The Default Browser in Windows 8, or, where are my links opened in?
When you run the Windows 8 operating system for the first time, regardless of having installed it by yourself or found it pre-installed on a PC that you have purchased, you will notice that it is not really that easy to tell where links are opened in. The main reason for this is that the system ships with two browsers, one for the Metro interface, and another one for the desktop. Both Internet Explorer 10 versions can open links, and depending on which version of the browser you have launched, or where you are in when links are launched or clicked on, one of the two browsers may be used by the operating system to display those links.
Things get even more complicated once you install another browser on the system. If you install Google Chrome and make it the default browser, Windows will ask you whether you want to keep opening links in Microsoft's Internet Explorer or in Google Chrome. This effectively raises the number of available browsers to four. If you now install Firefox which will also ship with a Metro version, you end up with six browsers and so on.
You can generally say that links that you open on the desktop will be opened in the default desktop browser, and that links in Metro will be opened in the Metro browser.
Internet Explorer 10
Microsoft's Internet Explorer has a setting to change that default behavior. Google Chrome currently does not seem to give you the option to set one browser as the default for all links, but this may change in future releases.
You can configure IE10 to always open links and tiles on the desktop, or in the Metro version of the browser. Here is how you configure that:
- Open the Internet Options. You have got several options to do that. If you are in Metro, enter Internet Options, select the Settings filter on the right, and click on Internet Options in the search results.
- If you are on the desktop, either open Internet Explorer, click on the Settings icon on the upper right and select Internet Options from the context menu, or move the mouse to the lower right of the screen, and select Settings > Control Panel from here. Once the control panel is open, locate and click on Internet Options there.
- Switch to the Programs tab in the new window and locate the Opening Internet Explorer entry at the top.
Here you have two options to define how links are opened in the operating system:
- Change the choose how you open links setting from let Internet Explorer decide to either always in Internet Explorer or always in Internet Explorer on the desktop. The first option opens all links in the Metro version of Internet Explorer, the second all in the desktop version of the browser.
- You can furthermore check the open Internet Explorer tiles on the desktop option to open tiles that launch in the browser on the desktop, and not in the Metro interface.
If you ask me, there is not really a need for a Metro browser on the desktop. I can see that it may have its uses on mobile devices though. What's your take on the two-browser system?
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What mental age of reader are you targeting with the first sentence? 10?
Why not write an article on how to *avoid* upgrading from W10 to W11. Analogous to those like me who avoided upgrading from 7 to 10 for as long as possible.
If your paymaster Microsoft permits it, of course.
5. Rufus
6. Ventoy
PS. I hate reading these “SEO optimized” articles.
I used Rufus to create an installer for a 6th gen intel i5 that had MBR. It upgraded using Setup. No issues except for Win 11 always prompting me to replace my local account. Still using Win 10 Pro on all my other PCs to avoid the bullying.
bit pointless to upgrade for the sake of upgrading as you never know when you’ll get locked out because ms might suddenly not provide updates to unsupported systems.
ps…. time travelling?
written. Jan 15, 2023
Updated • Jan 13, 2023
This happens when you schedule a post in WordPress and update it before setting the publication date.
Anyone willing to downgrade to this awful OS must like inflicting themselves with harm.
I have become convinced now that anybody who has no qualms with using Windows 11/10 must fit into one of the following brackets:
1) Too young to remember a time before W10 and W11 (doesn’t know better)
2) Wants to play the latest games on their PC above anything else (or deeply needs some software which already dropped W7 support)
3) Doesn’t know too much about how computers work, worried that they’d be absolutely lost and in trouble without the “”latest security””
4) Microsoft apologist that tries to justify that the latest “features” and “changes” are actually a good thing, that improve Windows
5) Uses their computer to do a bare minimum of like 3 different things, browse web, check emails, etc, so really doesn’t fuss
Obviously that doesn’t cover everyone, there’s also the category that:
6) Actually liked W7 more than 10, and held out as long as possible before switching, begrudgingly uses 10 now
Have I missed any group off this list?
You have missed in this group just about any professional user that uses business software like CAD programs or ERP Programs which are 99% of all professional users from this list.
Linux doesn’t help anyone who is not a linux kid and apple is just a fancy facebook machine.
Microsoft has removed KB5029351 update
only from windows update though
KB5029351 is still available from the ms update catalog site
1. This update is labaled as PREVIEW if it causes issues to unintelligent people, then they shouldn’t have allowed Preview updates ot install.
2. I have installed it in a 11 years old computer, and no problems at all.
3. Making a big drama over a bluescreen for an updated labeled as preview is ridiculous.
This is probably another BS internet drama where people ran programs and scripts that modified the registry until they broke Windows, just for removing stuff that they weren’t even using just for the sake of it.
Maybe people should stop playing geeks and actually either use Windows 10 or Windows 11, but don’t try to modify things just for the sake of it.
Sometimes removing or stopping things (like defender is a perfect example) only need intelligence, not scripts or 3rd party programs that might mess with windows.
Windows 11 was a pointless release, it was just created because some of the Windows team wanted to boost sales with some sort of new and improved Windows 10. Instead, Microsoft cannot support one version well let alone two.
Windows 11 is the worst ugly shame by Microsoft ever. They should release with every new W11 version a complete free version of Starallback inside just to make this sh** OS functionally again.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released a statement regarding the “unsupported processor” blue screen error for their boards using Intel 600/700 series chipsets & to avoid the KB5029351 Win11 update:
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/MSI-On–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–Error-Message-of-Windows-11-Update-KB5029351-Preview-142215
check out the following recent articles:
Neowin – Microsoft puts little blame on its Windows update after UNSUPPORTED PROCESSOR BSOD bug:
https://www.neowin.net/news/microsoft-puts-little-blame-on-its-windows-update-after-unsupported-processor-bsod-bug/
BleepingComputer – Microsoft blames ‘unsupported processor’ blue screens on OEM vendors:
https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/news/microsoft/microsoft-blames-unsupported-processor-blue-screens-on-oem-vendors/
While there may be changes or updates to the Windows 10 Store for Business and Education in the future, it is premature to conclude that it will be discontinued based solely on rumors.
My advice, I left win 15 years ago. Now I’m a happy linux user (linuxmint) but there is Centos, Fedora, Ubuntu depending on your needs.
motherboard maker MSI has recently released new BIOS/firmware updates for their Intel 600 & 700 series motherboards to fix the “UNSUPPORTED_PROCESSOR” problem (Sept. 6):
https://www.msi.com/news/detail/Updated-BIOS-fixes-Error-Message–UNSUPPORTED-PROCESSOR–caused-BSOD-on-MSI-s-Intel-700-and-600-Series-Motherboards-142277
I try to disable the Diagnostics Tracking Service (Connected Devices Platform User Services) but it wont let me disable it, any help will be greatly appreciated.
Tank you for your help