# Is there any way to get rid of IE? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [July 3, 2011, 11:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704 "2011-07-03T11:20:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Nancarrow](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c37758/32.png) [@Nancarrow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nancarrow)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 11:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/21 "2011-07-04T11:12:04Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > There is a really easy way to completely divorce yourself from IE, which I’m surprised nobody has mentioned… > > [spoiler]Go and live in a cave! > > (c’mon - you thought it was going to be ‘get a Mac’) > [/spoiler] Actually I’m shocked no-one has mentioned Linux yet! ---
**Author:** ![fluiddruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c2a13f/32.png) [@fluiddruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/fluiddruid)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 1:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/22 "2011-07-04T13:01:22Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > You need IE to access Windows Update, without which (arguably) you cannot keep your computer fully secure and stable - I’m not sure if Automatic Update requires IE, but that gives you less control of the process than you get if you use WU. Windows Help also uses IE functionality. If you managed to gut the system enough to remove IE, you might find a good number of third-party software that will suddenly turn up its nose. Our software, which has nothing to do at all with web browsing, requires it due to its documentation files. ---
**Author:** ![Musicat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/musicat/32/20189_2.png) [@Musicat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Musicat)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 2:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/23 "2011-07-04T14:12:28Z")
> [@guizot](#): > > Really? I thought they were two distinct programs–that Windows Explorer was **explorer.exe**. > [@SoulFrost](#): > > They are. iexplore.exe is Internet Explorer. explorer.exe is Windows Explorer. They are not. The IE browser displays web sites if you enter a URL, and local file names if you enter something like “C:...”. “My Computer” and IE browser are the same code, albeit invoked by a subtle difference. ---
**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:** [July 4, 2011, 2:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/24 "2011-07-04T14:52:32Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > They are not. The IE browser displays web sites if you enter a URL, and local file names if you enter something like “C:...”. “My Computer” and IE browser are the same code, albeit invoked by a subtle difference. I just tried this - when I type a URL into Windows Explorer, it launches an iexplore.exe session, and when I type a local file path into Internet Explorer, it launches an explorer.exe session. I’m sure they share a lot of components, but the executable wrappers are distinct, as far as I can tell. ---
**Author:** ![guizot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guizot/32/3636_2.png) [@guizot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/guizot)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 3:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/25 "2011-07-04T15:46:06Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > I just tried this - when I type a URL into Windows Explorer, it launches an iexplore.exe session… When I do that, it launches Chrome, because that’s my default browser. > [@Mangetout](#): > > …and when I type a local file path into Internet Explorer, it launches an explorer.exe session. …and when I type a local file path in Chrome, I can navigate my computer drives with Chrome, as though I were using Windows Explorer–without all the features that Windows Explorer has, such as launching programs by file extension, etc. > [@Mangetout](#): > > I’m sure they share a lot of components, but the executable wrappers are distinct, as far as I can tell. That seem to be the case. ---
**Author:** ![SoulFrost](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f07891/32.png) [@SoulFrost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SoulFrost)\ **Post date:** [July 4, 2011, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/26 "2011-07-04T20:11:40Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > They are not. The IE browser displays web sites if you enter a URL, and local file names if you enter something like “C:...”. “My Computer” and IE browser are the same code, albeit invoked by a subtle difference. You’re splitting hairs. iexplore.exe is not the same file as explorer.exe. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/27 "2011-07-05T00:01:37Z")
> [@George\_Kaplin](#): > > I hate Internet Explorer and I want to uninstall it and remove all traces of it from my computer. Is it possible to achieve this? I run Windows XP for home. Thanks. [XPLite](http://www.litepc.com/). It’s about as close as you can get. ---
**Author:** ![what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/a5b964/32.png) [@what\_do\_I\_type\_here](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/what_do_I_type_here)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/28 "2011-07-05T01:59:44Z")
You’re preaching to the choir! I hate the fact that this application exists on my computer! It doesn’t force me to use it, and it doesn’t distract me in any way, and I can easily forget it exists. And it takes up a whopping 28 megs! On my 1.0 terabyte hard drive! MICROSOFT IS LITERALLY NAZIS ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 2:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/29 "2011-07-05T02:25:09Z")
> [@Musicat](#): > > They are not. The IE browser displays web sites if you enter a URL, and local file names if you enter something like “C:...”. “My Computer” and IE browser are the same code, albeit invoked by a subtle difference. maybe older versions, but AFAIK since either IE 7 or Windows Vista there’s been a clean break. enter a local file path in IE’s address bar, and a Windows Explorer window will open there. Enter a web address in a Windows Explorer path bar, and it’ll open the URL in the default web browser. ---
**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:** [July 5, 2011, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/30 "2011-07-05T12:31:27Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > maybe older versions, but AFAIK since either IE 7 or Windows Vista there’s been a clean break. enter a local file path in IE’s address bar, and a Windows Explorer window will open there. Enter a web address in a Windows Explorer path bar, and it’ll open the URL in the default web browser. As mentioned above, XP (although I forgot to mention it was XP) does exactly this too. I remember seeing Windows Explorer trying to display websites in Windows 98 or ME, I think. ---
**Author:** ![robert\_columbia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/e79b87/32.png) [@robert\_columbia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/robert_columbia)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/31 "2011-07-05T15:48:54Z")
> [@JWT\_Kottekoe](#): > > This is a question that almost led to the breakup of Microsoft. Look up the antitrust case called “United States v. Microsoft”. > > [United States v. Microsoft Corp. - Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_v._Microsoft) > > IE is so tightly integrated into the OS that I agree with Musicat’s suggestion, unless your religion forbids you to use a computer with IE on it. And there’s the old joke about what the DOJ or the court would tell Microsoft when passing judgment. You have performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. ---
**Author:** ![Cheshire\_Human](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/5f8ce5/32.png) [@Cheshire\_Human](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cheshire_Human)\ **Post date:** [July 5, 2011, 9:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704/32 "2011-07-05T21:21:20Z")
> [@robert\_columbia](#): > > And there’s the old joke about what the DOJ or the court would tell Microsoft when passing judgment. > > You have performed an illegal operation and will be shut down. Wrong. They made it typical of Microshit’s usual Winblows error message. An Error has occurred: A327F9B6330 F638CDF218FF7 😃 [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-there-any-way-to-get-rid-of-ie/587704.md?page=1)