VMware Horizon Community
jbraun9776
Contributor
Contributor

VMware View 4.6 client "Help" button

This was previously discussed in another thread (same title except using ver 4.0, see here), however it never got definitively answered.  We are using a View 4.6 client that is reg-hacked as the shell on a thick client running Win XP.  The VM is designed to be a more "personal use" computer for non-work browsing and other minimal uses.  Everything is locked down tight, except when you click the Help button from the View client bar at the top of the screen, it opens Internet Explorer on the thick client.  I have tried removing IE in all ways I could find, tryed blocking it by using a dummy proxy or renaming the executable, but it continues to open.  This allows the user access to the local drive on the client machine, as well as internet that is not filtered through the VM.

The options given on the other thread were to edit the View Client DLL, and to change the default HTM/HTML handler to notepad.  Well, I changed the handler and every HTM/HTML file I can find opens in Notepad, however the Help button still opens IE.  I would rather not have to edit the DLL, I will if I have to.

Has anyone else run into this and found a fix that works?  Is it possible to remove the Help option from the dropdown menu entirely yet?

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auhank
Enthusiast
Enthusiast

We use software restrictions in local group policy to prevent launch of the browser.  There is an associated setting that determines if the restriction applies to administrative accounts.  A possible downside is that the user gets no feedback on pushing the help button.

jbraun9776
Contributor
Contributor

That may be what I am looking for.  I will check it out...for now, I had configured the local policy to prevent access to the C drive.  It allows the View client to run, but when a user clicks Help, they get a message saying that the action has been cancelled due to security restrictions.

I don't mind if they can't have Help, they don't need to be messing with the View client anyway.  Thanks!

Message was edited by: jbraun9776

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ac57846
Hot Shot
Hot Shot

I have just released a tool to address this issue, it is a VB6 application called NoBrowser that hooks the click on the help button & launches as the default web browser.  It displays a text file or silently exits if the text file isn't found.

Take a look at the release announcement and download the installer at http://www.demitasse.co.nz/wordpress2/2011/12/nobrowser-all-the-help-you-need/

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