Description of Profile Assistant

This article describes how to install, configure, and use the Profile Assistant tool included with Internet Explorer version 4 and later.

You can use Profile Assistant to specify your registration and demographic information. Internet Explorer automatically sends this information to Web sites that require it. This saves you from having to type the same information every time you visit a new Web site. This information cannot be viewed on your computer or shared with others without your permission.

Profile Assistant is installed with the Standard or Full installation option for Internet Explorer 4 or the Typical or Full installation option for Internet Explorer 5.

NOTE: If the Edit Profile and Reset Sharing buttons are unavailable on the Content tab in the Internet Options dialog box, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
NOTE: Profile Assistant is not available for the Macintosh, Unix, Windows 3.x, or Windows NT 3.x versions of Internet Explorer 4 or later.

How to Configure Profile Assistant

You can either enter information into Profile Assistant's secure client profile storage, or Profile Assistant can automatically populate its secure client profile storage with registration information collected from you. If there is no information, or you want to edit previously collected information, use the appropriate method:

Internet Explorer 4:

1. Click Start, click Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet.
2. Click the Content tab.
3. Click Edit Profile.
4. Specify a new or existing profile, and then click OK.

Internet Explorer 5:

1. Click Start, click Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click Internet Options.
2. Click the Content tab.
3. Click My Profile.
4. Specify a new or existing Windows Address Book entry, and then click OK.

How to Use Profile Assistant

To share registration and demographic information with Web sites that use Profile Assistant, visit the Web site and navigate to the forms page that collects your registration and demographic information. If you are prompted, click Allow to enable the Web site to collect your information.

NOTE: This information is saved for each Web site and is determined by the address of the Uniform Resource Locator (URL). For example, www.hotmail.com and hotmail.com are two different URLs and Microsoft IntelliForm information is not shared between two different URLs.

Profile Assistant information is stored securely in protected storage on the client computer. Web servers can request this information, but it is shared only if you give your consent in the Profile Assistant Confirmation dialog box. This dialog box is required and it is not possible for a Web site to access this information without your permission.

Profile Assistant information is considered private within the constraints of the privacy guidelines defined by the Platform for Privacy Preferences (P3) architecture. P3 is a World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) project. For additional information about P3, please see the following Web site: