Connection Settings Are Unexpectedly Lost with Internet Explorer Maintenance GPO

If you apply an Internet Explorer Maintenance Group Policy object (GPO), some values in the Internet settings registry key may be deleted, even if the connection settings section of the GPO is set to Do not customize Connection Settings. Because of this, you may be unable to set the Dial whenever a network connection is not present option on the workstations that are running Microsoft Windows 2000.

To resolve this problem, obtain the latest service pack for Internet Explorer 5.01 for Windows 2000. For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: The English version of this fix should have the following file attributes or later:

To work around this problem, use one of the following methods:

• Create connection settings on the domain controller to apply the GPO. This workaround may not be acceptable if you have multiple types of connection settings on laptops that are running Windows 2000, or if the connection that is imported from the GPO is set by default or because some customers do not have any dial-up connection.
• Manually change the Install.ins file in SYSVOL and add the following lines in the ConnectionSettings section:
  [ConnectionSettings]
  NoNetAutodial=1
  EnableAutodial = 1
  This workaround changes a file directly in the SYSVOL directory; therefore, Microsoft does not support this workaround.
• If the GPO does not change much, apply the registry keys in a logon script. This workaround is not applicable if users put their laptops in the hibernate state and consequently do not use log off and log on.

Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was first corrected in Internet Explorer 5.01 for Windows 2000 Service Pack 3.

On a Windows 2000 workstation, start Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click Connections. Click to select the Dial whenever a network connection is not present check box. Verify that there is only a LanBackup value in the following registry key: The NoNetAutodial and EnableAutodial values are set to: 01 00 00 00 in the following registry key: On a domain controller, in the default domain policy, click User Configuration, click Windows Settings, and then click Internet Explorer Maintenance. In the URLs/ImportantURLS dialog box, validate the home page that is set. Log off from and then log on to the workstation that is running Windows 2000. Start Internet Explorer, click Internet Options on the Tools menu, and then click Connections. The Never dial a connection check box is selected. Verify that there is only a LanBackup value in the following registry key: The NoNetAutodial and EnableAutodial values have disappeared in the following registry key: The Install.ins file should be similar to the following file: