Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7

Martin Brinkmann
Nov 7, 2013
Updated • Mar 21, 2018
Internet Explorer
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Microsoft has just released the final version of its web browser Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7.

The browser, originally released as part of the Windows 8.1 upgrade to the company's most recent client operating system Windows 8, is now also available for Microsoft's most popular operating system market share wise.

Windows 7 users who have installed the Developer Preview or the Release Preview of Internet Explorer 11 on Windows have not received updates automatically at the time of writing, and it is likely that updates will being to roll out in the coming days to users who have enabled automatic updates in the web browser.

Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 11

The final version of Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 can be downloaded from this page currently. Please note that you may need to change the display language first if you do not want to install the US-English version of Internet Explorer 11.

You may also want to make sure that you want to use Bing as your default search engine and MSN as your default homepage in Internet Explorer. If you do not want that, uncheck the option before you click on the get Internet Explorer 11 button on the download website.

Note: The installer may need to download components from the Internet despite its large size of about 56 Megabyte. The system requirements on the Windows website have not been updated yet. The only supported operating system listed on the website is Windows 8.1.

install internet explorer 11

System Requirements

  • 1 GHz or faster processor
  • 1 GB or 2 GB of RAM for 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems.
  • 16 GB or 20 GB of hard disk space for 32-bit or 64-bit systems.
  • DirectX 9 compatible graphics device with WDDM driver

The system needs to be restarted after the installation to complete the process.

internet explorer 11

Microsoft has not made an official announcement yet, but there do not seem to be many changes to the Release Preview. In fact, the browser performed as well as the release preview in benchmark and compatibility tests suggesting that it is more or less the same version.

If you compare it to Internet Explorer 9 or 10, you will notice that things have improved considerably. The browser offers better performance and web standards support, and while it does not reach Firefox or Chrome levels yet, it is closing in on those browsers with every release that Microsoft makes.

You can consult our release preview review for additional details about Internet Explorer 11.

Side note: IE 11 will only be made available for Windows 7 and newer operating systems, and not for Vista or Windows XP. It is recommended to update the browser if your operating system supports it even if you do not use it as your main web browser -- or at all.

Now Read: Uninstall Internet Explorer 11

Summary
Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7
Article Name
Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7
Description
Microsoft has released the final version of its web browser Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7, and also integrated the browser into the Windows 8 and Windows 10 versions of the operating system.
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Ghacks Technology News
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Comments

  1. Tambra Ottino said on March 7, 2015 at 12:12 pm
    Reply

    Ground Zero = Place of an atomic bomb explosion. Jesse check the meaning of Ground Zero before, and after 911. The USG went through the trouble of editing ALL English dictionaries after the media gaffe on 911. It runs like a dog, it looks like a dog, it barks like dog… IT IS A DOG…

  2. antonio said on July 4, 2014 at 7:17 am
    Reply

    im using internet explorer 11 windows 8 and doesn’t let me save my homepage instead keeps opening a site I don’t even use. anyone knows how to fix it??

  3. Bennie Grubbs said on January 23, 2014 at 11:26 pm
    Reply

    Hey,

    I’ve been having all kinds of problems with my computer (laptop), after downloading IE 11 at no cost. Note: Currently, I have windows 7. Please let me know, how I may uninstall IE 11, so that I may have peace of mind, as well. Thank you.

    1. JPS said on January 24, 2014 at 1:43 pm
      Reply

      Well,there’s more than one way to do this.I’ll try the ‘keep it simple’ approach so anyone can follow it{and I’ll be doing this on my own computer as I’m giving it to you to make sure it works — and yes,I’m using Windows 7 as well}.However before I get to that,here’s something you might want to know.You indicated that you downloaded Internet Explorer 11 — in other words,it wasn’t automatically downloaded by Microsoft as part of its Updates.In any case,if you’d like to change the way you receive Microsoft Updates,then do this:Click-on the Start button,click ‘Control Panel’,scroll-down to ‘Windows Update’ and click it.On the left,click ‘Change Settings’.Under ‘Important Updates’,click-on the arrow.Here you’ll see 4 options.Click the one you want{these will allow you to get Windows Updates the way YOU want them.Click OK,and you’re done with that.Now for uninstalling Internet Explorer 11.On that same page that is still up{Windows Update},click ‘View Update History’.At the top,click ‘Installed Updates’.Scroll-down to where it says ‘Microsoft Windows’.Under this category,look for ‘Windows Internet Explorer 11’.Click-on it{this will highlight it}.Then right-click it.You’ll see a small window come up that says ‘Uninstall’ — click it.This will uninstall Internet Explorer 11 from your computer and your computer will automatically go back to Internet Explorer 10{or at least the last version of Internet Explorer you installed on your computer}.And that’s it — Internet Explorer 11 is now uninstalled on your computer! Hope this helped you!

  4. mike said on January 23, 2014 at 11:27 am
    Reply

    Let’s face it. Windows create problems – then never fix them. But what I have wondered for years – why isn’t anyone else competing with them and Apple. Why have we always had this Windows, Apple or nothing? Is there really no one out there who can write a few crappy programs that cost a fortune, don’t work properly, are so complex you need a degree from NASA to understand sending an email, that shut down or freeze without notice, that sleep halfway through that three our essay you’ve been writing? As far as I can see, all we’ve had for years is piles of Windows junk and NOTHING else. In the age of competition, isn’t that just a little bit weird??

    1. Michael said on January 23, 2014 at 1:21 pm
      Reply

      There is always Google Chrome, Kaspersky or Linux based operating systems. Other writers have been complaining about the complexity as well and one reason is Microsoft’s insistence on operating systems supporting so many legacy applications. Please don’t get me started on the Win 8 disaster—2 OSs in 1, really! (may be replaced with Win 9 next year or at least relatively soon). Most other OS’s just don’t let users run old games and other software, period, so if we change to one of those there will be complaints and gnashing of teeth too. Michael, MCP

  5. Sandy said on January 2, 2014 at 11:14 am
    Reply

    Martin, on January 2nd, I left a comment about what you posted too me on Dec. 31 about shutting off my Updates and not just uninstalling IE 11 which I didn’t do. I explained everything but the post is not showing. Would you check your email and see if you received it.
    I need too know in order what too do correctly. Where do I go too shut of Windows Updates for IE 11 before I uninstall? What else do I have too do and in what order. I guess this could be the problem and why do I get IE 8 and not my IE 10 which is installed on my computer that came with it? I hope this post shows. Thanks so much Martin.

  6. Colin said on December 27, 2013 at 4:41 am
    Reply

    I have just had to uninstall IE11 on all our production PC’s and servers (it was installed through auto updates in early November). I’ve removed it due to incompatibility with Outlook 2003 which we are not quite ready to give up yet. The issue was truncating of emails which turned out to be the way that IE11 handles emails that take a while to create, especially if you go looking for additional info in other programs. A draft is created automatically. If, after the draft is created, the email is opened and edited from the task bar (which everyone here does) it only sends what was in draft. Removing IE11 fixed this. Has anyone else had a similar problem?

  7. Donna said on December 21, 2013 at 1:20 am
    Reply

    Spent the last 2 days trying to fix Outlook.com email. It opened and would do one action, then hang. Tried everything, but nothing worked. Checked to see what was in the automatic updates. I changed settings and didn’t allow IE11. Hours later I caved and installed it. All day and still no solution to Outlook.com with it’s endlessly spinning circle icon. Did System Restore to just before the updates. IE11 is gone and back with IE10. Outlook.com mail is working like a charm. Too bad they won’t admit there’s a conflict with the updates and the programs. No more automatic updates, period!

  8. Blaine said on December 19, 2013 at 5:21 pm
    Reply

    I would not recommend updating to IE 11 – we have had nothing but problems with banking sites and web interfaces we use to control various parts of the operations. Most issue seem to be with Java.
    I ended up rolling back to ie 10 for many people due to incompatibility problems.
    Just FYI

  9. Sandy said on December 17, 2013 at 8:04 pm
    Reply

    I shut off my auto Window updates and uninstalled anything in the update area that had today’s date, then I shut down as they said, came back and that didn’t work either. zzzzzzzz Common sense told me that would be a good try. I still have my auto updates off until I hear from you. Do you think I should uninstall anything from the first day I downloaded and installed IE 11 which goes back to November 25th the day this all started. Oh gee, I just got notified I have updates. How can that be when I shut it off????????? geezzzzzz

    1. Sandy said on December 31, 2013 at 8:35 am
      Reply

      Omg, I meant my comments for Martin, no offense Michael. Martin Michael, when one is in a hurry it gets confused in the rush. Happy New Year Michael and I will get back to MARITN soon as he has been the one I was in contact in the first place with knowledge that is most helpful and I am pretty sure this is Martin Brinkmann blog by the way.
      I usually stay with one person for advice and I have a mess of emails from Martin.
      So with all due respect Michael, I appreciate your help, but I am sticking with the information I get from Martin and only Martin. Sorry for the confusion, some of it was my fault too for not paying attention too the person I was talking with. I hope I didn’t come across harsh because I am not that kind of a person. I messed up by not noticing Martin’s name and was answering to you…Michael. Your information may be helpful, but for now once again I want contact with only Martin. Sorry again. Gee I feel like an idiot!! Sorry Martin. ttys

    2. Michael said on December 18, 2013 at 12:11 pm
      Reply

      If you are trying to contact me, Michael, go ahead and use the email address I provided in the previous post. I will try and help with this issue to get you back up an rolling. Michael…

      RE:
      I don’t need any reward at all my job at Blue Cross takes care of that. But you may have misunderstood who I am because of the large number of intertwining comments. I am not Martin, he is very good apparently, but I was also trying to help (maybe too much information). I have also been impressed with this blog and plan to monitor it in the future, however, I will sign out on this thread. If you need to contact me about this issue feel free to do so—radar94@outlook.com.

      Have a very merry Christmas as well; Michael…

  10. Michael said on December 17, 2013 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    I’m sorry I was not clear on how to find About IE. There is a symbol that looks like a gear on the upper right side of the browser; About Internet Explorer should be listed. If you have an older browser you will find it under Help on the Menu bar. Right clicking the top of the browser will allow you to choose to display a menu bar if one is not there. This blog is getting a little out of hand. If I can help further (of course no charge – you get what you pay for) write me at radar94@outlook.com.

    1. Sandy said on December 17, 2013 at 8:20 pm
      Reply

      No need too apologize, you have been more help too me than anybody else or any other blog. You know what your doing so please, when you said, “you get what you pay for”. Well my friend and neighbor who tried too help me is a tech/engineer/computer “whiz” and he never told me anything that you have and we have been neighbors and friends for 15 years and works in management for a huge Corporation that is International and if I told you who that company was you would know who I was talking about instantly. So with that said, you should get paid. I have two tickets for tonight’s huge bucks drawing, If I win you win!! Thank you for you addy. I think I will not bug you any more until after the holidays and give you a break. If you celebrate Christmas have a wonderful time and lots of fun. Thanks again Martin and I will try some stuff on my own for now. Enjoy my not bugging you…….for now. :-)

      1. Michael said on December 18, 2013 at 12:07 pm
        Reply

        Sandy,

        I don’t need any reward at all my job at Blue Cross takes care of that. But you may have misunderstood who I am because of the large number of intertwining comments. I am not Martin, he is very good apparently, but I was also trying to help (maybe too much information). I have also been impressed with this blog and plan to monitor it in the future, however, I will sign out on this thread. If you need to contact me about this issue feel free to do so—radar94@outlook.com.

        Have a very merry Christmas as well; Michael…

  11. Sandy said on December 17, 2013 at 7:39 pm
    Reply

    I went back and I don’t see an “About IE”, is it gone because it is too late? I have a feeling your going too tell me too download and install IE 11 and start over. Oh, I will do that if I have too. Just wanted too tell you about the “About IE” is not there. Would that be on the left bar or in the updates by the way? Gee so sorry too bug you but thank you so much for your time and help. I hope your patience isn’t wearing with me, but I am a determined person and I WILL get Internet Explorer 10 up and running. Thanks again Martin.

  12. Sandy said on December 17, 2013 at 7:29 pm
    Reply

    :-( I used the link you gave me in your help above from December 16 and followed it too a tee.
    I copied everything on a sticky note and did see IE 11 in the updates. I selected it to uninstall, but no you say too “Be sure and look at About IE and change the default settings to not allow an auto update and you should be ready to go.” That information wasn’t in the link you gave me on Dec. 16th, so I didn’t do that and, there were automatic updates and I don’t have IE 10.
    I really appreciate your time helping me Martin, so now what should I do? Start over, install IE 11 again and follow ALL of the information in this latest email to me? Thanks again Martin. I’m getting there with your help. I will not give up! :-)

  13. Michael said on December 17, 2013 at 6:39 pm
    Reply

    Uninstalling IE11 is easy. Go to Programs in the Control Panel and choose uninstall a program. Select view installed updates on left side of window. Find IE11 and select uninstall. It will be uninstalled and replaced with the original browser you had before getting the new one. Be sure and look at About IE and change the default setting to not allow an auto update and you should be ready to go.

  14. Sandy said on December 17, 2013 at 6:38 pm
    Reply

    Martin, I’m getting some where. I just tried too download Internet Explorer 10 but the other version besides 32 bit and 64 bit and it said that I already have Windows Internet Explorer 10 for my Windows 7 Home Premium computer.
    Now all I have too do is find it. I’m trying all kinds of things that I know won’t mess up anything else but nothing so far. So, I still have IE 10 but it is not in my start up menu, not in my programs list, and not in my Install/Uninstall area.
    Do you have any ideas where it can be so I can access it and use it? Good too know it is still on my computer and it didn’t disappear into thin air when I downloaded and installed IE 11.
    By the way, I didn’t have Google Chrome or any other browser when I downloaded and installed IE 11, just IE 10.
    Best news so far. Can you help me find it so I can use Explorer 10. I know your busy, so I will come back tomorrow. Thanks Martin.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on December 17, 2013 at 6:49 pm
      Reply

      If you still have IE11 installed, it installed over IE10. Are you certain that IE11 is not listed in the program uninstallation Control Panel applet?

  15. Sandy said on December 17, 2013 at 3:55 pm
    Reply

    No I can’t Martin. Please read my post here dated November 25 up top so I don’t have too repeat why I need IE 11. My main issue is where did my Internet Explorer 10 go and how do I get it back. It just disappeared when I downloaded and installed IE 11.
    I want my Internet Explorer 10 back, Why did I lose that. It is no longer in my ADD/REMOVE section of my control panel.

