Microsoft gives option to remove IE from Windows 7

This just in & in a shocking way. In the latest pre-RC1 build of Windows 7 build 7048, Microsoft has given an option to remove Internet Explorer thereby deleting iexplore.exe & removing all traces from operating system.

Source

I couldn’t believe this when I saw it, but it’s true. Internet Explorer 8 is fully removable in Windows 7 build 7048. I believe this fully squashes the case that the EU has against Microsoft?

*chris123nt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/features-thumb.png

As you can see in the above screenshot there is a new entry for Internet Explorer 8, if you uncheck it, IE8 will be removed from the operating system. Want proof? Try it for yourself:

Enter the Control Panel and look at “All Control Panel Options”

Click “Programs and Features”

In the left sidebar, click “Turn Windows Features On or Off” (you will be thrown a UAC prompt if you elevated UAC)

Wait for the list to load.

Look for Internet Explorer 8 in the list and uncheck it.

Click OK. You will see a prompt notifying you of a reboot.

The machine will reboot once, configure things, and reboot again.

*chris123nt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/progfiles-thumb.png

*chris123nt.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/03/ie8-removed-300x187.png

As you can see above, currently it just deletes iexplore.exe, which I hope will be revised in future builds, but all references to IE are removed from the OS (see second shot), so my bet is that deleting these files would not harm anything, but then again I could be wrong.
So there you have it, step in the right direction for Microsoft? And a quick solution to the EU’s argument against them? Time will tell.

Keep in mind that MSHTML.dll which is the Trident engine of Internet Explorer stays as it is on the system without any change. This HTML Engine is required for the use of 3rd party application on which Microsoft has no control.

Now, I wonder.....what else could EU, Opera, Mozilla & Google can ask? One thing EU can ask is to give an option to the user to select the brower of there choice in the welcome center of Windows upon first boot. Upon clicking the user will be asked to either use IE or select & download from a list of Web Browser which can be continuously updated using link redirection.

Although we know that the majority of users out there will go for the blue E icon

Seriously, with Windows 7, Microsoft is doing everything right. It clearly is "The Right OS"

.

T

Good news.

Good to know

That IS news. Microsoft is ahead of the curve...

I think this is due to that stupid EU ruling that states that MS cannot bundle IE as it will be causing monopoly of MS in the market :???:

Anyway, at least MS is taking steps to ensure that this ruling does not have a substantial impact on them

G

ROFL...M$ has just learnt importance of customization

Nice move, what's next - Win 7(optional)

ROFL...M$ has just learnt importance of customization

HA HAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHH

d: U MADE MY DAY

Microsoft doesn't let there users customize there Windows OS???? that is one big fu**ing hilarious new to me. :shock:

Where can I get a copy of build 7048??
I wish to try out the RC1...

its not officially out yet.

I think as long a company or organisation is not earning from any of its product then it cant b called monopoly. IE is a free bundle with windows and I dont know y others sued microsoft for just that. After some day a guy will sue MS that disk defragmenter should not be bundled with windows as it will cause monopoly among other disk defragmenters, then the next day sum1 will sue MS that file explorer is causing monopoly and hampering downloads/sales of third party explorers.
By the time windows 10 comes MS will b selling only the kernel of the OS and we will be installing every other thing frm 3rd parties

Thats a welcome move by MS!!

Whats the reason behind this?

utsav said:
I think as long a company or organisation is not earning from any of its product then it cant b called monopoly. IE is a free bundle with windows and I dont know y others sued microsoft for just that. After some day a guy will sue MS that disk defragmenter should not be bundled with windows as it will cause monopoly among other disk defragmenters, then the next day sum1 will sue MS that file explorer is causing monopoly and hampering downloads/sales of third party explorers.

Actually they earn money ( mostly in millions of dollars ) through ads and search engines integration. Even mozilla earns quite a sum.

Please correct me if i am wrong

Yup they do. Buts thats a free software app anyway for us

A much appreciated feature. Let's see if it stays till the final release. And to think that some felt that it was simply not possible for MS to do this?

IE sucked really bad :-x

man. Its just swiss cheese full of holes that requires never ending patches.

Not really sure whether it removes the whole thing or only the exe & some other compos. Check the first comment here.

^It does not remove MSHTML.DLL. Its the core required by many other apps using IE engine. Many HTML2EXE use IE engine.

In short, only the front-end is removed, the backend still remains.

Interesting news. but personally it dosen't make a difference to me. Linux ftw!

People are paranoid for no reason. What bad a 5.21 MB package is doing on a 100 GB+ hard disk and that too when almost every kid out there knows about the other browsers available. But... :YAWN: let the paranoids be happy. Yes! Now you can Remove IE and gain 43704647 BITS of space on your hardrive! Go Celebrate! :eh:!

Krazy_About_Technology said:
People are paranoid for no reason. What bad a 5.21 MB package is doing on a 100 GB+ hard disk and that too when almost every kid out there knows about the other browsers available. But... :YAWN: let the paranoids be happy. Yes! Now you can Remove IE and gain 43704647 BITS of space on your hardrive! Go Celebrate! :eh:!

nice use of windows calculator

ROFL..At last windows accept that he cant beat firefox..

utsav said:
nice use of windows calculator

ROFL..

