More on blocked files

Posted by Sergio on 2010-06-23

I've written about this before. You download a file to use in your web application, like a JavaScript library or an image file but the browser just can't seem to load it. You spend hours looking for a typo or broken link until you find out about that Unblock button and you realize that it's IIS that isn't serving the file. The file had been there; you had the correct URL all along; it's just disallowed.

I actually developed the reflex to right click and unblock each an every file I download now. It's stupid, isn't it? I should have imagined there was a way to disable that Windows feature instead of just learning how to live with the problem.

Well, no more. Here's how you can disable it. Credit goes to this article.

Run gpedit.msc (the group policy editor)
Go to User Configuration/Administrative Templates/Windows Components/Attachment Manager
Find the setting named Do not preserve zone information in file attachments and enable it
Log off then log back on, or update the current policies with: Gpupdate /force in any command prompt.

Note: If you're using Chrome it looks like there's some bug that may or may not be taken care of as you read this. Chrome doesn't seem to honor the policy setting and always mark the downloaded files as unsafe.

Now I just need to add this to the list of tasks anytime I get a new machine or repave one of them.