HOWTO: Disabling Cookies Sent by Active Server Pages

 Last reviewed: December 11, 1997
Article ID: Q163010
The information in this article applies to:
  • Microsoft Active Server Pages, version 1.0

SUMMARY

Active Server Pages (ASP) uses cookies to track SessionIDs. As a result, the browser is sent a cookie when a new session is created. Typically this occurs the first time a particular client requests an ASP page in your Web application. If Internet Explorer is configured to "Warn before accepting cookies," you will see a warning dialog box when this SessionID cookie is sent to the browser. This article explains how to prevent ASP from sending these cookies.

NOTE: Disabling SessionID cookies is not recommended because it seriously limits the functionality of Active Server Pages.

MORE INFORMATION

Active Server Pages provides a configurable registry setting that can be used to disable Session State. The following registry value controls Session State: 

  HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SYSTEM\CurrentControlSet\Services
   \W3SVC\ASP\Parameters\AllowSessionState
If you set AllowSessionState to 0, ASP no longer sends SessionID cookies to the browser.

WARNING: Setting AllowSessionState to 0 disables the use of sessions in your Web application. This means that you will not be able to store or retrieve session variables. If your Web application uses session variables, as most do, your pages will no longer function properly. In addition, you will encounter scripting errors in the server-side scripts, which use session variables.

REFERENCES

For the latest Knowledge Base articles and other support information on Visual InterDev and Active Server Pages, see the following page on the Microsoft Technical Support site: 

   http://support.microsoft.com/support/vinterdev/


Keywords          : AXSFHTML
Version           : 1.0
Platform          : NT WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

================================================================================

THE INFORMATION PROVIDED IN THE MICROSOFT KNOWLEDGE BASE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND. MICROSOFT DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF MICROSOFT CORPORATION OR ITS SUPPLIERS HAVE BEEN ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. SOME STATES DO NOT ALLOW THE EXCLUSION OR LIMITATION OF LIABILITY FOR CONSEQUENTIAL OR INCIDENTAL DAMAGES SO THE FOREGOING LIMITATION MAY NOT APPLY.

Last reviewed: December 11, 1997
© 1998 Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved. Terms of Use.