How do I disable this particular security warning message on my external HDD

Question

So on my new HDD whenever I open archive files, try running an executable or move files specifically via drag-and-drop,

I get this warning message that my "Internet Security Settings" blocked this action and makes me press okay in order to continue

https://i.imgur.com/YR8ujwO.png(adding an imgur link here because directly attaching an image fails for some reason)

I have NEVER had this issue before with my previous HDD or any other USB device and it's quite frankly pretty tedious to get every single time.
So I'd like to get rid of just this particular warning message and not other forms of warning message like running untrusted files or getting a prompt to grant admin permissions and stuff.

I've searched my whole PC but there's literally not a single setting called "Internet Security Settings" anywhere

Answer 1

Option 1 didn't work because there's no "Security" section underneath the General Tab, just in case I checked the Security Tab as well and to no surprise there was no unblock option there either
https://i.imgur.com/F163sBx.png

Option 2 didn't work either because I can't add file paths to that, which makes sense since a file path is not a web address:

https://i.imgur.com/bL3rukw.png

Option 3 is NOT an option because it's not just excluding my drive from zone identification, option 3 would disable zone identification for my entire PC,
and if something is normally on for the whole PC, I don't just want to disable it and remove a whole layer of security from the entire PC.

Option 4 is NOT an option, the issue occurs when dragging files, right-clicking when having a large selection of files, opening any form or archive, etc.
This has happened from the very beginning since I got this drive, both with files copied onto it from my own PC and with files downloaded from the internet.

Option 5 is NOT an option for the same reason as option 3.

I should mention that this security warning only happens on my home PC with this particular drive.
If I take it to my work PC I don't get any of the issues I've described so far.

Which is still strange because this never happened for any other USB drive or HDD I connected to my PC before

Answer 2

Hello Anthony Langendoen,

Welcome to the Microsoft Community.

This warning typically occurs when your new external HDD or the files on it are being flagged by Windows as being downloaded or coming from an "untrusted" source. Here's how to disable the specific security warning:

Option 1: Unblock the HDD Drive (Recommended)

1. Open File Explorer and navigate to This PC.
2. Right-click on the external HDD drive and select Properties.
3. In the General tab, look for the "Security" section at the bottom (near "This file came from another computer").
   • If you see the option "Unblock", check it and click Apply.
   • This should remove the restrictions for the entire drive.

Option 2: Adjust Internet Options

1. Open Control Panel → Internet Options (or search "Internet Options" in the Start menu).
2. Go to the Security tab and select Local Intranet.
3. Click Sites → Advanced, and add your external HDD drive letter (e.g., Z:) as a trusted location.
4. Click OK to save changes.

Option 3: Disable Zone Identification

This step will disable "Zone Information" that Windows uses to determine if files are from an untrusted location:

1. Open Group Policy Editor (press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and hit Enter).
2. Navigate to: User Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Attachment Manager.
3. Enable the policy "Do not preserve zone information in file attachments".
4. Restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

Option 4: Unblock Individual Files

If this issue only occurs with specific files:

1. Right-click the file, select Properties, and check the "Unblock" option under the General tab.
2. Apply and repeat for any affected files.

Option 5: Registry Fix

If Group Policy Editor is not available (e.g., on Home editions of Windows), you can achieve the same effect using the registry:

Disclaimer: Generally, modifying registry subkeys or work group is intended for advanced users, administrators, and IT Professionals. It can help fix some problems, however, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For further protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click this following link: How to back up and restore the registry in Windows - Microsoft Support 

1. Press Win + R, type regedit, and hit Enter.
2. Navigate to the following key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Policies\Attachments
3. Right-click in the right-hand panel, select New → DWORD (32-bit) Value, and name it SaveZoneInformation.
4. Set the value to 1 to disable the security warning.
5. Restart your PC.

Caution

• While this disables the warning, it may reduce security for files from untrusted sources. Use this with caution and avoid running unknown or suspicious files.

By using these steps, you should be able to get rid of the specific warning without impacting other security prompts.

Best Regards,

William.Y | Microsoft Community Support Specialist