    1. Sandy said on January 2, 2014 at 11:01 am
      Reply

      Martin, no I didn’t remove the Internet Explore Update. Where do I go too do that? Do I do that first? And by the way, do I keep “The Turn Windows on or off” feature. Please tell me in what order too I do what I have too do, so I will get this right. Thanks Martin for asking that question. That may be the problem, huh? By the way, do I also turn off the Windows Updates completely during this process too? Thanks again for all your help. I really appreciate your time and help.
      Martin, what is the sense of getting Windows 8 when I already have IE 10 installed on my computer? Will Windows 8 show up with IE 10 after IE 11 is finally uninstalled correctly? Thanks again and I’m so sorry for bugging you so much Martin.
      I want too finally do this right this time, so could you please do this for me?
      1. Do this
      2. Do this
      3. Do this etc. etc. etc. I know that some times some things have too be done in the correct succession too be successful, right? Thx

      1. Sandy said on January 4, 2014 at 5:13 pm
        Reply

        Martin, your post too me on January 2nd. above that starts with,” Sandy, you need too do this and nothing else,” was successful. I have my IE 10 back. I did notice that I got IE 8 as you predicted, then I did what you said, I downloaded and installed IE 10 and I got it. There was one little problem. I had no Internet Explorer icon, it wasn’t in my ADD/UNINSTALL area, but it did appear in the Update area. So I went into my control panel, I went to Internet Options and changed the homepage too Internet Explorer but that didn’t work. I went into another part of my control panel, don’t remember where and I checked off, make Internet Explorer my default browser, let me know if it is not and one other minor change. It kept saying this page can’t be accessed early. As soon I made these small but important changes, I had my IE 10 back too the way it was with MSN as my homepage and all my favorites that I originally imported too Google Chrome, were still in the same place. All is back too normal just like it was when I bought my computer. Your a genius, thank you so much Martin. I don’t know where you find the time for this awesome site and blog with being a journalist besides that and I’m sure many other things going on in your life, but I am so grateful for sticking it out with me and solving this huge problem. I can’t thank you enough. I noticed just recently that you take donations with a membership with bit coins or Pay Pal. I live on SSI but I will before the month is up, get Pay Pal and donate what I can when I can. I hope that you are getting paid by Microsoft, or getting paid well for all that you do here too help so many people day in and day out for years. I would be very interested in reading some of your work as a journalist. Is that possible? Thank you once again Martin. Your a Tech wizard and genius!!! Thank you also for your kind and gracious patience with me and I hope this New Year is the best every for you and your loved ones. All the best, Sandy

      2. Martin Brinkmann said on January 4, 2014 at 6:07 pm
        Reply

        Sandy I’m really happy that I was able to help you resolve the issue.

        As far as my writings are concerned, I only write on the Internet and not for newspapers or magazines. And even if I would, it would probably be in German and not in English, as this is my native language.

      3. Martin Brinkmann said on January 2, 2014 at 7:07 pm
        Reply

        Sandy, you need to do this, and nothing else:

        Sandy, I got it. I had to run a couple of tests on my system to do so, but it should work for you. Here is what you need to do:

        1. Open the Control Panel using the start menu.
        2. Click on Uninstall a Program
        3. Click on View installed updates.
        4. Locate Internet Explorer 11.
        5. Right-click and select uninstall.
        6. Restart the PC.
        7. You end up with Internet Explorer 8.
        8. Download and install Internet Explorer 10 for your system.
        9. Et voila, IE10 is installed once again.

  16. Sandy said on December 16, 2013 at 8:20 pm
    Reply

    Martin Brinkmann, can you please help me? I haven’t been around for awhile because of a death in the family. As in my last post I downloaded, finally Windows 11 “block” but it really is useless because I don’t have the whole version on my Windows 7 Home Premium, AMD Athlon. When I downloaded and installed IE 11 I lost IE 10 and I want if back. I have tried everything too get it back with no success. When I try too download it, it say that my computer is not compatible. How can that be when it came with my computer. I did notice that one compatibility is the processor Pentium, but mine came with AMD Athlon. All my previous computers I had I purposely buy with AMD because they last so long and I just love that processor. Any how my computer is an HP Compaq Presario just like my last one which was XP and I gave it too a friend because she didn’t have a computer. It still worked great but I wanted a bigger flat screen and a duel core. I don’t know what else too tell you too help you help me, but I miss my Internet Explorer IE 10 so much. I am currently using Google Chrome, which runs fine. Microsoft didn’t post any place that one may not have their previous IE when they download IE 11. My 3 year extended guarantee ran out just a couple of months before I downloaded and installed IE 11, so now Microsoft wants big bucks just too talk too me when it was their fault for not Warning people that they could lose the Internet Explorer that came with one’s computer. How is that possible? Please advice here or send me an email when you have time? I didn’t read the emails you send a couple of months ago because I just recently found out your unbelievable credentials on computers etc. so I was scared too open them as they were marked spam. Now that I know who you are and what your all about, I feel more comfortable. Thanking you in advance for any help you can give me.
    Respectfully yours, Sandy

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on December 16, 2013 at 8:28 pm
      Reply

      Can’t you just uninstall Internet Explorer 11 again? https://www.ghacks.net/2013/09/20/uninstall-internet-explorer-11/

      1. Sandy said on December 31, 2013 at 9:11 pm
        Reply

        Martin, I did everything you stated below three times. I didn’t end up with Internet Explorer 8 by the way and I can’t download and install Internet Explorer 10 because when I try too do that it states that I have IE 10 already installed on my computer that came with it. Windows 7
        I thought from what many people have said and did you say the same thing? That once you uninstall IE 11 IE 10 appears. The problem is that doesn’t happen. So i am assuming that something is wrong when uninstalling IE 11. If not done correctly, IE 10 will not appear. The first thing I did three times was go to my control panel and the View installed updates and there is nothing about IE 10, so I have too installed IE 11 again just so I can access AOL, my mail, my off line games and a few other mess ups. There must be a problem with how people are uninstalling IE 11 for ones previous IE whatever it was that came with ones computer not too come back.
        Thanking Microsoft for not helping people get their original IE that came with their computer back up and running after uninstalling IE 11. HEY MICROSOFT, DO YOU HAVE ENOUGH SENSE TOO HELP US OUT OR ARE YOU JUST GOING TOO SIT BACK AND HOPE THAT ALL OF US SPEND HUNDREDS OF DOLLARS ON A NEW SYSTEM OR A BRAND NEW IE. WELL I AM NOT!!!!! YOUR NOT GETTING ANY MORE MONEY OUT OF ME, I SPENT $1,200 ON THIS COMPUTER NOT ADDING IN MY 27 INCHES FLAT SCREEN MONITOR. MICROSOFT, YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELF. NO WONDER PEOPLE ARE LEAVING YOU!!!!!! HAVE A ROTTEN NEW YEAR MS AND I HOPE IE 8 TAKES YOU DOWN!!!

      2. Martin Brinkmann said on December 31, 2013 at 9:30 pm
        Reply

        Sandy, did you remove the Internet Explorer 11 update? Not the Internet Explorer 11 listing under “Turn Windows features on or off”?

        If that is the case, and you did not end up with Internet Explorer 8 after uninstallation, then something went terribly wrong and I have no idea what it is.

      3. Sandy said on December 31, 2013 at 8:44 am
        Reply

        Martin, I uninstalled Explorer `11 hoping that my explorer 10 would appear because I found out that if you uninstall 11 your explorer 10 comes back, but that did not happen. Same problem again, lost AOL, off line games and more. So I reinstalled 11 again and things are back to normal. I came across information when I tried too download 10 that was compatible with my pc and it said they couldn’t do that because I have Internet Explorer installed on my pc. So I am happy I have it. Now how do I uninstall 11 correctly and get back my explorer 10? Sorry Martin I was in a rush and was answering Michael’s messages. I don’t have a gear in my corner either. I am using Google Chrome for now and I also have Firefox if necessary. I know it is the holidays, so take your time.
        Happy New Year Martin. ttyl Take with you later.

      4. Martin Brinkmann said on December 31, 2013 at 10:27 am
        Reply

        Sandy, I got it. I had to run a couple of tests on my system to do so, but it should work for you. Here is what you need to do:

        1. Open the Control Panel using the start menu.
        2. Click on Uninstall a Program
        3. Click on View installed updates.
        4. Locate Internet Explorer 11.
        5. Right-click and select uninstall.
        6. Restart the PC.
        7. You end up with Internet Explorer 8.
        8. Download and install Internet Explorer 10 for your system.
        9. Et voila, IE10 is installed once again.

