Windows 7 I Can't Uninstall IE9

Irishmist20 · May 1, 2014

Wishing to uninstall IE9 after installing Chrome I did the following yesterday:

"The following instructions apply to both Windows 7 and Windows Vista.

Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, type Programs and Features in the search box, and then click View installed updates in the left pane.

Under Uninstall an update, scroll down to the Microsoft Windows section.

Right-click Windows Internet Explorer 9, click Uninstall, and then, when prompted, click Yes.

Click one of the following:

Restart now (to finish the process of uninstalling Internet Explorer 9 and restore the previous version of Internet Explorer).

Restart later"

When I restarted my laptop I got the "Preparing to Configure Windows. Do Not Turn Off Your Computer" screen. I watched that screen for about 90 minutes and then shut down my laptop. On the second restart try I got the "Windows did not close properly - click here to restart Windows" screen and successfully restarted Windows.

The IE9 entry in the "View installed updates" page was gone but IE9 was still on my computer. This morning I had five Windows updates, one of which was Windows IE9! I downloaded and installed it and now the Windows Internet Explorer 9 entry is back in the "View installed updates" page.

Do I now disregard Albert Einstein's warning that repeating the same thing and expecting a different result is the definition of insanity and click on uninstall again?

This worries me - Restart now (to finish the process of uninstalling Internet Explorer 9 and restore the previous version of Internet Explorer). I don't want any version of IE on my laptop. What now???

A solution is very much appreciated.

Irish

MikeHawthorne · May 4, 2014

Hi

If you really don't want it all you have to do is got to control panel add remove programs, click on "Turn Windows Features on and off" and uncheck the IE check box.

This will make it disappear and and keep any outside source from opening it, as sometimes happens with some links.

I'm not sure if it actually uninstalls it, but it does seem to reinstall it if you recheck the box later.

I've done this just to fix problems with it, it seems to be a fresh install after the remove and replace process.

Mike

badrobot · May 1, 2014

You are not suppose to uninstall any version of IE on your PC. If your 3rd party browser run into problems, you won't be able to get online to download and re-install it. Some sites or some Microsoft related support can only run on IE, etc. There should always be a host/backup browser installed on your PC. The best you can do is just to turn it off if it bothers you a lot.

Here's how to do it: http://www.wikihow.com/Disable-Internet-Explorer-in-Windows-7

And keep this link handy in case you need to turn IE back on.

Joe S · May 1, 2014

Wasn't there a thing with the European versions of Windows 7 and IE that hid access but did not really uninstall it? I also believe with Windows 7 IE was part of Windows not just a separate program you can't actually completely uninstall.
Joe

Irishmist20 · May 1, 2014

After some research I learned that MS has won several legal actions that contested making it impossible to uninstall IE from Windows. Here's why I wanted to remove it:

"The security breach was so serious the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team of the Dept. of Homeland Security put out a warning on Monday against “active exploitation of a use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer.”

The agency recommended that users should consider “employing an alternate browser.”

The security flaw was a “serious bug,” ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall told MarketWatch. But it “probably won’t affect the stock,” he continued. “People are used to security issues in windows PCs. On the margin, maybe some more people move to Chrome,” he added, referring to Google Inc.’s rival browser."

It's not that IE bothers me but that I'm sick and tired of having to watch MS issue patch after patch to plug serious security holes in IE. I hope that if I ignore IE I'll be safe from security flaws.

Thanks for the responses!

Irish

Joe S · May 1, 2014

MS issued a patch for it today.
Joe

Fixer1234 · May 1, 2014

You can protect yourself from any future security holes in IE just be disabling it or simply not using it. I'm not sure there is a way to keep Windows update from offering you patches. You could just use reverse psychology on yourself--don't use IE and gloat every time they offer a patch that you don't need.

badrobot · May 2, 2014

Irishmist20 said:
After some research I learned that MS has won several legal actions that contested making it impossible to uninstall IE from Windows. Here's why I wanted to remove it:

"The security breach was so serious the U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team of the Dept. of Homeland Security put out a warning on Monday against “active exploitation of a use-after-free vulnerability in Microsoft Internet Explorer.”

The agency recommended that users should consider “employing an alternate browser.”

The security flaw was a “serious bug,” ISI Group analyst Brian Marshall told MarketWatch. But it “probably won’t affect the stock,” he continued. “People are used to security issues in windows PCs. On the margin, maybe some more people move to Chrome,” he added, referring to Google Inc.’s rival browser."

It's not that IE bothers me but that I'm sick and tired of having to watch MS issue patch after patch to plug serious security holes in IE. I hope that if I ignore IE I'll be safe from security flaws.

Thanks for the responses!

Irish

I never use IE for the past decade (except when the PC is new and I need to download Chrome ). I was a Firefox user and then switched to Chrome now. Just don't use it or simply disable it and you are good. Attempting to uninstall it (if you can find a way to uninstall it) may cause annoying errors on your PC.

Pauli · May 4, 2014

Just so, like badrobot says. No need to uninstall it, just let it hang along like a dead skeleton. It's not a security risk of any kind, unless you have it start automatically - and many do think IE is the most secure browser. I never use it, unless some download insists, but I always update it when updates are given, no harm being done?

MikeHawthorne · May 4, 2014

Hi

If you really don't want it all you have to do is got to control panel add remove programs, click on "Turn Windows Features on and off" and uncheck the IE check box.

This will make it disappear and and keep any outside source from opening it, as sometimes happens with some links.

I'm not sure if it actually uninstalls it, but it does seem to reinstall it if you recheck the box later.

I've done this just to fix problems with it, it seems to be a fresh install after the remove and replace process.

Mike

Windows 7 I Can't Uninstall IE9

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