Removal of Internet Explorer

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The idea of the removal of Internet Explorer (IE) from

vulnerabilities
.

The process of removing

Windows Explorer. With later versions, removal (or inability to do so) became more complicated. With the release of Internet Explorer 7, shell integration began being reduced, such as changing ActiveX
hosting and a different look than Windows Explorer.

It was proposed that a special version of

EU antitrust investigations against Microsoft.[2][3][4][5] However, in July 2009, Microsoft canceled the Windows 7 E editions due to negative reactions from computer manufacturers.[6] In 2015, Microsoft released Microsoft Edge which firstly based on EdgeHTML on launch along with Windows 10, until it became Chromium-based in 2020 which replaced IE's status as the default browser in Windows 10. IE 11 is still available and preinstalled on Windows 10, but users setting up their computers for the first time have to actively seek it from the Windows Accessories folder in the Start menu since it is not pinned to the taskbar by default.[7]
The main reason for keeping Internet Explorer in Windows 10 is to run websites based on legacy HTML technologies which are not or improperly supported in Microsoft Edge.

On May 19, 2021, Microsoft announced that Internet Explorer will be no longer supported on June 15, 2022[a] and as part of transition, IE mode will be available on the new Microsoft Edge which allows launch older ActiveX controls and legacy websites until at least 2029.[8] Internet Explorer was removed upon the release of Windows 11, although it was disabled and some of its files are still stored in Windows' Program Files folder. Users that are trying to run iexplore.exe via Run command will be redirected to Microsoft Edge.[9] Additionally, if it is run for the first time since the release of Edge Chromium, IE11 will now open a new tab that redirects to Edge's website, with a notice that "some websites no longer support Internet Explorer". Internet Explorer is also disabled on Windows 10 Semi-Annual Channel after installing February 14, 2023 security update. Visual references of the browser were originally designated to be removed on Windows 10 on June 13, 2023,[10] however on May 19, 2023, Microsoft withdrew the change due to objection by organizations.[10]

Overview

Internet Explorer comes as an integrated component of Windows that cannot be uninstalled. Newer versions of Internet Explorer are sometimes released for existing operating systems, replacing the older version. Optionally, users may later choose to revert this upgrade. Starting with

web browser engine
remains operational for applications that use it.

This is not unique to Windows: Safari, the default browser on macOS, is similarly integrated into the operating system. While it is possible to delete the application itself without problem, Safari is in fact merely a front-end for Apple's open source WebKit framework, which is heavily integrated into the operating system and cannot be removed.[11]

The idea of removing Internet Explorer was proposed during the

United States v. Microsoft Corp. case. One of Microsoft's arguments during the trial, however, was that removing Internet Explorer from Windows may result in system instability.[12]

Definition

It is unclear what it means to "remove IE" because such a removal depends on being able to determine which files or functions on an installed Windows system are part of IE — that is, to draw a line between IE and the rest of Windows. Microsoft has held that this is not meaningful; that in Windows 98 and newer versions, "Internet Explorer" is not a separate piece of software but simply a brand name for the web browsing and HTML rendering capacities of the Windows operating system. In this view, the result of removing IE is simply a damaged Windows system; to have a working system without IE one must replace Windows entirely.[citation needed]

In contrast, some programmers and security writers have held that it is possible to have a useful and working Windows system with IE excised. These people include consultant Fred Vorck, who advocates that consumers should have the choice to remove "integrated" features of Microsoft Windows

XPLite to remove and manage Windows components[15] after the installation of the operating system. Some people have suggested the use of alternative browsers instead of Internet Explorer, to try reduce the risk of vulnerabilities.[16]

Methods

Methods have been developed by these programmers and others to remove Internet Explorer from Windows 95 after installing,[17][18] as well as before install time.[19] Removing Internet Explorer from Windows 2000,[13] Windows XP and Windows Server 2003[20][21] is also possible at installation time.

Australian computer scientist Shane Brooks demonstrated that

XPLite
, which renders many parts of Windows 2000 and XP into optional components. Both of Brooks's programs can remove IE after the installation of the operating system.