  17. John said on December 16, 2013 at 11:25 am
    Reply

    While IE10 and IE11 are almost identical in looks and functions. I can tell you the depth of changes are significant and is why some are having issues. Windows 8 users who upgraded to Windows 8.1 also received IE11 and are having similar issues. Its very funny that while Google stopped officially supporting IE9 its sites also were having problems with IE11? I found several sites with display issues with IE11 which were not there in IE10. A lot of it stems from IE rapid advancements to being standards compliant. Web sites have always had to treat IE different from other browsers. Its my understanding that IE11 is not being correctly recognized by some sites and even Compatibility View options have somewhat changed in IE11. In many ways IE11 is a good thing that its finally adopting standards but the bad thing is that its breaking some sites. I recommend most people stay with IE10 if you are using IE for a while. Their is a setting in IE10 that allows you to turn off updates. Click the gear in upper right in IE and select About Internet Explorer. There you will find the version and a box that elects it to update automatically. Deselect that and you won’t automatically be upgraded to IE11.

  18. Dream said on December 15, 2013 at 12:14 pm
    Reply

    what a mess IE 11 is auto downloaded now cannot access yahoo messenger email and few other sites I used 2 frequent! Did any 1 else have this prob.?

    1. Dream said on December 15, 2013 at 12:56 pm
      Reply

      P.S. went to yahoo help it said the thread for help on that problem was deleted WTH!

  19. Michael said on December 13, 2013 at 7:16 pm
    Reply

    Solution for Gadget issue:

    There are at least 2 solutions if you want the Sidebar Gadgets and IE11 (I am not debating the reasons you would want either one of them):

    1. Change DPI setting to default which is 100% under (Display settings), sometimes works but not great for us farsighted folks.
    2. Change DPI lock in gadget.xml file for each Gadget.

    The xml file change procedure is as follows:

    1. Kill the sidebar process.
    2. Open the folder for the individual Gadget, IE C:\Program Files\Windows Sidebar\Gadgets\Clock.Gadget\en-US
    3. Make a copy of gadget.xml for safe keeping.
    4. Change security settings to take ownership of gadget.xml and be sure the new owner has full permissions.
    5. Move the gadget.xml file to the desktop.
    6. Edit it by opening in notepad or any xml editor and remove “true”
    7. Save and then move the file back.
    8. Fix all of the other gadgets you may want by following the preceding steps.
    9. Restart the sidebar process.
    10. Take the security risk if you dare but don’t complain if you get bit.

    The Gadgets will be a little smaller but they will at least be displayed properly. If you turn off Gadgets by disabling Sidebar in Programs > Turn Windows features on or off and then re-enable them they will all return to the original state since that process deletes the xml files and then restores them.

    1. Joe said on December 14, 2013 at 2:07 pm
      Reply

      Like I said in my past post, DPi can be raised up to 119 % manually with no problems.
      Above 119 % there will be problems.
      I don’t think your method will resolve the problems because it’s a bug caused by the new IE11 so if MS doesn’t do something we will be stucked and the only real solution above 119 % DPI is to roll back to IE10.

      1. Michael said on December 17, 2013 at 7:06 pm
        Reply

        My solution absolutely fixes the problem with Gadgets; I have already used it on all of my home systems and tested it on lab systems at work. Of course since Microsoft has suggested Gadgets should not be used, due to security reasons, they are not going to help with any solution for this or any future browser and Gadget issue. In fact Microsoft has a fix-it to help disable all gadgets which was provided last year (see http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2719662).

  20. Marinos G said on December 12, 2013 at 3:02 pm
    Reply

    Hi guys,
    MS to their wisdom decided that if you have a headache then you should cut off your head instead of taking any medication. They disabled the gadgets on Windows 7 with their IE 11 and its updates. They offer to correct this by going to http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2719662/en-us. I really fail to understand their way of thinking and their solutions to problems.

    Marinos

    1. Michael said on December 13, 2013 at 3:53 pm
      Reply

      Not to repeat what has been said before but there is a solution to fix the Gadget issue without removing them or changing the DPI (a problem for us old guys). I have a step-by-step procedure. If you would like me to post it let me know. I did not get the answers by my self some ideas come from me but others from multiple blogs etc.. By the way these Gadgets are a security risk so you should fix them at your own risk. The Fix-Its from Microsoft were provided to protect their customers. Of course they could keep patching them as a better option but they have stopped. Michael

  21. Alan J said on December 11, 2013 at 7:54 pm
    Reply

    Got the update by mistake,, installed new office and while doing its updates put IE 11 on as well…
    I had a program to view my security cameras on IE10 worked great,,, as did access to my NAS drive…

    Next day I clicked the icon to my security system and it told me to install the netdev program again,,,, Needles to say I did.. then closed and opened IE11 again to access cameras,, SAME MESSAGE… Could not see the cameras under any circumstances… My Nas drive Icon done basically the same,,, CANNOT OPEN WEB PAGE check the following….. WAS WORKING FINE BEFORE THE UPDATE…..

    Today uninstalled the update and IE10 back on system,,, after reboot CAMERAS & NAS Working fine again….

    MICROSOFT SHOUL BE MADE TO COMPENSATE US FOR THEIR S++T PROGRAMS THAT DO NOT WORK….

    I have had nothing but grief since updating Windows over the last few years,, Might go buy a MAC without windows on… MICROSOFT WINDOWS IS JUST A PILE OF CRAP… LIKE ALL MICROSOFT PRODUCTS…

    Sorry Microsoft but it’s true,, None of your software works correctly and NEVER will.

    Alan J

  22. Eric said on December 10, 2013 at 3:14 pm
    Reply

    Follow up on reply from Anonymous November 14, 2013 at 8:54 pm #

    Microsoft updated my W7 system today, messed up gadgets as with many others, I did change font resolution to 100% as recommended by anonymous, and it fixed my gadgets.
    Many thanks!

    But I would like my 125% setting back, everything is so small in default setting.
    It’s now December 12, and somehow I got this automatic update messing up my system later than others, has Microsoft not solved this problem by now?
    anybody knows where to report this to Microsoft?

    1. Michael said on December 13, 2013 at 3:57 pm
      Reply

      Eric
      I have a solution with step-by-step procedures that do not involve changing the resolution (DPI) . I you don’t already have it let me know and I will post it here. Michael

  23. Jeff said on December 6, 2013 at 11:55 pm
    Reply

    We are currently having problems with Outlook 2003 not sending all of the text in our emails and so far the only thing that has been mentioned is IE11 is causing problems with Outlook sending email as HTML. We are currently sending everything as RichText. Anyone else still using 2003 and having this issue?

    1. Marla said on December 9, 2013 at 8:37 pm
      Reply

      Jeff, I’m having this problem at two locations with Outlook 2003 and IE 11, and have been going nuts trying to figure it out. Thought it was an exchange server problem at first. Then I traced its beginning back to the date of IE 11’s installation on Windows 7 computers. Bingo. Nice to see your post. I’m uninstalling IE 11.

  24. captain997 said on November 28, 2013 at 4:08 pm
    Reply

    Just don’t understand all the trouble people are having. I installed IE 11 and have had no problems whatsoever. In fact, I can’t notice ONE difference between 10 & 11.

    Are there others like me who haven’t had any problems either, or am I the only one?

    1. Joe said on December 3, 2013 at 2:40 pm
      Reply

      Even for me same problems with IE11 on my win7 64b….DPI give me same results as all yours….so I tried changing DPI manualy….gadgets work fine up to 119%. If you go more than 119% there gona be problems.

  25. Blacknest said on November 28, 2013 at 3:51 am
    Reply

    I too got an unwanted update to IE 11 on my Windows 7 machine. Problems started occurring: some websites displayed incorrectly, login on some sites didn’t work, ‘Back’ button takes you to blank page instead of previous page, and other annoyances.

    So I uninstalled the IE11 update via the ‘view installed updates’ button, rebooted, and it rolled back to IE10. Everything seems to be working fine now. I guess IE11 doesn’t like Windows 7 much!

  26. Herb said on November 27, 2013 at 10:20 am
    Reply

    Today Internet Explorer 11 was pushed to my desktop because Microsoft has changed the Importance of the update from Optional to Important.

    Internet Explorer now closes after a few seconds when I try to run it.

