Internet Explorer 8

[Hilly]

I downloaded a windows update to update my browser from IE7 to IE8. What a mistake! It was supposed to "speed up my browsing experience", but had the opposite effect! Everything ran really slow, and my computer just sat and spun it's wheels. I did a system restore, and now I can't get online using Internet Explorer at all (I'm currently using Google Chrome, which I don't like). The IE browser begins to open, and then it just closes itself.

After the system restore, I attempted to open the browser, and Windows noticed a change to Internet Explorer, and asked if I should allow access. I chose to deny access for that time only, but did NOT tick the box that says "remember my decision" or something to that affect.

What did I do to my computer? I really don't like Google Chrome or Mozilla.

[TwinOaks]

I dunno, mine mostly did the same thing, except I don't recall telling the computer to IE8 (this time). IE just stopped working right, and I realized which version it was. So, I just deleted everything I could of '8' (but for some reason I can't uninstall all of it!!!) so I've just switched to FF. I used to kinda swap between the two, but after this last bit.....Internet Exploder is just off my list.

edit: I just went and checked my thread, and Dickf gives some really good info on the problems. Start there ('removing unwanted program' thread right below this one), and see if that helps.

Edited July 4, 2009 by TwinOaks

[Hilly]

The main reason I really need IE to work is because my password manager only fills in passwords in IE, not in other browsers. I can't log in to my credit card accounts to check balances or pay bills online without the passwords (which I have neglected to write down).

Guess that'll teach me to trust my computer to not go to heck. So.... if anyone has a suggestion, I'm all ears!

[CitizenKate]

First of all, for storing passwords, go download a copy of AnyPassword (it's free) and use it to store all your online account passwords. I've used it for more than 5 years and have hundreds of passwords stored in it, and have never lost one yet.

You should be able to revert to your old version of IE by uninstalling the IE update through Control Panel, and Add/Remove Programs. When you see the list of programs, look down the list for "Windows Internet Explorer 8" and click Uninstall.

If that doesn't work, you can restore your system files to an earlier state using system restore. If you need to do this, and you aren't sure how, I'll get you some detailed instructions for that, but it may be something you'll need some local assistance to do, depending on how comfortable you are with safe mode operations.

IE cannot be entirely uninstalled because M$ made the Windows operating system critically dependant on some of its programming. This was one of their ways of ensuring we could never live without IE. (Resistance is futile!)

Kate

[Hilly]

Okay, so this has really been working on me. I really hate it when my computer is sick. My best guess is that the Windows Updater did not download all the files needed to make IE8 work properly, or one of the files may have been corrupt or something. I used Mozilla to manually download IE8, and then installed it myself. It works flawlessly. My password manager recognises all the pages, and I'm happy again. So if anybody has the same problem with IE8 through Windows Updates, try doing a manual download and install and see if it helps.

[Ladybug]

Hi

I was having trouble with my IE8 also, but found that i had to delete a program that took care of my cookies... it was a download.. What i now have to do is each nite when i shut down go to my control panel, internet options and when internet properties opens be sure the general tab is the one that opens. Click delete and another window will open.. be sure that there is a check in Personal Favorites, temp internet files, cookies and history... click delete at the bottom of that page... then either do a reboot or just turn off your pc... Next time you turn your pc on it will take quite awhile for your home page to open... could be up to 5 minutes, but then everything moves fast again. Also don't forget once a month to do a defrag. Hope this helps... i know it's a real pain to wait so long when you turn on your pc to get it up and running each time, but with IE8 that's the best way to run.

Ladybug/JoAnn

[Hilly]

Hi

I was having trouble with my IE8 also, but found that i had to delete a program that took care of my cookies... it was a download.. What i now have to do is each nite when i shut down go to my control panel, internet options and when internet properties opens be sure the general tab is the one that opens. Click delete and another window will open.. be sure that there is a check in Personal Favorites, temp internet files, cookies and history... click delete at the bottom of that page... then either do a reboot or just turn off your pc... Next time you turn your pc on it will take quite awhile for your home page to open... could be up to 5 minutes, but then everything moves fast again. Also don't forget once a month to do a defrag. Hope this helps... i know it's a real pain to wait so long when you turn on your pc to get it up and running each time, but with IE8 that's the best way to run.

