. The first link only offers the same advice I'd seen on other sites.
July 20th, 2010 11:23pm

1. Delete this shortcut to My Documents folder from the Quick Launch toolbar.2. Right-click on an empty/blank area of the taskbar and Unlock the toolbar.3. Right-click on an empty/blank area of the taskbar | Toolbars | Desktop (check/enable)4. Position the new Desktop Toolbar on your taskbar to the immediate left of the clock/Notification area such that only Desktop >> is displayed | now Lock the toolbar.5. Now when you want to access My Documents folder, just (double-)click on the double-arrows to the immediate right of the word Desktop to expand the toolbar & select My Documents folder.Do you get a "unspecified potential security risk" prompt now?~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
July 20th, 2010 11:55pm

Thanks for the idea, but that still doesn't resolve my issue. My main goal is to figure out what is causing this.
July 21st, 2010 12:40am

The prompt itself is due to the enhanced security in WinXP SP3 (as well as IE7 & IE8). More here: http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms649488(VS.85).aspx Why it's happening probably has something to do with how you created the original shortcut to My Documents folder and/or the fact that the Quick Launch toolbar is typically used for shortcuts to applications, not Windows folders.If you enable the Desktop Toolbar & access My Documents folder that way, you shouldn't see any such prompts.~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
July 21st, 2010 1:00am

That link is the same link that was in one of your previous posts. I'm not sure how it applies to my problem.
July 21st, 2010 8:07pm

I have nothing further to add here. Try my workaround and see if the behavior persists.~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
July 21st, 2010 8:58pm

Ok, thanks for the effort.
July 21st, 2010 10:08pm

I'm having the exact same problem, and I have SP3 installed. The problem just popped a few weeks ago, probably after some security update. Other users in my company have the same problem. I don't have the problem on my home computer also running SP3. I created the shortcut/link on my Quick Launch bar by right-clicking and draging the My Documents folder icon from my desktop into the Quick Launch bar. After creating that link, if you click on it, you get the security warning. However, if you double-click the My Documents icon on your desktop, there's no security warning. It is indeed annoying. I have tried the other fixes I've read on-line and nothing seems to have fixed it. Please let us know if you end up finding a way to fix it.
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
September 3rd, 2010 12:11am

I have a solution for you.If you add explorer.exe to the begining of your shortcut you will not get the security pop-up.Obviously this is a work around, and does not resolve the problem but it does allow you to work the way you like and not the way someone ellse thinks you should.
November 15th, 2010 6:23pm

Ive been getting the same popup message:"Internet ExplorerThis page has an unspecified potential security risk. Would you like to continue?"EXCEPT this doesnt occur when i open my documents folder, it pops up everytime i open Windows Live Messenger (2009). Any solutions?
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
December 28th, 2010 9:18pm

You will find support for Windows Live Messenger in these forums: http://windowslivehelp.com/forums.aspx?productid=2~Robear Dyer (PA Bear) ~ MS MVP (IE, Mail, Security, Windows & Update Services) since 2002 ~ Disclaimer: MS MVPs neither represent nor work for Microsoft
December 29th, 2010 1:34am

saw this post looking for an answer myself, this is what i did to fix mine, here at my work we have user folders on the server, our My Documents are mapped to that folder through a drive letter. the My Documents folder is then set to that mapped drive, right click My Documents, select properties, in the Target it probably has a drive letter, like s:\, i changed that to the entire URL for the network folder, example \\servername\sharename\userfolder, and the error stopped.there are probably group policies in place at your work that will change any security settings you change in IE to get rid of the message, the next time you restart your computer those policies could be re-applied and you will start getting the message again.chris
Free Windows Admin Tool Kit Click here and download it now
February 24th, 2011 1:59pm

This topic is archived. No further replies will be accepted.

Other recent topics Other recent topics