August 1999

Creating an Internet Kiosk with Internet Explorer

In this article, we'll show you how to cut back on productivity losses by setting up an Internet kiosk that you can control, thereby allowing access to only your corporate intranet and work-related Internet Web sites. We'll also explain some common shortcuts that can be helpful when viewing the Internet in kiosk mode.

Configuring kiosk mode

Before running Internet Explorer in kiosk mode, you'll first want to enter the URL for the Web site that will be displayed when Internet Explorer is launched. This will be the kiosk's home page. To set the home page, right-click on the Internet Explorer icon on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Next, verify that the General tab of the Internet Explorer Properties dialog box is selected and, as Figure A shows, edit the text in the Address text box to read the exact URL of the appropriate Web site. For example, you can enter the URL for a Web page on your corporate intranet.

Figure A: The next time you launch Internet Explorer, the URL in the Address text box will be displayed by default.

When you've entered the URL, click the Apply button at the bottom of the Internet Explorer Properties dialog box to confirm the change; then click OK to close the dialog box. The next time you launch Internet Explorer, the Web site that you entered will be displayed by default.

Now that you have the home page set, use the Find utility to locate the Iexplore.exe file on your C drive. Click Start | Find | Files Or Folder to launch the Find: All Files dialog box. As Figure B shows, enter Iexplore.exe in the Named text box and select your C drive from the Look In dropdown list. Click Find Now to begin the search.

Figure B: Locate the Iexplore.exe file on your C drive.

When the file is located, create a shortcut to it on the desktop. To do so, right-click on the Iexplore.exe icon in the Find: Files Named Iexplore.exe list box and select Create Shortcut from the shortcut menu. Once you do this, the message shown in Figure C appears. Click Yes to place the shortcut on the desktop, and then close the Find: Files Named Iexplore.exe dialog box.

Figure C: Place a shortcut to the Iexplore.exe file on the desktop.

Now, right-click on the new Shortcut To Iexplore.exe icon on the desktop and select Properties from the shortcut menu. Click the Shortcut tab and place the insertion point at the end of the text in the Target text box. After the last quotation mark, press the [spacebar] key and enter the -k parameter, as Figure D shows. Now, click OK to close the Shortcut To Iexplore.exe Properties dialog box.

Figure D: Add the -k parameter to the Target line of the Internet Explorer shortcut.

You can now launch Internet Explorer in kiosk mode by double-clicking on the newly created icon. As Figure E shows, when Internet Explorer launches, your home page is displayed without the Windows 95/98 taskbar or Start button. Therefore, users won't be able to launch any programs other than Internet Explorer. In addition, the Internet Explorer menu bar, toolbar, and URL address bar aren't displayed so users also won't be able to navigate to any undesignated Web sites.

If your home page is a Web page on your corporate intranet, you'll want to create links to the other sites that you want employees to be able to access either on the Internet or your corporate intranet. These links will give the kiosk users the ability to navigate only to other acceptable sites.

Figure E: When running Internet Explorer in kiosk mode, users can't launch other programs because the desktop and Start menu aren't accessible.

Navigating with kiosk mode

Since the Windows 95/98 taskbar and the Start button aren't displayed while running Internet Explorer in kiosk mode, opening other applications is impossible--as long as you don't know the special key combinations. Also, if you're running Internet Explorer as a kiosk, you won't have any other applications open or available to switch to. However, by using the [Ctrl][Esc] key combination, you can display the taskbar with the Start menu open, thereby allowing you to open another application. And, if you'd like to close Internet Explorer and end the kiosk session, simply press [Alt][F4]. For more useful keyboard shortcuts that you can use on your Internet kiosk, refer to Table A.

Table A: Internet kiosk keyboard shortcuts

Keyboard shortcut	Function
[Ctrl]L	Opens the Open dialog box so you can enter a new URL
[Ctrl]O	Same as [Ctrl]L
[Ctrl]P	Allows you to print the Web page
[F5]	Refreshes the Web page
[Esc]	Stops loading the Web page
[Alt][Left arrow]	Moves you back to the previously viewed Web page
[Alt][Right arrow]	Moves you forward a Web page when the [Alt][Left arrow] key combination has previously been used

Adding more restrictions to your kiosk

Since savvy computer users who are aware of the alternate keyboard shortcuts will be able to work around the limitations provided by your Internet kiosk, you may want to secure the workstation further. To prevent users from running Internet Explorer normally, you can apply a system policy to the kiosk computer so that all items on the desktop are removed and the taskbar isn't visible (the Auto Hide and Always On Top taskbar options should be selected). Internet Explorer should be the only program that can be made to run. To configure the computer to retrieve its policy file from its local hard drive so that policies will still be applied if the server is unavailable, use the System Policy Editor in Registry mode.

For more information on using the System Policy Editor to secure your Internet kiosk, refer to the "Securing stand-alone workstations" article in the February 1998 issue of Windows 95 Professional.

Copyright © 1999, ZD Inc. All rights reserved. ZD Journals and the ZD Journals logo are trademarks of ZD Inc. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of ZD Inc. is prohibited. All other product names and logos are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective owners.