Disabling cookies in IE 6.0 and Microsoft technical support

Originally I wanted to pose a little quiz with a prize for whoever solved the following problem:
A sheep and a potato steamer to whoever can disable cookies for the intranet in Internet Explorer 6.0 without using an IP address.
Not long ago a colleague asked me how to disable
cookies for the intranet in IE 6.0.

Even though this task had already given me several chances to see how backward the privacy controls were, to put it mildly,
I couldn’t resist trying to solve it. In case you didn’t know or hadn’t guessed,
cookies and pop-up blocking are part of the Privacy controls
(IE >> Tools >> Internet Options >> Privacy).

You’d expect to block a web server running on the intranet through the Sites button (my colleague needed this for testing),
but any attempt to enter the computer’s name
ends with the following message.

Entering the server’s IP address works, but then you always have to use the IP address in the browser URL.
If you enter a domain name instead, you’re out of luck.
The cookies will still reach you.

Fiddling with the switches under Advanced gets you nowhere, either.
Even Bill Gates probably couldn’t use them to block intranet cookies. More resilient investigators
can also try an XML definition following How to Create a Customized Privacy Import File.

Microsoft technical support

My colleague was persistent and I didn’t have time to look for a solution, so he contacted
Microsoft technical support. Who could be more qualified to solve
a problem like this…

Microsoft technical support 50868
***************************************************
Operating system: Windows XP Professional
Problem/Product: Internet Explorer 6.0
Problem/Description: Please advise how I can disable cookies for addresses
of internal web servers (the intranet zone). The information I found says I can
disable them for any external address, but I don’t know
how to disable them for the intranet.

The reply came soon, and it was something.

Dear Sir,

We have received your electronic request for
technical assistance from Microsoft Technical Support.
Microsoft Technical Support is a service for registered
customers whose product is malfunctioning. Your question falls outside our
remit. You may find a solution in the following resources:

1) The product manual is the primary source of information.

2) Another source is the product help, which may contain supplementary
information that does not appear in the printed documentation.

3) You can also enter your query in the unified search for frequently
asked questions, technical articles in the troubleshooting database, and
downloads (access is free):
http://support.microsoft.com/search/?adv=1>

4) You can also join a discussion group. This tool
helps you communicate with other users of Microsoft products
(access is free):
http://support.microsoft.com/newsgroups/

5) You can use services from Microsoft partners, who will be
happy to help you use and work with Microsoft
products. Training centers are designated CTEC
http://www.microsoft.com/cze/partners/contacts/ctec.asp,

6) Microsoft also issues a range of technical publications containing
technical descriptions, troubleshooting instructions, and
databases of known issues. This information is available in
Resource Kits or on the Microsoft TechNet CD-ROM,
published every month with the latest information.

Thank you for your understanding. Have a pleasant day.

Ms. XYZ

Screener

Microsoft Technical Support

Tel: +420 841 300 300

Email: [email redacted]

Online technical support: http://support.microsoft.com Protect your
computer: http://www.microsoft.com/cze/security/protect/

You can find Microsoft at its new address: BB Centrum, Alfa building,
Vyskočilova 1461/2a, Prague 4, postal code 140 00. Telephone and fax numbers
are
unchanged.

Note: The information above is for reference only and may
change. Microsoft is not liable for any damage you may incur
in connection with using this information.

There is a simple remedy for software problems.
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