Prepare to Create a Custom Browser Package

Before running the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard, you should perform the following steps based on your license agreement and organization's needs.

• Determine the operating system requirements

• Decide on your distribution method

• Gather the URLs for Home, Search, and Support pages

• Determine whether you will use a CMAK profile

Then, do the following:

• Prepare Your Build Computer

• Create Branding and Custom Graphics

• Specify Your Network Servers as Trusted Sites

• Enable Automatic Detection and Configuration of Browser Settings

• Configure Custom Components for Uninstallation

• Configure ActiveX Controls

Important

Before you deploy a custom browser package with Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7), you should create a test version, install it on lab computers, test and evaluate the performance, and then update your package with any changes you want to make. Creating and deploying custom Windows Internet Explorer 7 packages should follow the same process as upgrading or changing any desktop component in your environment.

Determine the operating system requirements

• Verify that the computer you will build your package from, as well as the computers on which you will install your package, meet the hardware and system requirements for Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7 (IEAK 7) and for Windows Internet Explorer 7. For more information, see Requirements for IEAK 7.

• Determine the level of encryption you are using and whether it is sufficient for the custom browser package. To view the encryption level in your installation of Internet Explorer, click Help, click About Internet Explorer, and then view the value next to Cipher Strength. For information about getting 128-bit encryption for older versions of Internet Explorer, see Internet Explorer High Encryption Pack (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=68961).

Decide on your distribution method

Decide how you will distribute your custom package (CD-ROM or network). After the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard builds your package, you will need to move the files to the selected media or to a server computer where your users can access the setup file.

If you decide to publish your browser package to an Internet server, you need to know the path to the server and the URL from which the files are downloaded. Then, create a folder on the server to publish all the files and folders associated with your custom browser. The syntax for the URL is http://computer_name/Web_server_name, where computer_name is the virtual root for the Web server.

Gather the URLs for Home, Search, and Support pages

You can create your own Home, Search, and Support pages to provide information to your users. You are prompted for the URLs for these pages when you run the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard.

Determine whether you will use a CMAK profile

You can include a profile created with Connection Manager Administration Kit (CMAK) as part of the custom browser package. You are prompted for the location of the profile when you run the Internet Explorer 7 Customization Wizard. For more information, see CMAK and IEAK.

Additional references

• For more information about IEAK 7, see Internet Explorer Administration Kit 7.