    Found this Microsoft support page:
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-crashes-stops-working#ie=ie-11
    1. Restart computer (i’m not daft)
    2. Check that you have the latest version of Internet Explorer (jeez)
    Testing different settings in the Internet Options now, but I have a feeling that the quickest way to solve this is to revert back to the earlier installed version.

    To Microsoft: When you write applcations please make it write some output to the event log when something unforseen happens.

    1. Michael said on December 17, 2013 at 6:53 pm
      Reply

      You can change settings so Important updates will not be installed without approval or even downloaded. I suggest trying that for the future. Since the IE9 browser updates have been supplied by Windows Updates as Important even though Microsoft originally said they would classified as Critical and therefore always automatic. All of the other browsers I know of out there already update with no option to stop; including Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and new versions of Opera (basically Safari renamed). I mange patching and updating of over 3,000 desktop systems and the more control I have over updates the better. We control all updates at my company but at home the best I can do is not automatically install Important and Optional updates. In fact since I am actively involved in analyzing, testing, and deployment of patches/updates at work I stop the update service on my systems at home until after I have tested even Critical updates and then enable the service to get the critical ones (often Microsoft will take defective updates off of WU repositories but that sometimes takes a few days and may be too late). Never hold off too long those critical patches are not set as critical for nothing.

    2. Herb said on November 27, 2013 at 11:04 am
      Reply

      I uninstalled the IE11 update in Windows Update, got IE10 back.
      Everything works exactly as before.
      I feel better.

      1. Anonymous said on November 27, 2013 at 6:25 pm
        Reply

        Lost Outlook auto contact memory with 11. real pain. Carl

  27. Frine said on November 26, 2013 at 9:48 pm
    Reply

    I got the IE11 and I am running Windows 7 Home Premium Edition. My command Icons (Home, Favorites, Settings, etc.) are too small and I need to have bigger ones. I had them with IE10 but I don’t know how to change from small icons to large icons in IE11. Can somebody help me please? Thanks a lot!!!

    1. captain997 said on November 27, 2013 at 4:36 am
      Reply

      Three ways.

      1. Control Panel. Display. Change DPI setting.
      2. Control Panel. Personalization. Click window color. Edit icon size. (or anything else)
      3. Hold down the control key. Use scroll button on mouse to make icons smaller or larger.

  28. John said on November 23, 2013 at 8:04 pm
    Reply

    I am a frequent user of the Snipping Tool accessory in windows 7. With the new IE 11 I am having issues of it freezing and leaving a shadow box of the edit command on the screen. I think the tool has been discontinued in Windows 8 and was wondering if anyone has had similar results or know of a work around solution.

    1. Brad said on March 3, 2014 at 3:25 pm
      Reply

      I’m having the same issue. – Can’t find any help on the net and don’t know what else to google.

    2. Martin Brinkmann said on November 23, 2013 at 9:06 pm
      Reply

      The Snipping Tool is still available in Windows 8. I have not noticed any of these issues, but then again, I’m not using the application to create screenshots.

  29. kl said on November 23, 2013 at 8:53 am
    Reply

    Problem:
    Gadgets not working (pink or not there)
    Questions:
    1. If I uninstall IE 11 and go back to IE10, what happens to my bookmarks?
    2. When I tried System Restore, it only offers me yesterday as a restore point; is there some other way to do system restore?
    Thanks to anyone who can help.

    1. kl said on November 23, 2013 at 8:57 am
      Reply

      I forgot to say that IE11 itself does not open!
      I tried turning them off and then logging off and back in, no luck.

      1. Rodrigo said on November 23, 2013 at 4:58 pm
        Reply

        Better then go to a restore point, you shoud uninstall IE 11 from Control Panel > Programs > Windows Updates. Nothing should happen to your bookmarks.

  30. Jerry said on November 22, 2013 at 8:37 am
    Reply

    Ok, I found a problem after installing IE11 and going back to IE9. My Network and Sharing Center in Windows 7, the network discovery, the files sharing and public files are all turned on even after turning them off for security and saving, I come back after a shutdown and every single time, they are turned back on. Strange. It is almost like Microsoft IE11 has made you by force share your files, so beware, I have yet to find a solution save a full restore. Check your Network and Sharing Center and see. If you are sharing your files then you are fine but those who don’t you might want to check your Sharing Center because mine forces me to share unless I go back and check off every time. What a pain in the A IE11 has become.

    1. Angus said on November 22, 2013 at 10:09 pm
      Reply

      I wasn’t going to install but pre-release reviews said it was faster and could handle unlimited open tabs. I installed as an update, It took two attempts. When I re-booted I could not open any sites. I let Windows search for a solution and it said Norton was blocking sites. Well Norton had gone red and was stuck in the a probelm was found trying to auto-fix it mode. I re-installed Norton and IE 11 actually worked pretty well. I too had a half dozen analog clocks on my desktop and the CPU meter and Weather gadgets were all odd colored text. I was just going to re-install the gadets but Microsoft has retired them. I tried to uninstall the update and tried to use previous versons but neither worked. I went to the IE 11 page and clicked on some of the sample videos and there was naught but a black box. I changed the DPI to 100% and DrDivan55 is correct, Gadgets appear normal and the videos on the IE 11 site played (funny all other videos played andyway). It has worked pretty well, I can live without gadets.

  31. Rodrigo said on November 19, 2013 at 2:46 am
    Reply

    Ironically, in my case, I solved the problem doing exactly the inverse: I put the line you suggested to remove on the gadget.xml and it worked! Anyway, thank you for the tip.

  32. John said on November 18, 2013 at 6:33 pm
    Reply

    Sometimes these upgrades are maddening. I believe Microsoft is capable of screwing up a two-car funeral.

  33. clh said on November 17, 2013 at 3:52 pm
    Reply

    I found on a lot of sites I need to go to Tools – Compatibility View to get them to work. I just gave up on the gadgets.

  34. Seymour Zwick said on November 16, 2013 at 9:29 pm
    Reply

    Ater installing IE11 on Win7 my favorites will not open and I can not open any site from the address bar Even the help link to support or whats new in IE11 will not open. I called Microsoft for call back, they did call back but disconnected me after I explained the problem. I uninstalled IE 11 and went back to IE9 which works well.

  35. JB said on November 16, 2013 at 3:53 am
    Reply

    What ever you do, under no circumstances should you Install IE11
    Doesn’t work with Silverlight, that’s Microsoft’s own Product !!!
    Doesn’t work well with Google websites
    Freezes quite a bit and has to recover the page

    Think about going to dentist and having some teeth pulled, it will be less painful. On the Plus side, unlike Internet Explorers you can actually remove this one.

  36. Brian said on November 15, 2013 at 7:55 pm
    Reply

    I have a Win7x64 box that i’ve just performed the uninstall of the IE11 update due to vendor sites not supporting the new version and now the PC is not coming back up after the restart – just the spinning wheel. It’s been 20 minutes and I don’t think it’s going to complete. If I have to hard power and it won’t restart the OS does anyone have any suggestions what should I try in safe mode?

    1. Brian said on November 15, 2013 at 8:21 pm
      Reply

      Did something else and came back… ended up waiting 30 minutes and it finally did complete on its own… Did not hard power off. Feel like I’ve just avoided some massive misery.

  37. Paul said on November 15, 2013 at 11:40 am
    Reply

    I spent a good 2 hours wiping an SSD and restoring an image because my sidebar and gadgets evaporated. This is related to that last round of updates (November) that included IE11. I suspect it was actually anothe KB offered to my 2 PCs after the installation of IE11 – KB2836502 or something like that: 1MB is size. After reboot – no sidebar or gadgets.

    Terrible that you can’t rely on MS getting it right these days. Hope a fix is in the works as IE11 and Win7 sidebar/gadgets aren’t compatible.

    Thanks for this thread – confirmed the error for me.

