How to Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 | How to Reinstall Internet Explorer in Vista

How to Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 | How to Reinstall Internet Explorer in Vista
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How to Uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7

To reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7, you need to uninstall the current Internet Explorer and then install it using either the Control Panel in the standard version or by using an installer in Windows 7 (European versions of Win7). Though the process to reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 is an easy one, an improper uninstall can create problem while reinstalling the browser. The following paragraphs show how to uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7.

How to Uninstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7:

1. Open Control Panel using Start.

2. Go to Programs and Features.

3. Click on Turn Windows Features On or Off.

4. You will see a list of Windows 7 features. Click to clear the check box against Internet Explorer 8. Click Yes in the Warning dialog box to initiate uninstall of Internet Explorer 8. Once the IE8 is removed, your computer will reboot for cleaning up browser preferences, etc.

Reinstalling IE8 in Vista - How to Uninstall Internet Explorer in Vista

1. Go to the Control Panel.

2. Select Uninstall a Program from Programs.

3. In the Tasks pane, select View Installed Updates.

4. As the List of Updates appears, double click on Internet Explorer 8 to uninstall it.

If you cannot see Internet Explorer 8 in the List of Updates, chances are you never upgraded to it. On the other hand, if you are sure that the current version is IE8, you can use an alternate method to reinstall Internet Explorer 8 in Windows Vista. You can check the IE version by clicking on the Help menu -> About option.

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Using Command Prompt to Uninstall Internet Explorer 8 from Vista

To uninstall Internet Explorer 8 from Windows Vista, log in as administrator. Open the Command Prompt by typing CMD in the Start Search box.

Type the following at the command prompt to remove IE8 from Vista:

FORFILES /P %WINDIR%\servicing\Packages /M Microsoft-Windows-InternetExplorer-8*.mum /c “cmd /c echo Uninstalling package @fname && start /w pkgmgr /up:@fname /norestart”

Hit Enter key and let the command uninstall IE8 from your machine. Once the uninstall process is complete, reboot to reinstall Internet Explorer 8 in Vista.

Note: You can also copy the above command. In the command window, right click and select Paste. Hit Enter.

Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 - Cleaning up and IE8 Installation

Before you reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 or Vista, you need to clean up leftover registry keys that may not be removed by the normal IE8 uninstall process. To remove these keys, open registry editor and locate the following key:

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\GPExtensions

Once you get the key, remove the following two strings:

{7B849a69-220F-451E-B3FE-2CB811AF94AE}

{CF7639F3-ABA2-41DB-97F2-81E2C5DBFC5D}

If you were not able to locate the key, chances are your uninstaller removed it.

Now you are all set for a reinstall of IE8.

To reinstall Internet Explorer 8 in Vista, download an IE8 installation package and use it to install the browser.

To reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7, employ the same steps that you used to remove IE8, except that this time, you will select the checkbox against Internet Explorer 8. Once the IE8 is installed, the system will reboot and you get your IE8 back.

Note that the above method will not help users of Windows 7, European versions. In this case, the users need to use the same method as they used to reinstall Internet Explorer 8 in Vista. They will have to download and use an IE 8 installation package.

Important: If you are using the installation package to reinstall IE8, make sure you turn off the antivirus. Some antivirus presume the temp installation files to be Trojans and deletes them to offer you a corrupt IE.

Related:

1. How to Speed up Internet Explorer 8

2. Ready to use Registry Tweak for Increasing Internet Speed

This post is part of the series: Which is the Best Browser from Microsoft?

Which is the best browser from Microsoft? Certainly, the latest version of Internet Explorer is the best browser. However people are divided on the question. This series deals with IE, helps you determine the best browser from MSFT, helps you reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7, and more.

  1. How to Check the Version of IE and Other MS-Based Software
  2. How to Reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7 and Vista
  3. Problems with Internet Explorer in Windows XP - Repairing IE
  4. Printing Problems with Internet Explorer 8: Known Issues and Troubleshooting
  5. Managing Favorites in Microsoft Internet Explorer