Protected Mode: Off (problem???)

[Unknown_User_921]

Hi,

I just downloaded sandboxie (first time user) on my new laptop which has Windows Vista. I noticed that when I run IE 7 inside sandboxie that it says that protected mode is off. When IE 7 is run outside of sandboxie, protected mode is on. Why is this? Is this a problem? What is this protected mode all about anyway?

Note: I am not a techie and feel a bit lost with the chaos that is Vista!

Thanks

[SnDPhoenix]

Here, this should help you understand what protected mode does:

What does Internet Explorer protected mode do?

Internet Explorer's protected mode is a feature that makes it more difficult for malicious software to be installed on your computer.

In addition to helping protect your computer from malicious software, protected mode allows you to install wanted ActiveX controls or add-ons when you are logged in as an administrator.

Protected mode is turned on by default in the Internet, intranet, and Restricted sites zones and an icon appears on the status bar to let you know that it's running.

In addition to warning you when webpages try to install software, Internet Explorer will warn you when webpages try to run certain software programs. You are warned when a software program would run outside of Internet Explorer and outside of protected mode, because that program might have more access to your computer than you prefer. This usually happens when a website is using an add-on to run a software program on your computer. If you are viewing more than one website at a time, check all open websites to be sure you know which one is trying to run the program before granting your permission. If you trust the program and want to allow it to run on any website, select the Do not show me the warning for this program again check box.

• Notes:
  If you turned the warning off and want to show it again, you need to reset Internet Explorer's settings. For more information, see Reset Internet Explorer settings.
  
  If you do not want to allow webpages to use an add-on to run a specific software program on your computer and do not want to see the warning dialog as described above, you can disable the add-on that is being used. Open Add-on Manager and disable the add-on that is trying to use the program you do not want to allow. If you do not know which add-on to disable, you can try disabling all add-ons and then re-enabling them one by one until you find the add-on you want to disable. For more information see Internet Explorer add-ons: frequently asked questions.

Basically in short (incase you dont feel like reading all that) all protected mode does is keep IE from installing software and communicating with software, that way its more "secure". Now why protected mode turns off when you sandbox IE, i dont know, but personally i wouldnt mind, its better to just leave it off imo.

[tzuk]

Protected Mode provides a sandbox like Sandboxie, but on a much smaller scale, and not as secure as Sandboxie. You don't need Protected Mode when you're running your browser sandboxed.

[Unknown_User_921]

good enough for me! that's essentially what i thought.

cheers!