  38. mychal said on November 15, 2013 at 1:15 am
    Reply

    after update of IE 11 I could not navigate the web. Every page was “Navigation to web page Cancelled or Can Not display web page, refresh page. All connection trouble shoots proved :No problems: so my only option was to restore and remove IE 11 and Hide it on my update page as this update for Win 7 does not work. My os is win ultimate 7 with 2g RAM on a 250 GB HD speed 640. CPU yr is 2005 HP media edition. I am aware that Widgets have been removed or disabled due to security issues but I do not use them.

    1. Mate said on November 18, 2013 at 12:34 pm
      Reply

      I installed IE11 on windows 7 Professional, but it look like IE11 can’t reach any website, I mean all the time it just loading the websites without any result, but other browsers I mean Firefox or Chrome are working perfectly, and IE10 was working well as the other browsers. Does anyone know what could be the problem?

  39. PM said on November 14, 2013 at 7:37 pm
    Reply

    The 11/12/13 release of IE 11 (when it showed up as an update) for Win7 (all flavors) DOES brake Gadgets and more on some systems! :( One thing I noticed when viewing updates is that an update (Cumulative Security Update for Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 Service Pack 1 for x64-based Systems (KB2888505)) failed to update, probably because I elected to install the IE11 update. I’m going to try that update now and see if it hoses anything up.

    I just UNINSTALLED IE11, rebooted and there were a dozen clocks on my desktop from my previous attempts under IE11 and all the other fixes I tried. Gadgets work perfectly again under IE10! Not only did IE11 screw-up my Gadgets, mostly weird displays and of course the clock wouldn’t even show, it messed up my display resolution AND my Favorites!

    1. PM said on November 14, 2013 at 7:52 pm
      Reply

      Follow up on KB2888505. It did get that update after searched programs and features with “show updates” enabled. with no ill effects.

      Thanks for your help guys!

      IE11 isn’t ready for primetime!!!

      1. Anonymous said on November 14, 2013 at 8:54 pm
        Reply

        Ok… Desktop DPI setting is causing the Gadget issues. Confirmed on several systems including this one I’m posting from now. Thanks DrD! Good catch! To confirm simply change it to 125% logout/login. Then change back to 100% & repeat logout/login.

        Right-Click desktop>Screen Resolution>make text and other items larger or smaller>100%(default) will bring all the gadgets back and correct messed up colors and other anomalies…

        So, now we know there is a bug in IE11 on the Desktop DPI front handling without doubt. Tested on 3 different systems, all the same results.

        I was able to alphanumerically sort my Favorites in IE11 and they returned to my preferred listing order, so AFAIC that’s ok.

        Bummer though not being able to use larger fonts on the DT. I have my resolution maxed out to native for my monitor and that stuff is REALLY small. :) Thanks guys! This is the only thread on the net that I’ve found that has identified and zeroed in on the Gadgets Display issue in Win7 w/IE11 and we found a serious bug in IE11 in the process. We need a raise damn it! lol Later! PM

      2. Martin Brinkmann said on November 18, 2013 at 2:10 pm
        Reply

        My readers are awesome!

  40. Jerry said on November 14, 2013 at 4:06 am
    Reply

    My issue is is I live in the boondocks and can only get dialup and after installing IE 11, it won’t let me onto Peoplepc. It just hangs and locks and shuts Peoplepc down after popping up about every script line error or them being blocked, even after chosing to ignore them. I had to uninstall it via the Windows Updates uninstall and got IE 9 back and voila Peoplepc works fine. IE 11 doesn’t like dialup.

  41. Debbie G. said on November 14, 2013 at 3:36 am
    Reply

    I tried IE11 and it kept hanging on facebook and ebay and some other websites. I had to uninstall it cause I was spending more time rebooting or going into task manager and shut down the process. I have more than the required requirements and it still hangs. I really did like it when it worked but it was wasting my time. Anyone else having problems with hanging or freezing?

  42. DrDivan55 said on November 13, 2013 at 4:10 pm
    Reply

    I have found the problem. It seems the gadgets that do not work properly have a DPI locking tag in the gadget.xml file. Setting the tag to auto did not seem to solve the problem. However removing the whole tag solves it. The gadgets now appear correctly but are in a small DPI scaling. Please, make a backup copy of the original file in case someone wants to modify it!

    1. Michael said on November 14, 2013 at 1:57 pm
      Reply

      I know how to change the file but when I attempt to save I get an access denied. So I closed the Gadget rebooted, for good measure, and tried renaming the file after making sure I have a good copy; it then warned me the TrustedInstaller has not given me permission. I took ownership and still could not save the file. Taking ownership of other files when I get the TrustedInstaller message has always worked unless the file is in use for some reason. What am I missing, except possibly a few brain cells?

      The suggestion of just going back to 100% on DPI does work but I am getting a little too old for anything less that 125%. I realize I am spending way too much time on this, considering the value of the things and the security risk by using them, but now I seem to be hooked. Thanks for any help.

      1. DrDivan55 said on November 14, 2013 at 3:33 pm
        Reply

        No need to take ownership of any file or modify the system folder in any way.
        1.Close the gadget you want to modify from the sidebar. No need to kill the whole sidebar process. Copy the original gadget.xml file to a temporary folder of your choice. Open it with notepad.
        2. Find & entirely delete the row containing the tag:
        (autoscaleDPI)(!–_locComment_text=”{Locked}”–)true(/autoscaleDPI)
        Do not leave an empty row in the script, just delete the whole row that has that tag. Setting the tag to autoscale (e.g. (autoscaleDPI)true(/autoscaleDPI)) will not help unless someone wants to play around and modify the whole gadget script which includes modifying the other files in that folder. I will experiment with that when I have the time & if I succeed I will post a solution.
        3. Use a program like Unlocker to rename the original file adding a “.bak” extension (e.g. gadget.xml.bak). Unlocker couldn’t find the locking process for me, but asked what I wanted to do with the file, so I chose rename. Once you do that, Unlocker seems to unlock the whole folder. So it’s easy to go to the next step now.
        4. Move the modified file back to the original folder. If access is denied just use Unlocker again-this time to move the modified file.
        5. Start the gadget you modified. It should display correctly now, but in a smaller size than the other gadgets that were not affected.
        Notes:
        1. If someone has custom language packs installed, don’t forget to modify the XML file in the corresponding language folders.
        2. Official site for Unlocker:
        http://www.emptyloop.com/unlocker/

      2. Michael said on November 14, 2013 at 2:46 pm
        Reply

        Ok I left off the step of moving the gadget xml file out of ProgramFiles before modifying it and saving. That is something I have done before for other issues and just forgot. Thank you everyone for your help. I will keep trying IE11 for now.

    2. hug said on November 14, 2013 at 12:53 pm
      Reply

      Thnx DrDivan55. The DPI tag:
      (autoscaleDPI)(!–_locComment_text=”{Locked}”–)true(/autoscaleDPI)
      was causing some issue. It was, however, not that straightforward to remove this for me. I ended the sidebar process etc. but still when I tried to edit, it said something was using the file. I then managed to change admin privileges and owner from TrustedInstaller to my user and then I was able to move the file to the desktop (program files seems protected) and edit it there, then move back and restart sidebar.exe. It now displays fine on e.g. weather gadget (which was what I edited), even if it’s slightly small. Maybe there’s a setting to set the DPI with numbers, not auto, to get around this though.

    3. Bill_S said on November 13, 2013 at 7:34 pm
      Reply

      I removed the entire DPI locking tag line from the gadget.xml file for the clock (disappeared) and currency (changed color) and it did not correct the problem.

    4. Martin Brinkmann said on November 13, 2013 at 4:15 pm
      Reply

      Wow, great detective work!

  43. Petr said on November 13, 2013 at 9:59 am
    Reply

    I confirm, after installation of IE 11 (Win 7, 64bit) desktop gadgets disappeared – on two computers.

