Ask Leo!: Internet Explorer en-us 2008 Leo A. Notenboom and Puget Sound Software, LLC Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:06:40 -08:00 Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:06:40 -08:00 720 http://ask-leo.com/images/altile144.jpg Ask Leo! http://ask-leo.com 140 140 Tech Questions? Get Answers! Ask Leo! Why does IE7 still seem to be around after installing IE8? http://ask-leo.com/why_does_ie7_still_seem_to_be_around_after_installing_ie8.html I recently reformatted my HD and reinstalled Windows XP Pro. My install disk included SP2 so after the XP install completed I installed SP3 and then IE7 in that order. Then I installed all necessary updates, patches, etc. I later decided to install IE8 and I've kept that updated as well.

Today I needed some system info so I ran a free utility called System Information for Windows. According to the printout, my machine has IE7 and IE8 installed. This surprised me because only IE8 is listed in the control panel add/remove applet.

I opened my C:\Windows folder and sure enough, it shows that I have a folder for IE7, IE8, and update folders for both.

Question 1: Does each new IE build upon previous versions during installation? I thought each IE is a stand alone product.

Question 2: Since IE8 is a Windows "product" I'm guessing it used the Microsoft Windows Installer to.... well.... install it. Shouldn't the installer have uninstalled IE7 as part if the installation process? Does the fact that it didn't mean the IE7 files have to remain?

Question 3: If I had installed IE8 over IE6 and bypassed IE7 entirely, would the IE6 files have remained instead?

Question 4: If IE8 is a separate installation and not dependent on previous versions to run properly, would it be safe to remove all IE7 folders just to add some more free space on my HD?

]]> An interesting scenario that had me firing up my Windows XP / IE8 testbed to see what had happened there. I'd actually gone through the XP "original", SP2, SP3 path ... and ended up with the same results.

I'll answer those questions, and speculate a little on the how and why of the situation.

]]> leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) Thu, 19 Nov 2009 15:06:40 -08:00 Technology Why do I have Internet Explorer temporary files if I never use it? http://ask-leo.com/why_do_i_have_internet_explorer_temporary_files_if_i_never_use_it.html Why is it that when I run Ccleaner (weekly) it always shows about 4K of temp files in IE, but I don't use IE except once per month to check for the Tuesday updates?

]]> Some years ago there was a big ruckus about removing Internet Explorer from the operating system, and Microsoft saying that it was impossible or impractical or something along those lines. They may have made some of the more visible parts of it go away to keep the legal folks at the time happy, but the fact is parts of what you think of as Internet Explorer are actually part of the operating system.

Why? Because those parts of Internet Explorer are used by more than just Internet Explorer.

]]> leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) Tue, 18 Aug 2009 16:07:18 -08:00 Technology How do I block Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) from being automatically installed? http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_block_internet_explorer_8_ie8_from_being_automatically_installed.html In a prior article, I discussed uninstalling Internet Explorer 8 once it had been installed.

IE8 is now also becoming available via automatic updates. While it's not a required update, it is marked as "important" and will persist such that if you do nothing else you'll need to turn it off each time.

We'll look at how to turn it off, and keep it off, in Windows XP.

]]> leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) Wed, 13 May 2009 12:05:57 -08:00 Technology How do I remove the latest IE update - Internet Explorer 8? http://ask-leo.com/how_do_i_remove_the_latest_ie_update_internet_explorer_8.html 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?

]]> 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.

]]> leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) Wed, 06 May 2009 08:00:00 -08:00 Technology Why do cookies have my name in them, and do the sites I visit see that? http://ask-leo.com/why_do_cookies_have_my_name_in_them_and_do_the_sites_i_visit_see_that.html When I delete cookies on my computer I noticed my name is on them. Do other websites I visit see my name on the cookies they place on my computer? And how would I change my name for security and privacy concerns if this is the case? For example, If I visit the IRS website, I am not happy that they would have my name and know everything I visited. I know I could visit through another website where my id would be hidden, but that's a pain in the neck. I would think when I first register a new Microsoft Windows this is when my name gets listed onto my internal cookies.

]]> I can't speak for what goes on inside a cookie - if you give your name to a site, then that site could easily store that in a cookie so that it can address you by name when you return.

But I don't think that's what you're asking about.

I'll bet that looking at cookies in Internet Explorer is what has you concerned.

]]> leo@pugetsoundsoftware (Leo A. Notenboom) Fri, 10 Apr 2009 08:00:00 -08:00 Technology