Helping people with computers... one answer at a time.
Like many programs, IE is a bit of a moving target. I'll review where it is today, what version I recommend that you run, and what to do in case of problems.
Leo, I understand that Microsoft will be aggressively pushing IE8 and IE9 installation. I have been reading Ask Leo! for years, and when IE8 was first released, I recall questions like, “How do I remove IE8?” Users were, apparently, having many problems with IE8, so I have avoided it all this time. At the time, you recommended that readers use caution and perhaps not install IE8 unless necessary. Would you please revisit the question of upgrading to IE8 and/or IE9 in view of the fact that Microsoft is trying to get everyone off IE6 and IE7?
Can those of us with Windows XP skip the IE8 upgrade and go straight to IE9, and avoid the problems with IE8? I have XP with IE7. I have been having issues with a few websites not viewing properly, especially Facebook. They now have a permanent banner on my FB home page telling me to upgrade to IE8 or switch to Chrome.
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Much like their push to kill Outlook Express, Internet Explorer 6 and of late Internet Explorer 7 have apparently come on Microsoft's radar for active abandonment.
Microsoft would like to see IE6 and IE7 disappear for a variety of reasons.
And, to be honest, so should you.
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The rule of thumb
My rule of thumb with Internet Explorer versions is actually pretty simple.
Don't upgrade right away.
But do upgrade eventually.
As you've seen from the older articles that you reference, each new version of IE seems to go through sort of a slightly painful birth. For a small percentage of early adopters - and I do have to stress that it really is a small percentage - each new version of IE seems to cause problems.
So ... wait it out.
Wait for a month or two until any major problems have been identified and hopefully resolved. And then take the plunge.
Windows XP: IE8
IE8 is the last version of Internet Explorer that will run under Windows XP. IE9 requires Windows Vista or better.
At this point in time, there's no reason not to upgrade to IE8 on Windows XP. It's actually more stable, more secure, and in some cases, even faster than IE7. It's most definitely more secure than IE6, which should most definitely be avoided.
Windows Vista & Windows 7: IE9
IE9 has been out long enough now that it pretty well had the worst issues shaken out of it. In general, I don't see a reason to avoid it.
In fact, IE9 has several security and speed enhancements that actually make it preferable to IE8.
"IE sucks! IE9 crashes my machine! IE9 is sloooooow!"
Whenever I recommend IE, or specifically IE9, I definitely get negative feedback (occasionally with profanities included) from a few people.
Let me be clear: Internet Explorer works and works well for the vast majority of people.
However, the vast majority is not everyone.
And many of the IE problems that folks might encounter aren't even due to IE itself.
If you are having problems with Internet Explorer, these three tips will very often clear things right up:
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Scan for malware with updated tools and make sure that your scan is clean. IE is a frequent target for malware which can easily cause IE to misbehave, run slowly, or crash.
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Disable add-ons in IE. Many programs attempt to add features to Internet Explorer by using add-ons. Unfortunately, add-ons can occasionally cause problems, which often manifest as if Internet Explorer were itself having the problem.
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Keep IE up-to-date. IE might be one of Microsoft's most important programs, and they are motivated to fix critical security problems as soon as they can. While it might not be soon enough for some, ignoring the fixes that they provide is a quick path to both malware infections as well as other issues.
If you're still of a mind to avoid IE...
Choose an alternative
In reality, the "browser wars" are pretty much at a dead heat. In my opinion, you can't really go too far wrong with any of the top three major players:
Each has its strengths and weaknesses, each has its (raving) fans and detractors.
Each of them works well for a large number of users.
If IE's not your cup of tea for some reason, give one of the alternatives a try.
Article C5058 - January 28, 2012 « »
Leo A. Notenboom has been playing with computers since he
was required to take a programming class in 1976. An 18 year career as a programmer at Microsoft soon followed.
After "retiring" in 2001, Leo started Ask Leo! in 2003 as a place for answers
to common computer and technical questions. More about Leo.
February 1, 2012 6:40 PM
Roberta,
I used to use Outlook Express.
I switched to Thunderbird.
You should try it, it is much better than OE
February 2, 2012 9:17 PM
I've been using IE8 for nearly a year with my XP SP3 with no problems on my 2004 Compaq Presario SR1211NX. Although since I've made the mistake of hanging on to AOL and even updating it to 9.7 a month ago its been hanging up. So I guess I'm going to have to pick a new browser..oh joy. And don't suggest Linux, I like it in theory but not in reality. And I find Google to be intrusive, of course I don't understand the need for Facebook either.
February 6, 2012 9:20 AM
In my opinion, "two or three months" is MUCH too short a time to wait for the bugs to work out of a new browser version. You need to wait six months, at the least. But after that time, things should hopefully settle out.
After hearing all sorts of horror stories and reading all manner of problem-solving articles about MSIE8, I finally upgraded our browser from MSIE6 -- first intermediately to v7, and then to v8 -- all in one afternoon. Because I had waited about eight months, the process went surprisingly smoothly for both upgrades, and we now have the latest browser, which works quite well with virtually no difficulty at all. There was one strange glitch at the very beginning, in which my Mom, on her computer account (but not on mine) had a stubbornly recurring browser startup configuration screen; this traced itself to an odd Registry key permission problem which went away once corrected. We've been happy campers with MSIE8 ever since. :)
February 24, 2012 2:36 AM
In a moment of madness I tried all of the alternative browsers, including the ones you mention. I now swear by Flash Peak Slim Browser ( no connection with Flash Player as far as I know). This actually uses the IE engine, and so it accesses all of your IE favourites, but is much faster. It also has excellent ad blocking facilities.
If for a particular reason I need any add ins, such as Flash Player, I use a different browser such as IE and make a cup of tea while I wait.
February 24, 2012 9:19 PM
I have been using IE 9 on my Windows 7 PC since the beta version was put out and I have had no problems at all other than the odd website that I've needed to look at in a different brower, and this applies to all major browsers whether beta or not, there will always be a few websites that don't work well. I see no reason for reasonably tech-savvy users not to update their browser as early as possible, its us beta users that help Microsoft polish the software before proper release so it works as well as possible - with the proviso that there is no such thing as bug-free software, however novices should avoid it like the plague though.