# I hate IE7's layout **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [June 16, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987 "2009-06-16T20:42:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![YogSothoth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/8edcca/32.png) [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/1 "2009-06-16T20:42:24Z")
Is there any way to change all the buttons around to look like IE6? ---
**Author:** ![barbitu8](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/839c29/32.png) [@barbitu8](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/barbitu8)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/2 "2009-06-16T20:46:21Z")
You can go back to IE6 if you wish by removing IE7, or you can upgrade to IE8, which you may not like either. ---
**Author:** ![Stealth\_Potato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d78d45/32.png) [@Stealth\_Potato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stealth_Potato)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 10:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/3 "2009-06-16T22:25:24Z")
> [@barbitu8](#): > > You can go back to IE6 if you wish by removing IE7, This would not be a good idea; IE6 is so full of security holes that if you so much as _think_ too hard about browsing to a web page, your computer will be hijacked by the Russian mafia and subsumed into a global botnet to assist in flooding the internet with massive volumes of Cialis spam. 😛 Not to mention it uses a terribly outdated rendering system that will break horribly on a lot of modern websites. If you really don’t like IE7’s layout, you might want to try [Mozilla Firefox](http://getfirefox.com/) instead. It has a [large number of themes](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/browse/type:2/cat:all?show=20&sort=popular) available, so you might be able to find something you like if the default appearance doesn’t suit you. For example, there’s [this](https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/7944) theme that is designed to mimic the appearance of IE6. It’s apparently still “experimental,” but you can still install it and check it out. ---
**Author:** ![gotpasswords](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c57346/32.png) [@gotpasswords](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gotpasswords)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 10:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/4 "2009-06-16T22:35:09Z")
Once upon a time, you could install a “skin” to transform IE’s appearance, but starting with IE 7, Microsoft’s made that pretty near impossible. If it’s an option to you, Firefox is generally better in all ways, and can be skinned. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 11:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/5 "2009-06-16T23:07:16Z")
It is quite odd that IE7 has the look of a ‘skinned’ application, but isn’t one. There are or were supposed to be hacks out there to allow you to run IE7 in IE6’s interface, but I think they probably also preserved some of IE6’s security flaws. IE7’s dogs dinner of an interface was the final straw that made me switch to Firefox - and I’ve never looked back. I am obliged to use IE7 at work and I still quite often find myself incredulously saying (of the interface design) “there was a choice, and they chose to make it this way” ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 16, 2009, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/6 "2009-06-16T23:37:06Z")
I’d love to know why Microsoft spends so much effort on changing the appearance. Make it work better, that’s great. But why do they move things around for no apparent reason? ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/7 "2009-06-17T00:48:37Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Is there any way to change all the buttons around to look like IE6? I am So totally with you. I absolutely HATE the layout of IE7. ---
**Author:** ![Rhythmdvl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/85f322/32.png) [@Rhythmdvl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rhythmdvl)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/8 "2009-06-17T01:11:35Z")
I’d be much happier if I could just move the refresh, stop, and home buttons back to the upper left corner where they used to be. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/9 "2009-06-17T01:22:25Z")
I would be happy if it would allow you to configure the bars at the top. I hate having a menu line which is almost blank space taking up screen space. The whole thing is idiotic. ---
**Author:** ![LSLGuy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lslguy/32/5813_2.png) [@LSLGuy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LSLGuy)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/10 "2009-06-17T03:07:42Z")
I can’t even remember the look & feel of IE6. Dont’t confuse the two weeks of transition with the rest of your future. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/11 "2009-06-17T04:18:30Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I can’t even remember the look & feel of IE6. Dont’t confuse the two weeks of transition with the rest of your future. It has been quite a bit more than two weeks and I still hate it. With IE6 you had more flexibilty in the layout. And As long as there is wasted space on my screen I will hate it. There is no point in having the menu take up the whole width of the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Keeve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/f07891/32.png) [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 12:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/12 "2009-06-17T12:14:25Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > I can’t even remember the look & feel of IE6. Dont’t confuse the two weeks of transition with the rest of your future. Don’t confuse resigning oneself to something (a/k/a getting used to it) with actually _liking_ it. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/13 "2009-06-17T14:04:25Z")
