Filed under: OS Updates, Windows, Microsoft, Browser Tips
Microsoft: Think twice about IE7 before upgrading to XP SP3
by Brad Linder May 9th 2008 at 9:00AM
Still haven't made up your mind about Internet Explorer 7? No problem, you can always uninstall it and revert to the Internet Explorer 6 web browser that came with your operating system. Unless you've upgraded to Windows XP SP3, that is. Because Microsoft is telling computer users that if they install IE7 before XP SP3, there's no going back.
Basically, when you install IE7, your IE6 files are saved in an uninstall directory that includes the original IE6 installation files and any security updates you've added over the years. But SP3 includes a different set of security updates. So if IE7 is already installed when you load SP3, the uninstall directory that was created when you were using SP2 is no longer valid.
If that's all a bit confusing, here's what you should take away: If you don't plan to use IE7, don't install it. Period. If you do plan to install it, but want to be able to uninstall it, then you should load Windows XP SP3 before upgrading from IE6 to IE7. If you upgraded Internet Explorer before installing XP SP3, the only way to uninstall it would be to uninstall the entire service pack, which is really far more trouble than its worth.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Todd said 9:33AM on 5-09-2008
"Todd, why are you always trolling about Microsoft, they aren't as bad as you say. Their stuff is pretty good, I like it. They care about the end user. You care over reacting."
ORLY!?!?!?
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hazard said 9:33AM on 5-09-2008
Todd .. you've got some crazy self-critical recursion going on there ;)
hazard said 9:38AM on 5-09-2008
the only safe uninstall of MS components like this is called a reformat/reinstall .. or system restore if you're desparate.
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Todd said 10:28AM on 5-09-2008
"Restore" won't do it after you install SP3 - by design. IE7 will still be there. Beyond evil. If you want to break free and make YOUR OWN computing environment decisions for yourself:
http://www.ubuntu.com/getubuntu
http://www.winehq.org/
James said 10:45AM on 5-09-2008
Or, um, just get a decent browser. Let's face it, if you're reading DLS you probably already have Firefox (or maybe Safari). Who cares about IE 6, 7, or 8 for that matter?
David Dashifen Kees said 2:37PM on 2-04-2009
As a web professional, it hurts my soul a little to consider that people might actually still be using IE6 at all. Doesn't god kill kittens when people start IE6 .... oh wait. No, that's something else.
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AlphaDeltaVIII said 1:36PM on 5-09-2008
Absolutely, there is no reason why anyone should still be on IE6. I develop websites also, and IE6 just makes more work for me because it can't properly handle CSS. The time has come to move on.
Mikado said 1:49PM on 5-09-2008
If you're that enamored of IE6 over IE7, you're going to be in a real world of hurt when IE8 comes out this fall.
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Gardiner Westbound said 2:22PM on 5-09-2008
I prefer Mozilla Firefox to IE6 or IE7. If I could I would uninstall IE6. Ditto for Outlook Express.
Steven said 10:05AM on 5-09-2008
And people got upset over Apple "forcing" Safari on Windows users. HA! That's nothing.
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James said 10:44AM on 5-09-2008
I'd be interested to know if SP3 at least clears out the IE6 uninstall directory, if its contents are now useless. I'm really sick of my Windows folder growing bigger with each passing month, for exactly zero benefit to me.
Does MS maybe make a tool that lets you selectively clear your uninstall cache? I sure don't need a gig or more of my hard drive eaten by the option to e.g. go back to an even crappier web browser.
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Hylic said 12:36PM on 5-09-2008
There's MSIZap which i believe if you run with the -g paramater it will only delete orphaned uninstall files
http://technet2.microsoft.com/windowsserver/en/library/99c9ed66-bfa2-45f7-87c8-7a54c34941c01033.mspx?mfr=true
there's also the "Windows Cleanup Utility" which is basically a GUI front end for MsiZap (you can download it and extract the contents to get MsiZap
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/290301
But i don't think you all the same options if your using the GUI.
Scott said 11:31AM on 5-09-2008
I'm trying to think of something about my Mac I could say to set off the MS drones. Ah well, maybe next time.
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Duffin said 12:01PM on 5-09-2008
This isn't a big deal, i don't think. If you have IE 6 on your PC when you upgrade to SP3 and then install IE7, you can revert back to 6. This only matters if you install SP3 over an existing install of IE7.
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Gardiner Westbound said 12:52PM on 5-09-2008
Prevent or stop Automatic Updates from installing Internet Explorer 7 with this registry hack.
http://www.technipages.com/prevent-internet-explorer-7-from-installing-via-automatic-updates.html
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Ian said 11:55PM on 5-09-2008
What are you saying? Why on hell would you need IE 6 tards? Tell me one reason! Microsoft may suck, but you can't tell ME (Linux and Windows user) that it isn't easier than Linux... Just that
Sometimes people are excesivelly Anti-Microsoft... Just that
Cya
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jspin77 said 7:47PM on 5-09-2008
Yeah, I fail to see any reason why anyone with an ounce of logic would want IE6 over IE7? Man do the Microsoft haters get old on this site. I have/do use other products.
Tell me how different Firefox is from IE7? I use both they are pretty much interchangeable at this stage. If you say otherwise you are on crack. Probably going to tell me how much better a Toyota is than a Honda too. Might as well be the same thing.
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Dolby said 11:15PM on 5-09-2008
Firefox is already a tick better than the IE
but is good enough and both have disadvantages.
My Page Projekts:
http://www.media-load.cn
http://www.top-download.cn
http.//www.media-center.asia
http://www.mediadownload.biz
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Ian said 12:00AM on 5-10-2008
I use Firefox 3 Beta 5. Firefox > IE by far. For NoScript, for AdBlock, for Web Developer, for Greasemonkey, for Firebug, for being more standards-compliant and more.
IE 7 is better than IE 6. IE 7 sucks (too), but it sucks less than IE 6.
I don't understand why in hell would you need IE 6.
If you wanna use IE, IE 7 is better than IE 6. If you wanna go one step ahead, use Firefox. Anyway, servers admins f.e need Active Directory or something like that and may have to use IE for example, so use IE 7 WHY IE 6?
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