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Question

What version of IE9?

Oct 5, 2012 6:26AM PDT

I had to remove IE9 from my computer (Win7 Pro plus SP1, 2 giga of memory Intel 2.6 processor). Contrary to Microsoft affirmations it did not revert to IE8. When I tried to reinstall IE9 the response after downloading it was "Setup can't continue because a more recent version of Internet Explorer is installed on your computer". That is not the case, since I removed IE completely including its registry entries. When I tried to reinstall IE8 and later IE7 the response was "IE8 (IE7) is not supported on your OS". My default browser is Firefox (now version 10) but the two have been co-existing for many years, so I do not think that FF is the problem. Can anyone tell me please what is? Tks - Amos

Discussion is locked

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Answer
Restore
Oct 6, 2012 4:32AM PDT

Hi - in my case, after several hours of pondering it, I hit on the obvious: Restore. But I still would know if that is really the answer? No other method of recovering an older IE such as IE8 or IE7 once IE9 is gone? No expert help?

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Answer
Re: IE
Oct 6, 2012 5:12AM PDT

How did you remove IE9? And why did you have to do it?

Windows 7 can't revert to IE8, because that never has been on it.
If you can't reinstall the current version of IE9 it's gone until you do a System Restore or a clean install from the installation media.

Kees

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The question is still open
Oct 6, 2012 6:55PM PDT

Thank you Kees - I did eventually do the Restore (see my entry, above), but am still wondering why Windows will not let me reinstall IE8 or IE7 which I have in a separate folder. It always tells me that "this OS does not support IE8 (or IE7)". Both were on the computer in their time, but of course with XP and not Win 7. The KB items that I found all claimed that removing IE9 would reestablish IE8, as IE9 is only an "update" of it. Removing IE9 was : cancelling the checkmark on Windows programs in the list of programs in Control Panel, and then removing its remnants with Revo Uninstaller. After many fruitless attempts to reinstall, IE8 appeared on that list without a checkmark, but checking it had no effect. The reason I wanted IE out of the way has remained the same for many years: Bing, which apparently no force on Heaven and earth can remove. And IE returned actively through the actions of one of my daughters while I was savoring the fall in New York. Now it is back where I want it: serving only to look at updates as they come. How could I do a "clean install", from the Win7 disk, over the existing one? Thanks for your interest - Amos.

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Re: IE8
Oct 6, 2012 7:24PM PDT

Microsoft made it so that IE8 doesn't run in Windows 7, and they clearly tell you.
So, somehow, I expect that whatever KB articles you read (you didn't tell) didn't apply to Windows 7.

Running a third party program like Revo to uninstall Internet Explorer, which can be considered part of the OS, definitely is a bad idea. Even in Europe Microsoft didn't remove IE from Windows, they only had to make a program to let the user choose a default browser, so the first time he ran the system it suggested he could download Firefox or Chrome. Forgetting to activate that option in some versions cost them a fine of a few hundred million dollars.

As for Bing: that's easy to disable or even remove in Tools>Manage add-ons. But why do that if you don't use IE anyhow?

With everything fine, I see no reason to do a clean install of Windows 7, or even a repair install. And since you didn't have any other question, I think the case can be closed.

Kees

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They did, too
Oct 7, 2012 1:57AM PDT

Kees, the KB articles clearly said they applied to XP, Vista and Win 7. As to Bing, I tried removing it (including your way) on IE7 and IE8, but to no avail. If you google the question, you will find that many users of IE are in the same boat. This is what led me away from IE and to FF, which incidentally I find a splendid browser. But I would not expect you to squander any more time on that, since I have done so in a more than sufficient manner, and now that my computer is back where I want it and the active IE part safely segregated under other users' names I think we should leave well enough alone and deal with more pressing matters. Thank you again for your time and interest, and let us consider the matter closed . - Amos