Unique Scenario at work: Want to launch or make my own browser with some enforced settings?

[The Stig]

Just throwing this out there if anyone's done it before. I'll give a quick lowdown:

These are goverment work laptops, highly locked down/secure
They run primarily on Windows XP/Windows 7 (soon)
They use Internet Explorer 8 only
All connections go out via a proxy

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The problem:

When working from home, if IE8 is launched, it will only allow one external URL as a destination (our VPN login page) as we have bypasses within IE8 that lets you reach it and bypass the proxy (Internet options > Connections > LAN Settings > Advanced) ; users CANNOT modify this, and they cannot install anything that will let you bypass it either (unless one of the admins installed an alternative browser for them).

The issue here is that while this is fine in most cases, there are occasionally users who will be in a hotel or equivalent, where another page MUST load to autheticate or log you into their system before any internet can be accessed.

A custom application was developed that basically is a custom browser that mysteriously inherits IE8's settings that can only browse that can temporarily disable the proxy to allow this, and then once authenticated, forces you into the VPN page. You cannot enter any URL from this app.

The guy who made the app has basically left, and we are facing a handful of other issues with it. I wish to get away from this app.

So...

Is there anything out there that will let me:
1. "create my own browser" using an existing browser (preferably IE8, but willing to take alternatives)
2. That will let me heavily modify it, such as not allowing anything to be put into the address bar, but yet through a config file allows the proxy to be disabled (most important). this includes disabling most other options too such as favourites, file, menu, print, save, etc
3. Easily distributable; ideally again inheriting any existing files but applying custom settings to this instance of IE8 only; a standalone app will be fine too. In fact, even forcing an IE8 instance to run with forced settings will be sufficient I think

The VPN connection just takes you to a Citrix app and from there everything is citrix. I know for sure this works fine in IE8 and Firefox (with a couple of citrix related plugins).

I think if I was to somehow create an instance of IE8 which launches with forced parameters for that session only it will replicate the same thing this guy has done then I think we might be on to something.

[hey]

You can't just use a portable version of firefox or something?

[xopher]

Yeah portable firefox or chrome.

[The Stig]

I saw one thing that would let me configure Firefox with some sort of Kiosk mode, but I wasn't completely sure if it would do the job. Not had the time to look into that.

So you guys think the portable version would let me lock it down really tightly? (in comparison to its install counterparts, if there is much difference, last I gave someone firefox portable it was exactly the same lol)

I'll have a look. Been away from work for some home issues but now I'm back on it. Will investigate.

[Niya]

Another way could be something like Awesomium, it's basically the Webkit engine of Chromium turned into a DLL. Its original purpose is to give C++/.NET programs a GUI that can be written in HTML/CSS/JS, but you could probably also tailor it into a browser with a custom UI that only allows the things you want.

And i don't think you can lock down FFP any more than the standard version, i mean, the "portable" part is just a wrapper that redirects access to absolute paths back to the relative path of the portable folder.