Ladybug/JoAnn

Thanks, neighbor!

[dickf]

Hi

I was having trouble with my IE8 also, but found that i had to delete a program that took care of my cookies... it was a download.. What i now have to do is each nite when i shut down go to my control panel, internet options and when internet properties opens be sure the general tab is the one that opens. Click delete and another window will open.. be sure that there is a check in Personal Favorites, temp internet files, cookies and history... click delete at the bottom of that page... then either do a reboot or just turn off your pc... Next time you turn your pc on it will take quite awhile for your home page to open... could be up to 5 minutes, but then everything moves fast again. Also don't forget once a month to do a defrag. Hope this helps... i know it's a real pain to wait so long when you turn on your pc to get it up and running each time, but with IE8 that's the best way to run.

Ladybug/JoAnn

Um, Ladybug, there's something wrong with your PC. Your home page, whatever it may be, should never take 5 minutes to load and waiting ages for your computer to start back up isn't normal or typical. Also, does Windows say you should defrag the drive that often? You should let it analyze and follow it's directions. I suggest you ditch the 3rd party app you have that 'handles' cookies. Cookies aren't as dangerous as you think, and most sites run much faster with them accepted.

This is likely the cause of your slow speed.

[KnotHead]

I would uninstall I.E. 8 update to fix the problem. But then again I don't know the details of your PC. I am an I.T. Tech and have been doing this for 10yrs now. Some systems just hate the I.E. 8 update. That update was mainly for Vista machines. The RAM you have in your machine and the processor speed will always dictate the type of applications you can run. I.E. 8 is a very graphically intense browser. A very heavy browser for an older machine to run.

Now if I run a dual core system with 2, 4, 6 and, or 8 gigs of RAM with a high end graphics card, or a SLI system, then running I.E. 8 will install and run without any glitches. If your system is on the 32bit table, you can expect I.E. 8 to run poorly and slow.

I myself don't like I.E. at all that much. I run only when I have to. Yep you might have guessed it, I like FF better. Runs smoother and better than I.E. 8 in Vista, XP and Servers 2003-2008.

Brian...

[Johanna]

I have to agree with Brian's observation about IE8 and Vista. It's fine. IE8 and XP don't always play nicely. I think I am the only geek in the world who does not use Firefox as my default browser. I use IE. I check websites in all the browsers, but when I'm personally surfing, it's in IE. FWIW, 80% of the people that visit this site use IE, too.

password manager? What's that? Post it notes? I do have a txt file somewhere called "passwords". Isn't that tech savvy?

Johanna

[dickf]

Now if I run a dual core system with 2, 4, 6 and, or 8 gigs of RAM with a high end graphics card, or a SLI system, then running I.E. 8 will install and run without any glitches. If your system is on the 32bit table, you can expect I.E. 8 to run poorly and slow.

Brian...

I disagree - you do not need copious amounts of RAM and a highend gpu (certainly not SLI) to run IE8. Hell, most of the machines sold out there to the typical home-user have integrated Intel cards, and to suggest you need something higher to run a browser is absurd. Is IE a resource hog? Yes. Does it render web pages correctly? No. Does it require a boss system to run? No.

I'm sure there are many people out there that run 32-bit flavors of Vista with IE8 without any issues, also.

Software engineers always show the smallest possible requirements to accommodate older systems, and typically assume the user will turn off optional features or run a slightly dumbed down version of it. Still, with that in mind, let's look at the official system requirements.

