Animated Logos Not Passed to Client with AutoConfig URL

ID: Q174770

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer Administration Kit version 3.2a

SYMPTOMS

After you configure Auto Configuration URL to push down an .ins file to an Internet Explorer client from a Web server, all customization takes place except for the animated Internet Explorer status logos.

CAUSE

Auto Configuration URL does not support pushing animated logos to a client. Auto Configuration pushes the information from the .ins file down to the Internet Explorer client. Static Internet Explorer status logos are pushed down to the client because they are unencoded in the .ins file itself. Animated logos are not unencoded, because there is a file size limit of 64 KB per .ins file.

WORKAROUND

If an animated Internet Explorer status logo must be changed at a central location, the only option available at this time is the per-user .ins file, which is customizable using the IEAK Wizard. The wizard screen for the per- user .ins configuration contains a check box the administrator can select that allows animated logos to be used with the per-user .ins.

Setting up per-user .ins files

You must first determine the specific number of .ins files you need; that is, one for each user or one for all users.

Open the sample .ins file, Peruser.ins, in the INS Editor and make any needed changes to the default settings.

Save the revised file as Default.ins.

When a user logs on and runs Setup for the customized browser, Internet Explorer first looks for an individual .ins file for that user. If it does not find one, it uses the settings in the Default.ins file. Copy the Default.ins file to a network-accessible folder. When you are running the wizard, specify the path to this folder when it is requested.

Repeat steps 1 through 3 for each .ins file you want.

Save each file as UserID.ins. For example, if a user's logon name is UserA, the .ins file name would be UserA.ins. You do not have to create an individual .ins file for each user.

NOTE: For more information, click ISP/INS File Formats Version 1.1.

Specifying group .ins files

You can also specify small group settings in group .ins files, which can be specified in a per-user .ins file. For example, if UserA belongs to the Finance group, you can also create a Finance.ins file that contains group settings, which override the settings in the per-user .ins file.

You also can specify a group .ins file in the master .ins file. If both the master .ins file and the per-user .ins file specify a group .ins file, the settings in the per-user .ins file override the settings in the master .ins file.

In general, settings in the group .ins file override those in the master .ins file, and settings in the per-user .ins file override those in either the group or master .ins files.

If you want to use a group .ins file, make sure the [Branding] section in the user .ins file contains the following lines:

groupins=<group ins file name>
Peruserins=1

For example, for a Finance group .ins file, the lines would read as follows:

groupins=E:\INS\FINANCE.INS
Peruserins=1

NOTE: If you specify any add-on component settings during initial installation or in a global or group .ins file, you cannot change them by using per-user .ins settings. For more information about specifying group .ins settings, click ISP/INS File Formats Version 1.1.

Maintaining Per-User .ins File Settings

To set up dynamic branding of a user's customized browser, you must add the Inschk32 command or the Inschk16 command to the user's logon script. This command detects whether the group or user .ins files have changed since the last time the user logged on to the network. If the files have changed, this command ensures that customized settings are reapplied.

The syntax for the commands is as follows:

Inschk32 <location of user's .ins file>

-OR-

Inschk16 <location of user's .ins file>

You must specify the location of the user's .ins file in a form that your network supports, such as a mapped drive or a UNC.

Mapped drive syntax:
If you use mapped drives, you must indicate in your network logon scripts that the specified drive is mapped to the same network share for all users.

Drive letter:\Volume\Directory

For example, Inschk16 R:\Ins\UserA.ins
UNC syntax:
\\Server\Volume\Directory

For example, Inschk32 \\myserver\ins\UserA.ins

NOTE: To use animated bitmaps with per-user .ins files, you must make sure the following settings are correct in the .ins file:

In the [Animation] section, DynamicFolder=1.
In the [Branding] section, the PerUserInsPath must be the UNC location of the bitmaps.

Additional query words:

Keywords : ieakgeneral
Version : WINDOWS:3.2a
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbprb