Read reply #15
HI I got the Easy pass notification yesterday afternoon when I turned on my computer I must say though I do not mind it is only two bad that having avast free I wish they would have given it to avast free members to but yes I do understand that avast has to make money some how.
It is ok Avast software i still like you as a company.
Yes, Avast using IE instead of the default (and usually open) browser really puts me off.
I have IE blocked from the internet in Comodo Firewall, so after waiting for IE to open, then clicking on No to scripts, then closing IE’s box that wants to solve the problem (the only problem is IE!) I can finally get rid of IE.
That reminds me, I’ve an nLited version of XP that doesn’t have IE, now where did I put it…
???
For me avast uses default browser (i.e. Firefox) to open information pages.
Did you really set your browser as default?
Yes - and all other links open in Opera except an occasional one in Usenet that actually has “url:” at the start of a url!
Grow up people, there will be no harm if some program will need IE from time to time to open a link, it’s absolutely absurd how some of us don’t like IE just because it’s a geek trend to not like it(and the majority even does not know why they hate it so much ;D ), and if you don’t know each and every browser has major security holes.
And yes, i know that you may love the addons of Firefox or Chrome, or some other features missing or not so well implemented in IE, but still i don’t get why some people are so angry when they see IE, are you feeling better after that or what?
Well… while IE engine is needed to render some content (e.g. the CHM-based help), avast! doesn’t try to open the links specificaly in IE.
So, there must be something special about the machine configuration… would be interesting to find out what exactly, and possibly handle that case in avast’s code.
Regarding the tangential subject of locking down IE…
Would you mind elaborating on your approach? For example, do you mean you have rules setup for iexplore.exe that allows access to Microsoft/Windows Update but nothing else?
It has been some time since I wrote Windows applications and worked with the web browser control. I can’t remember for sure, but I want to say that program XYZ hosting a web browser control for purposes of using IE’s engine to access/render things would appear to Comodo as XYZ accessing the net. Thus, for example, were a trusted application such as Avast to access/render ads or information that way, they’d get through.
One thing I do is maximize the restrictions on IE’s Internet Zone and then use the Trusted Zone as a white-list for the absolute minimal number of sites (currently just Microsoft Update). IIRC, and based on a recent experience with an application that seemed to use the web browser control for stuff, the web browser control honors Internet Settings at least to some extent (can’t remember the details of over-riding things when hosting it). I recall reading of a supposedly better approach which uses the Internet Options Content Advisor and a custom PICS rule. I’m not sure if these approaches are out-dated though. On some fronts I’m just not keeping up (sigh).
I don’t want to jack the thread, but comments on this subject would be appreciated as both IE and by extension the Windows web browser control simply aren’t secured to the extent that my (main) browser is and thus the former pose a potential risk.
That’s almost all beyond me - I just have IE as a Blocked Application.
Windows Update Service is Disabled and I occasionally install an update that looks necessary. I’ve seen too many topics where WU has borked things.
Yes, other browsers have insecurities but most are fixed quickly and are minor anyway. Also Opera and Firefox are civilised to use (FF with extensions) and IE is cr@p.
@Giraffe: OK, well for now just be aware that IE is an application and wrapper around functionality (a browser engine, if you will) that is included with Windows and is accessible to other applications besides IE. Rules that target IE the application may not target “the engine” and other software that utilizes “the engine”. I think the most important subject is Igor’s message just before my previous one. There seems to be a willingness to try to understand why it is that IE was opened on your machine. I hope you have followed up, or will follow up, on that.
Please read
Windows Explorer is a file manager application that is included with releases of the Microsoft Windows operating system from Windows 95 onwards. It provides a graphical user interface for accessing the file systems. It is also the component of the operating system that presents many user interface items on the monitor such as the taskbar and desktop. Controlling the computer is possible without Windows Explorer running (for example, the File | Run command in Task Manager on NT-derived versions of Windows will function without it, as will commands typed in a command prompt window). Located in the C:\Windows directory, it is sometimes referred to as the Windows Shell, explorer.exe, or simply “Explorer”.http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Explorer
Kenny, he’s talking about IE not WE. 
WE is the basis for all of Windows! :
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Windows_Shell
Sure, but nobody was talking about WE…!!
it still has nothing to do with browsers. :
Yes - it’s just that I don’t know. Opera is set as the default browser.
Interesting questions would be HOW is a default browser set and what might over-ride that setting. Recalling support for an application to register to handle certain protocols, I just whipped up this search which might provide a starting point if you are interested in delving into things:
Some of that is technical and involves manual poking around. Perhaps there is a freeware program that provides an easy to user interface for examining/changing related settings.
Well, it could be related to this…
although that’s pretty funny ;D asyn,there are probably other causes and issues.
Funny…?? Why…???