System requirements

Computer/Processor

Computer with a 233MHz processor or higher (Pentium processor recommended)

Operating System

• Windows Vista 32-bit

• Windows Vista 64-bit

• Windows Vista with Service Pack 1 (SP 1) or higher

• Windows XP 32-bit with Service Pack 2 (SP 2) or higher

• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition

• Windows Server 2003 32-bit with SP 2 or higher

• Windows Server 2003 64-bit with SP 2 or higher

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit or higher

• Windows Server 2008 64-bit or higher

Memory

• Windows Vista 32-bit – 512 MB

• Windows Vista 64-bit – 512 MB

• Windows Vista with SP 1 – 512 MB

• Windows XP 32-bit with SP 2 or higher – 64 MB

• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition – 128 MB

• Windows Server 2003 32-bit with SP 2 or higher – 64 MB

• Windows Server 2003 64-bit with SP 2 or higher – 128 MB

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit – 512MB

• Windows Server 2008 64-bit – 512MB

Hard Drive Space

• Windows Vista 32-bit – 70 MB

• Windows Vista 64-bit – 120 MB

• Windows Vista with SP 1 – 70 MB

• Windows XP 32-bit with SP 2 or higher – 150 MB

• Windows XP Professional x64 Edition – 200 MB

• Windows Server 2003 32-bit with SP 2 or higher – 150 MB

• Windows Server 2003 64-bit with SP 2 or higher – 200 MB

• Windows Server 2008 32-bit – 150 MB

• Windows Server 2008 64-bit – 200 MB

Drive

CD-ROM drive (if installation is done from a CD-ROM).

Display

Super VGA (800 x 600) or higher-resolution monitor with 256 colors.

Peripherals

Modem or Internet connection; Microsoft Mouse, Microsoft IntelliMouse, or compatible pointing device.

As you can see, they're hardly hard to come by. Will IE8 run better with 8 Gigs of RAM on an 8-core chip with dual 8800's SLI'd? Of course, but that's not necessary to run it smoothly (at least, as smooth as it's capable - it's still a hunk of junk).

If you want to uninstall it, Microsoft tells you how in this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957700

[Marrok857]

Internet Explorer is one of the worst browsers EVER!  I use Opera, easy to use, can setup up to when you open it theres a list of 9 spots you can put in webistes and just one click will take you to them.  

It doesnt lag out a pc and has slim minimum requirements.

Heres the link-

http://www.opera.com/browser/

[KnotHead]

I disagree - you do not need copious amounts of RAM and a highend gpu (certainly not SLI) to run IE8. Hell, most of the machines sold out there to the typical home-user have integrated Intel cards, and to suggest you need something higher to run a browser is absurd. Is IE a resource hog? Yes. Does it render web pages correctly? No. Does it require a boss system to run? No.

I'm sure there are many people out there that run 32-bit flavors of Vista with IE8 without any issues, also.

Software engineers always show the smallest possible requirements to accommodate older systems, and typically assume the user will turn off optional features or run a slightly dumbed down version of it. Still, with that in mind, let's look at the official system requirements.

As you can see, they're hardly hard to come by. Will IE8 run better with 8 Gigs of RAM on an 8-core chip with dual 8800's SLI'd? Of course, but that's not necessary to run it smoothly (at least, as smooth as it's capable - it's still a hunk of junk).

If you want to uninstall it, Microsoft tells you how in this article: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/957700

Wonder which dinosaur he's stuck with. I think that he might actually work for Microslop. You might consider re-reading my last post dude. I in no way made any suggestion of the type that you refer to. Maybe an idea and even maybe a little advice. But you having blown your gasket, answer me this.

Do you use the wrong tools in your leather works to do a job that requires better? Hmmm, by your statement in your last post I wonder.

In the past 6 months in my shop alone, I have taken in at least 2 dozen PC's with this type of problem and even worse in half the cases. Yes, they did not have any problems before they installed microslops IE 8. Yep, PC's may easy on the wallet, or whatever you want to call it. But it all comes back to this one thing, " You get what you pay for " ...