    1. PM said on November 14, 2013 at 7:57 pm
      Reply

      As well as I… It also does other nasty things we don’t want messed with. Favorites and displays. I think it’s a display issue, probably old drivers with old cards like mine. :)

  44. Igor said on November 13, 2013 at 5:51 am
    Reply

    I use Outlook 2003 and have it setup to run a spell check on outgoing messages automatically. So, in addition to gadgets, IE11 broke this Outlook functionality. The spell check still seems to run, but the actual message goes out uncorrected. That did cause some embarrassment to me, as it resulted in me sending a few messages with pretty bad spelling errors. After I realized that IE11 broke my gadgets as well, I rushed to perform a system restore. Now I’m back to my sanity, PC is working as it should, and no more experiments with IE.

  45. Gary said on November 13, 2013 at 5:46 am
    Reply

    IE 11 installed without my permission and I found out only when I opened up IE and it said “Welcome to IE 11”. Now I cannot access my personal and work email that run on Google Gmail services. Both hung loading the Gmail software. I finally uninstalled IE11 and reverted back to IE10.
    Now I cannot even get to my personal email account; IE 10 does not even attempt to download the Gmail app. My work email account just hangs with a blank screen. And My Yahoo home page does not display at all when I first start IE 10 up. Before I uninstalled IE 11, IE 10 worked perfectly for me. Now it hardly works at all, at least for Yahoo and Google Gmail; isn’t that interesting. Other websites work just fine.
    I am really mad at Microsoft for screwing up IE 11 and now IE 10!

    1. mychal said on November 15, 2013 at 1:21 am
      Reply

      best bet is always system restore to that point right before or the last date your system has. You still have time, it is in your start button to programs to maintenance to backup restore. and you can configure your cpu back to it most last restore date.

  46. DrDivan55 said on November 13, 2013 at 4:59 am
    Reply

    If you keep the default DPI settings gadgets display correctly. The problem occurs only if the DPI is changed to 125% and above. If you set the DPI to the custom 110%, the clock gadget still displays correctly, while the CPU one looks pretty funny already.

    1. captain997 said on November 18, 2013 at 3:52 am
      Reply

      Wow! You’re right. How on earth did you find that out? Spent the better part of the day looking for this fix.

    2. PM said on November 14, 2013 at 8:06 pm
      Reply

      Drd. I’m going to confirm that. I like IE11’s better speed, Tabs are stilled screwed up though. On 1st fire up it still won’t open links in new tabs. Hitting back button then attempting again always seems to work. Hopefully they address in the next update. Will report back if setting DPI to 100% (default) allows for proper Gadget operation on the system I’m having issues with.

  47. JPS said on November 12, 2013 at 7:55 pm
    Reply

    I just installed Internet Explorer 11 and there were no problems with it{I waited till it was on the Windows Update list to do this}.It does appear to be faster and more stable compared to IE10.However there is one thing I do not like:tabbed browsing.I’ve never been a fan of tabbed browsing — is there anyway to disable this as you could do on IE10? Thank you.

    1. JPS said on November 15, 2013 at 3:34 am
      Reply

      I’m really answering my own question here,but I have found out some more information.First of all,before I get to that,I see a lot of people are having trouble with their gadgets after installing IE11.I guess I was fortunate because I too have gadgets on my computer as well{the clock,weather and calendar gadgets}.However when I installed IE11,all the gadgets came back up just fine — just as they were before.No problems at all! However as it turned out,it didn’t really matter. A big change in IE11 was that it no longer allows you to disable tabbed browsing — something I’ve never been a fan of.I put this same question up on some of the Microsoft blogs and they indicated that this was something that Microsoft had deliberately done — to no longer make tabbed browsing an option.On IE11,you have no choice but to take it.They think,perhaps,that Microsoft was thinking{since this was in Windows 8}that they had in mind mostly tablet users{which would make sense},but it’s another matter if you have a laptop or desktop.In any case,I ended up uninstalling IE11 and went back to IE10,where you do have the option to disable tabs.

  48. JOse said on November 10, 2013 at 4:39 pm
    Reply

    Thanks for the heads up Martin! I upgraded from IE 9 to IE 11 last night (after doing a full image to an external drive) and the install was flawless. It took more time to download the update than to install and reboot! All default gadgets work fine (I tested them) and HWINFO Sensor monitor gadget is ok also (that is the only one I use) Just a guess here but maybe having gadget open during the update causes issues (I closed all mine after reading this very informative thread). Kudos to all here!

  49. sc said on November 9, 2013 at 2:38 pm
    Reply

    System Requirements : “16 GB or 20 GB of hard disk space for 32-bit or 64-bit systems.”

    Am I missing something? The link to IE11’s system requirement page for Windows 7 (given by Mushaf above) states that the hard drive space requirements for IE 11 for Windows 7 are 70 MB and 120 MB respectively for 32-bit or 64-bit systems.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on November 9, 2013 at 2:46 pm
      Reply

      Not sure, this is the page where it is stated that: http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-system-requirements#ie=ie-11

      I guess Microsoft did copy/paste the information incorrectly on that page from Windows 8 system requirements..

  50. Abojooj said on November 8, 2013 at 6:34 pm
    Reply

    Dear Martin,
    I read more than two comments regarding the loss of desktop widgets after the upgrade to IE11 (I use the weather and a third party for extra fast search) My OS: Windows 7 Pro, 64bit, IE10.

    could you please confirm that? I will also look through your site for blocking tool (I remember reading about it here), I will also look-up that information on other sites. awaiting your reply.

    Thanx

    1. Sandy said on November 25, 2013 at 4:25 am
      Reply

      Widgets?? I lost Explorer 10 and most of my Windows OS on my practically new Windows 7
      when I uninstalled 11. It took my Internet Explorer 10 with it!!!! Hey Microsoft you never mentioned that you would take the other versions of people’s Internet Explorer with it when one uninstalls Explorer 11. I have been on the computer for 16 hours total since yesterday. I haven’t seen anything about this any place on your site, no where. Don’t you think you owe me a new System?? You ruined my computer!!!!!

    2. Martin Brinkmann said on November 8, 2013 at 7:13 pm
      Reply

      I do not run desktop widgets and cannot test that by myself unfortunately. If you run widgets, I’d probably wait with the upgrade.

      1. Michael said on November 8, 2013 at 7:27 pm
        Reply

        They are still there because some of the text is still displayed; oddly not all disappear IE, the Calendar Gadget. The weather gadget can be selected and it will open the appropriate site. I am going to leave them on the desktop in order to see if a future patch restores them. Since I support desktop systems I have to keep IE11 so the loss of fully functioning desktop gadgets is not a big issue. Over and Out, Michael…

  51. alan said on November 8, 2013 at 2:22 pm
    Reply

    I’ve upgraded my two laptops, no problems here. I haven’t had too much time to play though. With all of my IE upgrade installs, I don’t ever remember having any troubles. I did install Firefox once, it was a mess. It took me days of reading to back out. I guess trouble exists one time or another for all browsers.

  52. Paul(us) said on November 8, 2013 at 12:41 pm
    Reply

    You can experience IE11’s leading performance (according to Microsoft theme-self) first hand with demos on the IE Test Drive site where you’ll find examples of hardware accelerated rendering, interactivity, touch, and real world site patterns.
    http://ie.microsoft.com/testdrive/

    Also
    Go get Internet Explorer 11 for Windows 7 from the Microsoft website. Here, you can download Internet Explorer 11 in the language that matches your version of Windows or choose the English version, which works with all versions of Windows 7. Also you can not only 32 bit version, 64 bit editions but also Windows server 2008 R2 SP 1 64 bit versions.
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-11-worldwide-languages

  53. Ficho said on November 8, 2013 at 11:19 am
    Reply

    Everything is fine here.It looks like IE11 is faster than IE10.
    AdFender 1.75 doesn’t work with IE11.New version is going to be released before the
    end of the month.

