Internet Explorer recently had strange problems on my Windows 7 computer, and instead of spending hours trying to figure out what was causing the problem, I decided to just reinstall the whole thing! Well, that fixed my problem and that’s why I’m posting about it.
Method 1 – Windows Features
Depending on your version of Windows 7, you can set IE 8, IE 9, IE 10 or IE 11 as default! However, no matter which version of IE is installed, you can uninstall and reinstall IE simply by going to Control Panel. In Control Panel, just click on Programs and Features. If you do not see the list view as shown below, change the view to small or large icons.
Then click on the Turn Windows features on and off link located in the left pane.
In the dialog box, just uncheck the Internet Explorer X checkbox.
– /
You will get a message that it may affect other programs, etc. Etc. Don’t worry about it, it won’t cause problems on your system. Just click “Yes”.
Now restart your computer and then go back to the same dialog and check Internet Explorer again. It will be reinstalled and hopefully all problems go away.
The second method – installed updates
There is also a second way to reinstall Internet Explorer in Windows 7. Instead of clicking Turn Windows features on or off in the Control Panel screenshot above, click View installed updates.
Now scroll down to the Microsoft Windows section and there you will find Internet Explorer:
Click on it and then click the “Delete” button that appears at the top. Then, to reinstall IE, you can go to the IE homepage and download the latest version:
https: //www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/internet-explorer-11-for-windovs-7-details.asps
I’m not 100% sure about the difference in using one method over the other, but you can try both if you find that one method doesn’t solve your problem. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to leave comments. Enjoy!
–