> [@](#): > > I can’t even remember the look & feel of IE6. Dont’t confuse the two weeks of transition with the rest of your future. Bears repeating. I remember all the whining about the change from Win 3.11 to Win95 then to 2000 then to XP. Hilarious that people love XP and its defaults because I think its the ugliest Microsoft product with its fisher price colors. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/14 "2009-06-17T14:43:55Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > Bears repeating. I remember all the whining about the change from Win 3.11 to Win95 then to 2000 then to XP. Hilarious that people love XP and its defaults because I think its the ugliest Microsoft product with its fisher price colors. So people have different taste from you. Astonishing isn’t it. Incredible. I hate having the menu bar take up a whole line of screen which is mostly empty. I have _resigned_ myself to that but I do not like it and I wish I could move it like I could with IE6. IE7 imposes on me a layout which I do not like for objective reasons. It wastes space and has buttons I do not use. IE6 allowed greater liberty in configuring the layout of the screen. I do not know how anyone can argue that fewer choices is a good thing but I guess some people just believe we should all be wearing Mao suits anyway. ---
**Author:** ![Quartz](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/quartz/32/267_2.png) [@Quartz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quartz)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/15 "2009-06-17T14:46:00Z")
You could always try an alternative browser like Firefox, Opera, or Chrome. ---
**Author:** ![HorseloverFat](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/8e8cbc/32.png) [@HorseloverFat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HorseloverFat)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 2:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/16 "2009-06-17T14:51:36Z")
\>So people have different taste from you. Astonishing isn’t it. Incredible. No whats “incredible” is that people just like to complain and in general dont handle change well. ---
**Author:** ![Petek](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/petek/32/1590_2.png) [@Petek](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Petek)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/17 "2009-06-17T15:15:22Z")
> [@YogSosoth](#): > > Is there any way to change all the buttons around to look like IE6? Yes. Go to your \WINDOWS\ie7\ directory, right-click on the iexplore.exe file, select Send To\>Desktop and you can now use this new shortcut to launch IE7 with the IE6 interface. However, you’ll lose the tabs feature. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/18 "2009-06-17T15:44:59Z")
Internet Explorer 7 is akin to Windows ME. Neither should have seen the light of day. However, the “wisdom” of Microsoft is more attuned to market share and profits than actually creating a product that works for the consumer. IE6 is outdated and so full of security holes the US CERT team advised not using it years ago. So you have the option to “upgrade” to IE8 and by doing so, supporting Microsoft’s view of the web world they know web all and see web all, contrary to established objective web standards. Perhaps memories are so short as to forget Microsoft’s legal troubles with IE and that the European Union has carried on the fight and is forcing Microsoft to unbundle IE if they want to sell Windows 7 in Europe. Or you can move away from the Dark Side and embrace Firefox, Chrome or Safari. IE is like GM. Neither are viable nor sustainable when consumers are ignored. ---
**Author:** ![sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a587f6/32.png) [@sailor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sailor)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 3:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/19 "2009-06-17T15:45:10Z")
> [@HorseloverFat](#): > > \>So people have different taste from you. Astonishing isn’t it. Incredible. > > No whats “incredible” is that people just like to complain and in general dont handle change well. The OP asked if there is a way to make IE7 look like IE6 and I join in the question because I would also like to know. If we “don’t handle change well” what is it to you? Why do you care? Go and start a pit thread about people who “don’t handle change well” if you like. Go and complain there all you want. This is not the place. IE6 gave me choices which IE7 seems to not give me and I’d like to know if there is a way to do what I want. My position is that having choices is always better than not having choices. ---
**Author:** ![Duckster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/duckster/32/1244_2.png) [@Duckster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duckster)\ **Post date:** [June 17, 2009, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987/20 "2009-06-17T16:14:27Z")
> [@sailor](#): > > IE6 gave me choices which IE7 seems to not give me and I’d like to know if there is a way to do what I want. My position is that having choices is always better than not having choices. Then if you now use IE7 and wish to return to using IE6, your choice is to save your data externally, reformat your hard drive, reinstall Windows and use IE6, because you cannot adequately revert from IE7 to IE6 any other way. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-hate-ie7s-layout/499987.md?page=2)