I would tend to think that with all the so called upgrades microslop is coming out with, would be seen as pushing the market for better PC's to be sold and pushed on people that either are not ready for it, or just plain do not have the money for it. Like Vista crap. Microslop going public selling that crappy OS, chopped it up so much that when it hit the market, the only people that could afford to buy it were those fortunate enough to have $800.00, or so to waste. The market for the 3rd party vendors like HP, Toshiba, and others were basically forced into making all their machines Vista and guess what else they made sure that you could not go back to Windows XP by inserting either a chip on the MOBO, or scripting the Bios. If you own a vista machine, or are about to buy one, then I will say this to you and NOT SUGGEST any damn thing, <--- ADVICE INSERTED HERE! --->" DO NOT BUY IT " Wait for windows 7 and at that get a machine that has the premium version on it and up. Forget about the starter edition and the basic edition. Those two editions are worthless.<---

Enough said by me...

Brian...

[dickf]

Wonder which dinosaur he's stuck with. I think that he might actually work for Microslop. You might consider re-reading my last post dude. I in no way made any suggestion of the type that you refer to. Maybe an idea and even maybe a little advice. But you having blown your gasket, answer me this.

Do you use the wrong tools in your leather works to do a job that requires better? Hmmm, by your statement in your last post I wonder.

In the past 6 months in my shop alone, I have taken in at least 2 dozen PC's with this type of problem and even worse in half the cases. Yes, they did not have any problems before they installed microslops IE 8. Yep, PC's may easy on the wallet, or whatever you want to call it. But it all comes back to this one thing, " You get what you pay for " ...

I would tend to think that with all the so called upgrades microslop is coming out with, would be seen as pushing the market for better PC's to be sold and pushed on people that either are not ready for it, or just plain do not have the money for it. Like Vista crap. Microslop going public selling that crappy OS, chopped it up so much that when it hit the market, the only people that could afford to buy it were those fortunate enough to have $800.00, or so to waste. The market for the 3rd party vendors like HP, Toshiba, and others were basically forced into making all their machines Vista and guess what else they made sure that you could not go back to Windows XP by inserting either a chip on the MOBO, or scripting the Bios. If you own a vista machine, or are about to buy one, then I will say this to you and NOT SUGGEST any damn thing, <--- ADVICE INSERTED HERE! --->" DO NOT BUY IT " Wait for windows 7 and at that get a machine that has the premium version on it and up. Forget about the starter edition and the basic edition. Those two editions are worthless.<---

Enough said by me...

Brian...

I wasn't attacking you, I was simply disagreeing with you. My gasket is certainly not blown - you'd know if it was. Also, in my other posts (and in this one that you quoted), you'll see than I'm strongly against Microsoft products for solid reasons and in particular, it's web browser. The IE series of web browser is my largest foe with my 9-5.

I appreciate the comment about using the wrong tools for my leatherwork. Never in any way did I try to insult you or imply that you don't know what you're doing.

You said that people running 32 bit versions of Windows will experience IE8 running slow. But, and I quote:

Now if I run a dual core system with 2, 4, 6 and, or 8 gigs of RAM with a high end graphics card, or a SLI system, then running I.E. 8 will install and run without any glitches.

I commented on that. The browser has little, if anything to do with the video card. It's not 'graphically intensive' in any way and really doesn't stress the card at all.

I agree with your statement, 'You get what you pay for.' As a developer, I find it much easier to run different machines for different tasks, and I prefer to run primarily on OS X. I don't have to force quite anything, it doesn't crash, and it has a cold start-up time of about 15-20 seconds. I also run the Ubuntu flavor of Linux for various reasons here at work. I would never suggest anyone purchase Vista or a machine with it pre-installed. I've never heard about a chip on the motherboard to prevent an install of XP - in fact, I'd like to read up on that if you have a link. I do know it's very possible to dual boot XP and Vista.

I like geek talk, and it usually ends with me learning more than I knew before the conversation.

