Internet Explorer

[Harrisonized]

Should I uninstall Internet Explorer 7?
What happens if I do? Will my computer malfunction without it?
(As in the internet options only works for IE7)

And can someone teach me how to properly uninstall it?
I can't find it in the Add or Remove Programs list in the Control Panel.

Thanx.

[kleptophobia]

I've never entirely removed Internet Explorer... I just installed Firefox and then deleted all the short-cuts =o. I'm pretty sure some programs do not function properly without IE being installed, not sure though. (MSN Messenger or whatever it is called might need it)

[Lyssa]

Why would you be removing it? It's not that big of a program, and if you simply dislike using it, pick a new browser and make it your default.

As far as how to remove it, here's an article from Microsoft:
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/927177

That article seems to indicate that IE 6 will be restored if you uninstall IE 7.
If that's the case, here's another webpage with instructions for removing IE 6. The Microsoft link on there is dead, but the page has instructions.
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/answers/8.html

~Lyssa

[Anything]

I don't think it's even possible to fully uninstall IE in XP or Vista. Without IE you can't get Windows Update anymore, some web pages will not work properly, and like the above, above poster said, some programs will not function properly. If you do manage to find a way to fully uninstall IE, I really would not recommend it. I don't see why simply not using it is such a huge issue.

Btw, if you're using XP there's a way to have a minimal trace of IE on your computer but it won't completely be gone. (See below)

If you want a minimal trace of IE on your machine, go into the Add or Remove Programs control panel and click on "Add/Remove Windows Components," on the left side of the screen. Scroll down to Internet Explorer and uncheck it. (It will say the option is 0KB in size; this is normal, since, as described above, you aren't deleting any actual files, just making them invisible as a web browsing system.) After this, IE won't show up in any menus or on your desktop, and it won't ever launch as a web browser. (You can still use IE Tab if you need IE's rendering system. To reinstall IE, just reverse the process above and recheck the box.) Source (http://tech.yahoo.com/blogs/null/35598)

[Afrobean]

Internet Explorer is impossible to truly remove. You can uninstall it as detailed above, but it's still there and you just can't see it or access it through normal means.

[Yoorah]

It's very much so possible to remove IE, however other programs/features depend on it, so you really should just leave it be.

[Bacon]

No point in removing it. Just keep it there to collect dust while you use Firefox or Opera.