If you have Internet Explorer 7.0 and are running on any of the Windows Vista platforms, Internet Explorer will run by default in protected mode. An icon appears on the status bar to let you know that it is running in this mode. This mode was introduced to help protect against malicious software from being installed and run on your computer through the internet.

 

There are four security zones for Internet Explorer: Internet, Local intranet, Trusted sites, and Restricted sites. Each website gets assigned to one of these zones; the zone to which a website is assigned specifies the security settings that are used for that site. Protected mode is turned on by default for web pages opened from the Internet, Local intranet, and all websites listed in your Restricted sites zone. For example, a web page, such as www.peernet.com may open in protected mode, but an .html file saved on your computer may not. Any websites listed in your Trusted sites zone will not open in protected mode.

File Conversion Center uses Internet Explorer to convert web pages, html documents and other files that can be opened by Internet Explorer. When protected mode is turned on, File Conversion Center may encounter web pages that will be opened in Protected Mode. Pages that open in this mode cannot be converted by File Conversion Center when you are using Internet Explorer 7.0, but can be opened with Internet Explorer 8.0 and later.

You can turn off protected mode in Internet Explorer 7.0 using the following steps:

1.In Internet Explorer, go to the Tools menu and select Internet Options.

2.From the Internet Options dialog, go to the Security tab and uncheck the Enable Protected Mode checkbox. You will need to close and restart Internet Explorer to apply the changes.

 

A safer method than the above would be to add the individual websites to your Trusted sites zone. See help in Internet Explorer for a further explanation of the security options.