Have a good weekend.

[dsenette]

The market for the 3rd party vendors like HP, Toshiba, and others were basically forced into making all their machines Vista and guess what else they made sure that you could not go back to Windows XP by inserting either a chip on the MOBO, or scripting the Bios.

this is completely untrue and has never been done... you can happily go back to XP on any system that can support it...you just can't BUY one with XP already installed (easily) from those manufacturers

[KnotHead]

No prob. I'm a Mac guy myself. I just got mine about 2 yrs ago. The only thing I have had to replace in it is the Hard drive. Once you're used to using OSX and can locate the things you need to use on a daily basis, that system is just about unstoppable. I am multi-lingual OS's... I have not got to use Linux flavors all that much in the area I live in. I have a machine with it Red Hat installed on it and I am attempting to learn that OS with time permitting me to.

I do like the options within the linux flavors. But I am admitting that I just don't know which one to settle with while learning it. Which one is the most used, or the most installed version? I am thinking that it is a matter of user preference as to which linux flavor you like the most. I also really liked the install time of the Red Hat. It was quick. I did not time it, but I will say it felt like it took under 30mins to be inside the and looking at the desktop. I used the gnome desktop and really like how it looks and feels. It had a familiarity of the Mac OS in many ways.

this is completely untrue and has never been done... you can happily go back to XP on any system that can support it...you just can't BUY one with XP already installed (easily) from those manufacturers

Yep. You can if you have the money for it. HP charges almost $150.00 extra for that option. Toshiba, I don't know yet. I'm still waiting on the return email from their Support Gurus in India somewhere. Now I wonder how many normal PC users have that kind of money to just throw at HP? I think that all involved should have left that an option to begin with. But noooo!!!! that did not happen now did it? Instead, let's just stick the damn OS on there and leave the people without any choice until a year and a half later, or there about. Hmmm, me thinks that has a lot to do with the people that don't have deep enough pockets (The greedy ones) that is.

Nough from me.

B...

[TwinOaks]

Cool info on the OSs, thanks to all who've posted.

I've got an '07 version of PCLOS, and I can dual boot it on my little ol' Dell laptop here. Fully funtional even without the extra RAM I installed. The other nice thing about it is that when I want to, I can run the live CD in my antique HP and it's marvelously quick. The old HP desktop has ME installed on it and gets rather glitchy when I run that OS. While running Linux, it's graphically faster than the Dell (which actually has a modern video card) because the Linux GUI is software based instead of hardware based.......at least that's how it was explained to me.

Even in XP (on the Dell), the graphics get glitchy if I push them too much with video games. Linux doesn't even blink at them.

.... getting back to the IE8 question.... Hilly, I'm glad you figured out a way to do it. I've just decided to stick with FF and be done. I really like a lot of the options (add-ons, etc.) and the ability to customize (easily) how the browser displays.

Edited July 10, 2009 by TwinOaks

[TwinOaks]

Well, it looks like I'm gonna have to have '8' on my laptop anyway. I found a nice little freebie download of CAD software (strictly legit) and got to reading the details and saw

"

NOTES: You must use Internet Explorer version 6.0 or later to perform this download. "

Ain't that something. I'm sure that some of our tech folks could tell me how to spoof IE, and still use FF, but WTH, I can't get rid of all of the little pieces of IE8 anyway. I am following Hilly's advice and doing the download with FF, though.

