Proxy Settings Can Be Set Only on a Per-User Basis

Internet Explorer 4.0, 4.01, and 4.01 Service Pack 1 (SP1) proxy settings can be set only on a per-user basis.

A supported fix is now available from Microsoft, but it is only intended to correct the problem that is described in this article. Apply it only to computers that are experiencing this specific problem. This fix may receive additional testing. Therefore, if you are not severely affected by this problem, Microsoft recommends that you wait for the next Service Pack that contains this hotfix.

To resolve this problem immediately, contact Microsoft Product Support Services to obtain the fix. For a complete list of Microsoft Product Support Services phone numbers and information about support costs, visit the following Microsoft Web site:NOTE: In special cases, charges that are ordinarily incurred for support calls may be canceled if a Microsoft Support Professional determines that a specific update will resolve your problem. The typical support costs will apply to additional support questions and issues that do not qualify for the specific update in question.

Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 for Windows 95 and Windows 98:

Internet Explorer 4.01 SP1 for Windows NT 4.0:

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.

This fix causes Internet Explorer to search for proxy settings in the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Internet Settings\ProxySettingsPerUser registry key. If the ProxySettingsPerUser value exists and has a value data of 0 (zero), proxy settings are obtained from the HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE registry hive. In all other cases, proxy settings are obtained from the HKEY_CURRENT_USER registry hive, which is the previous behavior.