Annoyed by pop-ups? Worried about "drive-by downloads" and spyware? Has your Internet Explorer start page been taken hostage by an unwelcome site? Relax. Internet Explorer has a built-in mechanism for controlling the Internet nasties that threaten to ruin your browsing experience. Best of all, it's free - all that's required is a little bit of elbow grease.

To begin, ensure you have the latest version of Internet Explorer and that all necessary patches and updates have been applied.


To obtain the latest version and required updates, visit the Windows Update Center.

To access the Security Zones, open Internet Explorer, choose Tools from the menu, select Internet Options, and click the Security tab.

Security Zones
Internet Explorer provides 4 distinct security zones, each of which can be configured independently to provide custom protection for safer and more pleasant Internet browsing.

• Internet zone - The Internet zone is the default zone for all sites not listed in other zones.
• Local Intranet - Typically for local files or those coming from local networks.
• Trusted Sites zone - Use the Trusted Sites zone for sites you visit frequently which require the ability to download files, play Flash animations, or employ active scripting.
• Restricted Sites zone - Use the Restricted Sites zone to suppress pop-up advertising, minimize the use of cookies, or otherwise restrict the actions allowed by listed sites.

Next page: Configuring Internet Explorer security zones