[dsenette]

Yep. You can if you have the money for it. HP charges almost $150.00 extra for that option. Toshiba, I don't know yet. I'm still waiting on the return email from their Support Gurus in India somewhere. Now I wonder how many normal PC users have that kind of money to just throw at HP? I think that all involved should have left that an option to begin with. But noooo!!!! that did not happen now did it? Instead, let's just stick the damn OS on there and leave the people without any choice until a year and a half later, or there about. Hmmm, me thinks that has a lot to do with the people that don't have deep enough pockets (The greedy ones) that is.

gotta preface this with...i'm not arguing...or looking to argue...just offering some clarification....

with dell...the option (when available) to have XP installed from the factory is $99

as to why you can't buy a computer with XP on it without paying extra.....XP has reached the end of it's life cycle...i.e. they're not making it anymore...and they won't be supporting it much longer....the ONLY reason you can still get a computer with XP on it is because of the public outcry to have this as a feature....you can't buy a computer with windows 98 on it either...there's nothing stopping you from installing it yourself when you get the computer home (assuming you've got the disks and a license)....i can't see where any company would continue to offer the installation of a product that's been basically discontinued.... for the first year of vista's release you had the choice to get vista or xp on all computers...then following the STANDARD (as in the way they did it when 98 went out of support and xp was introduced) life cycle they made XP "less available"...for the second year you could STILL select XP as an option...but only on SELECT builds (generally less powerful computers)...after that second year (or half year or whatever) the option was SUPPOSED to go away...but because of the public's view of the OS (which is ACTUALLY a good OS) "they" decided that the OS should still be available...but with a charge for that luxury....i don't think this is outside of their rights as producers of a product.....

if a customer comes to you and asks for something "non standard" (i.e. custom) don't you charge them extra?

[dickf]

gotta preface this with...i'm not arguing...or looking to argue...just offering some clarification....

with dell...the option (when available) to have XP installed from the factory is $99

as to why you can't buy a computer with XP on it without paying extra.....XP has reached the end of it's life cycle...i.e. they're not making it anymore...and they won't be supporting it much longer....the ONLY reason you can still get a computer with XP on it is because of the public outcry to have this as a feature....you can't buy a computer with windows 98 on it either...there's nothing stopping you from installing it yourself when you get the computer home (assuming you've got the disks and a license)....i can't see where any company would continue to offer the installation of a product that's been basically discontinued.... for the first year of vista's release you had the choice to get vista or xp on all computers...then following the STANDARD (as in the way they did it when 98 went out of support and xp was introduced) life cycle they made XP "less available"...for the second year you could STILL select XP as an option...but only on SELECT builds (generally less powerful computers)...after that second year (or half year or whatever) the option was SUPPOSED to go away...but because of the public's view of the OS (which is ACTUALLY a good OS) "they" decided that the OS should still be available...but with a charge for that luxury....i don't think this is outside of their rights as producers of a product.....

if a customer comes to you and asks for something "non standard" (i.e. custom) don't you charge them extra?

I agree. The actual reason XP is extra is because trying to minimize lots of newly sold PC's with a non-supported system costs more than trying to keep everyone on the same page. I've talked about lifecycles in the past on here, but for those that are interested, here's the chart that shows Microsoft's lifecycles: http://support.microsoft.com/lifecycle/?LN=en-gb&C2=1173

I'm not looking to argue, either. I got flamed by Knothead earlier, and what's funny is that all of his 'facts' are untrue.

There has never been a chip on the motherboard to prevent an XP install - asking him for a link was a nice was of saying 'You're wrong'. You don't need a wicked graphics card to run a browser (I can't help but laugh about that - a 'graphically intensive' browser). And finally, nobody ever 'scripted' the BIOS to prevent an install of XP.

I do like the options within the linux flavors. But I am admitting that I just don't know which one to settle with while learning it. Which one is the most used, or the most installed version? I am thinking that it is a matter of user preference as to which linux flavor you like the most. I also really liked the install time of the Red Hat. It was quick. I did not time it, but I will say it felt like it took under 30mins to be inside the and looking at the desktop. I used the gnome desktop and really like how it looks and feels. It had a familiarity of the Mac OS in many ways.

This also doesn't make sense. They're basically all the same, and install time is moot. Nearly every version of Linux can be run from a live disc, installed over a network, and doesn't require a GUI.

OS X is like Linux? Really? Makes sense since they're basically the same system. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/UNIX_03

end rant.

Edited July 13, 2009 by dickf