G

Lmao ie sucks big time

Krazzy Warrior said:
ROFL..At last windows accept that he cant beat firefox..

Windows is a guy ?

^ lool. He made a typo.

I have been using this Windows 7000 build for a while now, and in IE8 i have noticed very significant changes in speed and features as compared to their last few versions.

tarey_g said:
Windows is a guy ?

ROFLCOPTER...I mean to say the developer..

virus_killer said:
I have been using this Windows 7000 build for a while now, and in IE8 i have noticed very significant changes in speed and features as compared to their last few versions.

go get firefox and use it after somedays u will pwn IE..lool.. :lol:

good news
so now we have some selection option from microsoft

Krazzy Warrior said:
ROFLCOPTER...I mean to say the developer..

go get firefox and use it after somedays u will pwn IE..lool..

He was right . IE8 is much better than IE6 and IE7

gxsaurav said:
its not officially out yet.

I noe, but jus' google will give you the download link(torrent).

It's massive, 3.3GB!!!!

utsav said:
nice use of windows calculator

Ya, i was feeling a bit lazy to calculate that meself at that time (you must've noticed the :YAWN:

). Besides, Automation is something we all use computers for, isn't it?

I never liked IE right from the start anyway.. and I think its mostly the same case with everyone.

Firefox FTW!!

Although i have installed almost all browsers available, coz my work involves being logged in into multiple google services like docs, gmail etc on multiple email accounts so i need two three browsers to keep separate sessions. I like IE 8 and I am using th RC 2 build But things that keeps me return back to Firefox are its plugins. I simply cannot live without Sxipper and CoolPreviews plugin, they make my life so easier on net. I never have to type in passwords and that too across both the OS i use. But interface and startup time wise, i like IE more thank Firefox.

am using FF, never really bothered about IE, nice option that u can remove IE

good to know...
firefox rocks !!!!

great news for the forum users. Now I hope that they will be surf the net without any problem( It seems after reading so may sign of relief that IE was the main problem for whole world)It seem like that I am boarding Lufthansa for Germany but want Air-India to stop all flights to it. Unable to understand

Pat said:
Thats a welcome move by MS!!

+1

nice find.. thanks for the info bro.. BTW lets see whether it will be still there in final release...

A

This move will really help PC and Laptop makers like HP,Dell etc.. who can now ship new PC's with any other browser after signing a deal with Google,Opera,Mozilla or Apple, Get more revenue and hence an overall decrease in the prices of Laptops and PC's (may be a few hundreds of rupees) and thus making them even more affordable.

it helps the system overall secure, bcoz IE is the main target for most worms, trojans, spyware , malware ,etc. Now the next option that comes into any novice user mind would be mozilla. Also we would expect sites to follow some standards.

axxo said:
it helps the system overall secure, bcoz IE is the main target for most worms, trojans, spyware , malware ,etc. Now the next option that comes into any novice user mind would be mozilla. Also we would expect sites to follow some standards.

+1 agreed... IE is the main source of trojans,spyware and malware most of the time.

axxo said:
it helps the system overall secure, bcoz IE is the main target for most worms, trojans, spyware , malware ,etc.

SO, Does that means u cannot open a porn site using Firefox which will automatically install stuff after asking u?

gxsaurav said:
SO, Does that means u cannot open a porn site using Firefox which will automatically install stuff after asking u?

yes it does not mean that... But activeX has major role in this kind of attacks..

^^^ Since I E 6 SP2 in Windows XP SP2, before an activeX is installed it asks the user whether it should install Activex or not. This is the case since 2004. So, if the user himself is allowing a malicious application to install, how can it be the fault of IE?

Keep in mind that malicious application is also a software itself which u r allowing to install, so it will install.

gxsaurav said:
^^^ Since I E 6 SP2 in Windows XP SP2, before an activeX is installed it asks the user whether it should install Activex or not. This is the case since 2004. So, if the user himself is allowing a malicious application to install, how can it be the fault of IE?

Keep in mind that malicious application is also a software itself which u r allowing to install, so it will install.

Yes I know that buddy.. Its fault of user if he/she allows it.. But in FF or Opera or Safari activeX won't work. So there would be less chances of attack by activeX..

gxsaurav said:
^^^ Since I E 6 SP2 in Windows XP SP2, before an activeX is installed it asks the user whether it should install Activex or not. This is the case since 2004. So, if the user himself is allowing a malicious application to install, how can it be the fault of IE?

Keep in mind that malicious application is also a software itself which u r allowing to install, so it will install.

Brother, their is no use of explaining these. As I had mentioned earlier that when FF is more in penetration, then where is a worry of worms and virus???? and nowadays more and attacks are not through simple web pages, its through java applets or flash applets. Neway sigh..

fabler said:
Yes I know that buddy.. Its fault of user if he/she allows it.. But in FF or Opera or Safari activeX won't work. So there would be less chances of attack by activeX..

In firefox XPI & DLL can be used the same way to fool a user to install something.

In IE when a user clicks on a malicious link to install an activeX component, IE asks the user first whether to install it or not. Same way in firefox when a user tries to install a malicious XPI package the user is asked. IE can be breached using ActiveX & user stupidiy while Firefox can be breached using xpi & User Stupidity