System TipThis article applies to a different operating system than the one you are using. Article content that may not be relevant to you is disabled.
If you are a Small Business customer, find additional troubleshooting and learning resources at the Support for Small Business
(http://smallbusiness.support.microsoft.com)
site.
Note This article describes how to remove Windows Internet Explorer 8 from your computer. For a description of how to remove Windows Internet Explorer 9, see How do I install or uninstall Internet Explorer 9?
(http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/internet-explorer/help/ie-9/how-do-i-install-or-uninstall-internet-explorer-9)
If you are experiencing problems with Internet Explorer 8, try using
Compatibility View
to see whether you can fix the problem. If you cotniue to experience the problems, you may want to uninstall Internet Explorer 8 to help troubleshoot the situation. This article can help you do that.
Note When you remove Internet Explorer, your previous version of Internet Explorer is restored together with your previous customizations (such as add-ins, Favorites, and your home page stting). However, Internet Explorer 8 is the earliest version of the program that is included in Windows 7. Therefore, if you remove Internet Explorer 8 in Windows 7, you will have to install a third-party web browser to be able to connect to the Internet.
To uninstall Internet Explorer 8, follow the instructions for your version of Windows. To follow these steps, you must be logged on to Windows as an administrator.
Important You cannot uninstall Internet Explorer 8 if it is set to be non-removable. This occurs if you install Internet Explorer 8 before you install Service Pack 3 (SP3) for Windows XP. If this scenario applies to you, then you must uninstall SP3 before you can uninstall Internet Explorer 8.
For more information about this issue, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
950719
You cannot uninstall Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 after you install Windows XP Service Pack 3
To uninstall Internet Explorer 8, follow these steps:
Exit all programs.
Click Start, and then click Control Panel.
Click Add or Remove Programs.
In the list of currently installed programs, click Windows Internet Explorer 8, and then click Remove.
After you restart your computer, open Internet Explorer.
Click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu. If Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7 is displayed in the About Internet Explorer dialog box, you are finished with this article.
If Internet Explorer 8 is not removed, or if you cannot open Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7, you can try the alternative steps, or you can
contact support.
After you restart your computer, start Internet Explorer.
Click About Internet Explorer on the Help menu. If Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7 is displayed in the About Internet Explorer dialog box, you are finished with this article.
If Internet Explorer 8 is not removed, or if you cannot open Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7, you can
contact support.
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756)
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
After you uninstall Internet Explorer 8, you may notice Application event log errors after each restart. To resolve this problem, delete the following Internet Explorer User Accelerators and Internet Explorer Machine Accelerators registry keys in HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Winlogon\GPExtensions:
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