Windows Server comes with Internet Explorer (you are also free to download another browser of your choice such as Chrome or Firefox). Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration (IE ESC) is a security feature that can be enabled or disabled. If enabled, when you open IE you will see something like this “Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration is enabled” and when you type in a website, you may see a popup with “Content from the website listed below is being blocked by the Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration”. According to Microsoft, IE ESC “reduces the exposure of your server to potential attacks from Web-based content”. IE ESC will typically block your ability to download programs or applications to the server.
If you need to temporarily disable this feature, you can do so using the following steps:
- Open “Server Manager” – click on the icon that looks like a ‘tower computer with toolbox next to it’ in taskbar next to the start button
- In Server Manager, go to the “local server” section in left side menu.
- Next, look for “IE Enhanced Security Configuration” in the right column, click on the OFF hyperlink.
- Here you can disable Internet Explorer Enhanced Security Configuration for “Administrators” or “Users” or Both. This is where you can enable IE ESC too. Usually the new settings will take place when you close out the existing IE sessions and reopen the browser; otherwise reboot the server for the changes to take effect.
To protect your hosted remote desktop server (terminal server), we recommend security measures such as anti-virus, backing up your data, requiring strong / complex passwords, etc. We also offer Veeam full server image backup that goes beyond just file/folder backup. Our licensing is monthly with no long-term commitment.