IE 5 'feature'?

["Doe, John" <LeaveMeHigh () AOL COM>]

Hi, hope this is in sync with the purpose of the list,

    I recently used windowsupdate(.microsoft.com) to update (Win98 SE) to IE
5 sp1.  I noticed (after the mandatory reboot), that the next time I opened
IE it wanted to 'register' itself by opening a URL:


http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=runonce&pver=5.0&O1=interna
l&plcid=1103

This URL was in the registry, in:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main

And was *apparently* added by %WINDIR%\system\homepage.inf:

[!StartHomePage]
; WARNING - Don't add anything else to this section
;   IEAK may nuke it if user requests no welcome page
HKCU,"Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer\Main","First Home
Page",,%FirstHomePage%
...
[Strings]
PROGRAMF="Program Files"
FirstHomePage="http://www.microsoft.com/isapi/redir.dll?prd=ie&ar=runonce&pver
=5.0&O1=internal&plcid=1103"
Browser_suite="Internet Explorer"
SHORTCUT_UPDATE="Update Product"

Long story short, I don't see why IE would have to check back with Microsoft.
 The URL does redirect to some MSN and Hotmail promo page, so it may just be
ads.

The more interesting part is that the registry key is deleted after the page
is loaded for the first time.  So you can set the key (recreate it if you
have to) to some site and IE will go there without questioning and cleanup
itself afterward.

This is a lot different than the "Start Page" key value, which is the initial
page set in the options.  "First Home Page" will override that setting the
first time.

Of course, if you have access to the registry, you already can do whatever
you want...

-lmh