Another programmer named Bruce Jensen published a similar utility called "Revenge of Mozilla", which was freeware and removed many other Windows 98 components identified as "

bloatware
" or as being of questionable value. Although Revenge of Mozilla asked the user to supply some files from the Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2 version of the Windows Explorer shell (necessary for compatibility with the FAT32 file system) that did not have the "Windows Desktop Update" that came with Internet Explorer 4/Windows 98. As a result of the shell replacement, Windows used significantly fewer resources than normal, the shell didn't leak resources like Windows 98's version did, and Windows crashed less. In 98Lite, using Explorer from Windows 95 OSR 2 was optional.

There are other methods of removing IE based on modifying the Windows installation process so that IE is never installed in the first place.

HFSLIP
are automated programs that allow users to modify the Windows installation process, both to incorporate patches and updates and to exclude IE and many other Windows components from installation as desired.

Impacts

Removing Internet Explorer does have a number of consequences. Some programs bundled with Windows, such as

Help and Support, depend on libraries installed by IE in order to function. Before Windows Vista, it was not possible to run Windows Update without IE because the service used ActiveX technology, which no other web browser supports. With IE removed they fail to work, either partially or entirely. In addition, third-party web browsers based on MSHTML engine
require IE and stop working without it.

Notes

  1. MSHTML
    (Trident) engine was also unaffected.

References

  1. ^ "By having IE3 rename your previous version, Microsoft gives you a fallback in case IE3 crashes. IE3 also scans for Netscape bookmarks and converts them to IE3 favorites." [1]
  2. ^ "Windows 7 Pre-Order Offer". Microsoft. Archived from the original on August 19, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  3. ^ "No IE onboard Windows 7 in Europe". BBC. June 12, 2009. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  4. ^ "Windows 7 to be shipped in Europe without Internet Explorer". Ars Technica. June 11, 2009. Archived from the original on September 1, 2012. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  5. guardian.co.uk. Archived
    from the original on February 18, 2014. Retrieved July 15, 2009.
  6. ^ Warren, Tom (August 1, 2009). "Microsoft scraps Windows 7 'E' version for Europe". Neowin. Archived from the original on September 11, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2009.
  7. ^ "Microsoft Edge". microsoft.com. Microsoft. Archived from the original on January 15, 2020. Retrieved March 5, 2017.
  8. ^ Lyndersay, Sean (May 19, 2021). "The future of Internet Explorer on Windows 10 is in Microsoft Edge". Windows Experience Blog. Archived from the original on May 19, 2021. Retrieved May 19, 2021.
  9. ^ Warren, Tom (June 21, 2021). "Windows 11 is deleting Internet Explorer". The Verge. Archived from the original on June 25, 2021. Retrieved June 22, 2021.
  10. ^ a b "Internet Explorer 11 desktop app retirement FAQ". Microsoft. June 13, 2022. Archived from the original on June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 13, 2022.
  11. ^ "The WebKit Open Source Project". Webkit.org. Archived from the original on May 1, 2007. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  12. ^ "U.S. v. Microsoft: Court's Findings of Fact". United States Department of Justice. November 5, 2005. Archived from the original on June 15, 2006. Retrieved May 12, 2005.
  13. ^ a b "Windows 2000 SP5 (And IE free, if you like)". Archived from the original on January 30, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
  14. ^ "MSFN - Where People Go To Know". Msfn.org. Archived from the original on September 16, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  15. ^ "LitePC Technologies". Litepc.com. Archived from the original on January 27, 2021. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  16. ^ "Redmond | Feature Article: Time to Dump IE?". Redmondmag.com. Archived from the original on May 14, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  17. ^ "AOL.com - Netscape". Netscape.com. Archived from the original on July 2, 2002. Retrieved March 5, 2017. Archived copy retrieved from Internet Archive.
  18. ^ "How to Remove Internet Explorer and Outlook Express from your Computer". Support.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on November 11, 2006. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  19. ^ Lineback, Nathan. "Nathan's MAD IE De-integration Lab". Toastytech.com. Archived from the original on October 6, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  20. ^ "nLite - Deployment Tool for the bootable Unattended Windows installation". Nliteos.com. Archived from the original on September 15, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  21. ^ "TommyP's HFSLIP". Hfslip.org. Archived from the original on September 13, 2008. Retrieved September 16, 2008.
  22. ^ "IEradicator 2001". Softpedia. SoftNews. March 24, 2003. Archived from the original on January 22, 2014. Retrieved January 21, 2014.
  23. ^ "Vorck's Windows 2000 Repository". Archived from the original on April 12, 2010. Retrieved December 27, 2009.
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