Summary: The latest IE update - Internet Explorer 8 - causes problems for some people. It might be easy to remove the IE update, or it might be a lot of work.
I recently updated to Internet Explorer 8. I would like to change it back to Internet Explorer 7. Can this be done? If so, how?
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I'm hearing this question a lot. Over and over. From many people. All the time.
Apparently that latest IE update isn't working for
some many people.
Including my own test machine.
And uninstalling it can also be a bit of a problem.
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First, Microsoft has a knowledgebase article: How do I uninstall or remove Internet Explorer 8? That article references a "Fix this problem" utility that supposedly does everything necessary. If you can, I actually recommend trying that utility first.
If that doesn't work, then the recommended approach is to look for Internet Explorer 8 in the Add/Remove programs section (or the Programs and Features section) of Control Panel.
Clicking Remove should start the "Windows Internet Explorer 8 Removal Wizard":
And then things get sticky.
As you can see, I've been warned that several pieces of software were installed after I upgraded to IE8. It's possible that removing IE8 will break one or more of them:
Hopefully, immediately after an upgrade this should be a short list, but as you can see in this example all I've taken is updates, and installed one application and the list is already quite long. Sadly, if IE8 isn't working for you, you may simply need to take the risk, and be ready to re-install any affected applications after you're done.
Eventually, you'll need to reboot (of course):
After rebooting and firing up Internet Explorer:
Now, I'm hearing of many reports of folks who cannot follow the instructions above. The most notable complaint: "Internet Explorer 8 doesn't appear in the Add/Remove list".
The most common reason is simply this, quoting from the knowledgebase article:
Important You cannot uninstall Internet Explorer 8 if it is set as not removable. This occurs if you install Internet Explorer 8 before you install Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows XP.
If this happens to you, things get complicated. The procedure, as outlined in the knowledgebase article You cannot uninstall Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 after you install Windows XP Service Pack 3 is simply this:
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Uninstall Windows XP SP3
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Uninstall Internet Explorer 8
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Reinstall Windows XP SP3
Those three little bullets encompass a lot of work, and a lot of potential for things to not work, depending on how much activity has occurred on your system after SP3 was installed.
Finally, the original knowledgebase article I referenced above, How do I uninstall or remove Internet Explorer 8? includes "Alternative steps" to uninstalling IE8 as well. These involve running the uninstaller manually via commands entered or pasted into a Windows Command Prompt.
Related:
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"IExplore.exe has generated an error." Now what? IExplore.exe, aka Internet Explorer or 'IE', can crash but it's not always its fault. We'll look at some of the things that can cause IExplore.exe to crash, and steps you can take.
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IE's click sound: how do I turn that off? IE (Internet Explorer) is frequently configured to make a "clicking" sound when you move from page to page. Here's how to turn IE's click sound off, or change it.
Article C3723 - May 6, 2009
If anyone is running IE8 and Spybot S&D, turn off "immunization" in Spybot. They just won't play well with each other. Both want to be first in resource hogging!
Posted by: sirpaul1 at June 2, 2009 9:46 AMWell, in fairness, a friend with XPsp3 was having severe problems with IE7, so I tried upgrading to IE8 after which all was fine, so you never know.
With regard to reversing system changes, I have to plug the Horizon Rollback program, which I have found invaluable. One of its features is a window which appears briefly during the boot process before Windows starts, making it possible to recover easily from crashes and installations which have damaged the operating system. I have found this program to be much more useful than System Restore (especially on pre-XP machines which don't have it anyway!) and it has got me out of dire trouble many times.
Posted by: Bernard Winchester at June 4, 2009 1:55 AMI uninstalled ie8 prior to seeing I was supposed to uninstall sp3. Now my ie won't work at all...can I uninstall sp3 now (after the fact)?
Posted by: Lynn at June 9, 2009 12:15 PMNo matter what OS (Vista, XP, or Windows 7) IE 7 and IE 8 crash or go into a not responding mode.
Once in a while it will say "Stop running script? A script on this page is causing Internet Explorer to run slowly. If it continues to run, your computer might become unresponsive." IF I'm lucky enough to get that warning clicking YES to stop the script usually gets me back going. But too often something un-reported causes Vista for example in IE7 or IE 8 to just "Not Responding". I have windows check for a solution but ALWAYS none is found. I need a stable environment ... i often have 40 + windows going (yes plenty of headroom with 4GB of Ram installed) I know I should be using firefox because at least when the rare crash happens there I can simply restore the previous session and be off.
P.S. when I "down/upgraded" Vista IE7 to IE8 it deleted 95% of my 6 months of history. It kept a few random odds and ends around like salt in the wound ... I pray for the mainstreaming of a new Operating system. I've lost so much time/work productivity b/c of M$ I would have been better off conducting work via SNAIL MAIL!
Posted by: Bdubslawman at June 17, 2009 6:50 AMOops i almost forgot. So i went into tools and shut off all active x & script controls (figuring if it's scripts that's causing the issues i'll shut them down. DIDN'T stop the problem. I run the script debugger and for-crying-out-loud even M$'s web pages are full of script errors and bugs. I HATE THIS WORLD...
Posted by: Bdubslawman at June 17, 2009 6:53 AMMy problem is IE7 worked perfectly (well for a windows product lol), i installed SP3 then IE8, 8 was [edited], so i uninstalled now i get nothing but constant script errors in IE7!
Posted by: Ange at June 23, 2009 4:39 AMOS: WinXP w/SP3
I just installed IE8 and now, I cannot get the computer past the Login page.
I have rebooted numerous times and it's still the same: Login/insert password; see the DELL logo; see WinXP page attempt to start-up; then it goes back to the Login/insert password page.
Lather, rinse, repeat.
Short of reformatting the hard drive and starting over - is there anything I can do to get into the Operating System and get the computer to actually run applications again?
Thanks for your help!
Posted by: Carol at July 3, 2009 7:15 AMCarol
7/3/09 1013
I stupidly set my computer to auto update and MS downloaded their malfunctioning junk. After reading the above article, I decided to delete IE8 and I am now running IE7 which has solved all problems. Vista? Office 2007? IE8? Only Bill Gates and crew could get away with doing their jobs so badly.
Posted by: anthony at July 11, 2009 6:12 AMRunning Windows XP/SP3
Posted by: Ken Crook at July 19, 2009 3:39 AMI had been using IE6 but I saw a lot of stories about needing to upgrade from IE6 because it was not secure enough for modern security problems.
I downloaded and installed IE8 without a problem (after doing a full Acronis Image backup).
I needed to turn off some of the assist features so typing went faster, but other than that IE8 works great. And is a lot faster than IE6.
I don't understand all the bad hype I read about IE8?
Maybe since my HP Pavilion notebook is just a vanilla system without any super geek add-ons, IE8 works for me.
Why worry about removing IE8? If you're that low on disc space, you need to reinstall & start over with a fresh drive. If you simply don't want to use IE8, then choose another browser. Firefox 3.5.5 is an excellent choice (it's my default one). There are others, Opera, Chrome, Safari, Seamonkey (for low spec systems, Seamonkey is great). My point is you don't have to use IE at all, except your system uses it to deliver updates to your system. When I reinstalled XP Pro on my laptops, I unchecked IE8 & IE7 and checked "Don't show this update again". But last week I bought a new PC with Windows 7 Home Premium installed, so I'm stuck with it on here. I installed Firefox 3.5.5 on here too, without even giving IE8 a chance on Win 7.
Posted by: Charles Tilley at November 19, 2009 7:52 PM