    1. Craig said on November 24, 2013 at 2:54 am
      Reply

      I hope that’s true! I am getting tired of the unfiltered Internet and was thinking of switching to Adblock Plus. The Adfender guys told me that there would be a new version once IE11 was officially released, but not yet. Admittedly it has only been 16 days…

  54. Ashok said on November 8, 2013 at 3:23 am
    Reply

    I installed IE11 and it did mess up my Laptop Win 7 Ultimate 32 bit: Lost the clock, CPU meter and Currency converter.
    I was not impressed with these drawbacks. Luckily I had an image and restored the Laptop to an earlier image of the same day. Everything came back the clock etc. Will continue with IE10 on the laptop.I do not intend to upgrade to IE11 so disabled install new version automatically. Also downloaded tool blocker for IE11.
    Interestingly had no problem on my desktop win7 Ultimate 64 bit. The gadgets are still there intact.

    1. Michael said on November 8, 2013 at 6:50 pm
      Reply

      Gadgets virtually disappear after installation and come back when uninstalled. The uninstall method is in Control Panel Programs > Windows Updates. Before I uninstalled I tried everything to get them back. I did find other Gadgets still worked. I have read the preview version did this but nothing about the new release. Since the new release is causing the same problem I expect to start hearing about it soon.

  55. Gonzo said on November 8, 2013 at 2:12 am
    Reply

    I just updated 4 of my machines. 2 locally and 2 via Remote Desktop.

    On one of the local instals I had to rebuild IconCache.db because some of the programs pinned to my taskbar lost their icons after the update. Removing and re-pinning didn’t work. Ironically, one of the missing icons was Firefox (I’m not joking).

  56. Transcontinental said on November 7, 2013 at 9:27 pm
    Reply

    Well …

    Martin, you wrote,
    ” It is recommended to update the browser if your operating system supports it even if you do not use it as your main web browser — or at all.”

    Could you explain why updating to IE11 is recommended ?
    I read on several sites users having problems and reverting to IE10, for now anyway.
    This thing is not a simple browser, it’s Microsoft, and as such it moves on the whole system as a hurricane. I’m always aware of big MS applications, especially its browser, which I never use.

    1. Martin Brinkmann said on November 7, 2013 at 9:30 pm
      Reply

      The reasoning behind this is that other programs may tap into Internet Explorer’s engine, and that they too benefit from better performance, standards support and other new features.

      Of course, if you experience issues — which I did not — then you should revert back to IE10.

      1. Transcontinental said on November 7, 2013 at 10:16 pm
        Reply

        OK, thanks Martin.

        Guess I’m still XP-thinking. I have to admit Windows 7 is far more stable than XP, for the least and without considering everything else. But I had been 7-8 years with XP and felt like knowing it deeply, whilst Seven is brand new to me …

        Anyway I’ve installed IE11 64-bit and everything seems OK up to now.

        Happier now that it’s done. Sounds like medicine doesn’t it, or like a good action :)

  57. Mushaf said on November 7, 2013 at 8:43 pm
    Reply

    > The only supported operating system listed on the website is Windows 8.1.

    This is actually IE11’s system requirement page for Windows 7 > http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-system-requirements#ie=ie-11-win-7

  58. Bill_S said on November 7, 2013 at 8:24 pm
    Reply

    I installed IE11 on my Win7 Ultimate SP1 and lost several desktop widgets and lost the ability to view some of my IP cameras. The widgets would not “reinstall” and some of them changed color, they were MS widgets too. I uninstalled rather then continue to find problems.

    1. Richard_L said on November 27, 2013 at 7:28 pm
      Reply

      Re: Gadgets not working with IE11…
      Somebody discovered that screen DPI is implicated in the gadget issue. In Control Panel | Appearance and Personalization | Display, you should choose ‘Smaller – 100% (Default)’. (user logoff – re-login required to apply the change). Gadgets seem okay at the 100% setting.

      Re: security cams in IE11…
      I have a bunch (including Foscam) that require ActiveX controls. Fix for IE11 is to…
      – Enter your cam’s address in IE11’s address bar (cam won’t appear as it should yet)
      – In IE 11, click ‘Tools’ menu (press the ‘Alt’ key if you don’t see the menu)
      – Under ‘Tools’, click ‘Compatibility View Settings’
      – Your cam’s address should appear in the ‘Add this address’ text box
      – Click the ‘Add’ button next to the box to force IE11 into compatibility mode for your cam
      – The Browser should refresh, and your cam should now appear as it should

      Good luck
      Richard L

    2. Sandy said on November 25, 2013 at 3:22 pm
      Reply

      I guess you all read my comments here. Well this morning a friend of mine that is a computer wiz send me a link that is in part of Microsoft, but you take a different route too get there and up comes the site for Internet Explorer. Plus you have too have the right kb, (knowledge base number etc.), the one my friend sent me was:http://support.microsoft.com/kb/2872074 Well omg, it downloaded Internet Explorer 11 with no problem and I got everything back. All is back too normal. Two days without eating right, sleeping very little and the stress was unreal. I tried so many kb’s , went too blog, had my computer tested for numerous problems, on and on, well it feels great too be back too normal. I was so happy the relief from this made me cry as I watched it download and everything I lost from Windows was being installed with Internet Explorer 11. I was even shopping around for another computer. You have too find that right kb too download the Internet Explorer you want. I hope this was of some help too you and I apologize too Microsoft for being so nasty too them. Who knew a mess like I had would come back with the right kb, ( knowledge base #) Good luck too all of you. I’m so happy I have my life back. I have two days of dishes in the sink, so I will begin there. :-)

    3. sh-mike said on November 12, 2013 at 10:33 am
      Reply

      I downloaded IE11 to my windows 7, and also lost desktop widgets, clock would not appear, at all, and other widgets were incomplete with changed colour. In the end the only solution that solved problem was that I uninstalled IE11, and widgets worked fine. I see I not the only one.

      1. Gander Davis said on April 23, 2015 at 2:49 am
        Reply

        I installed IE 11 using win 7 pro and can’t view any videos because it keeps saying i don’t have the latest flash which i do.Also when looking in control panel under programs i don’t show any IE 11 or any other IE. Yet when i try to redownload i get the message i already have the latest version of IE !! installed ???????????

      2. Sandy said on November 25, 2013 at 4:13 am
        Reply

        I just commented under Sandy and I am still waiting for it too be approved. After what I told all of you about what happened too my home pc only 3 yrs old. Windows 7 when I uninstalled Internet Explorer 11 and it took my Internet explorer 10 and most of my Windows operating system and more information for you, I doubt they will post what I said. I will be surprised it they do. I called my attorney yesterday!!!! It is still awaiting moderation. Whoa is me if you all should read what I said and that wasn’t all of it. If they post what I told you people nobody will install or uninstall 11 again, or until they take the bugs out and you get THE FULL VERSION. MY PC IS RUINDED!!!!

      3. PM said on November 14, 2013 at 6:57 pm
        Reply

        Same exact thing here. Tried all the remedies, Zones, DLL’s, Settings.INI rename and nothing worked. I thought it might have been Flashplayer, heard some chatter about that. Then I started suspecting the Remote Apps update uninstalled, no cigar. My next suspect was IE11 and glad to see that others have come to the same conclusion. Will try that now. I too want and need my gadgets. Wow, you’re right anony! It screwed up my favorites and I had them sorted alpha numerically for a reason using special naming. Geesh. Can’t MS do anything right the first time???

      4. Anonymous said on November 12, 2013 at 2:01 pm
        Reply

        IE 11 also corrupts favorite sorting on a random basis. Replaces most used sorting with an alphabetical listing, and prevents changing.

  59. ilev said on November 7, 2013 at 8:06 pm
    Reply

    Update crashed on my Windows 7 sp1 64bit.

    A full offline download muli-language :
    http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/ie-11-worldwide-languages

    1. ilev said on November 7, 2013 at 8:21 pm
      Reply

      p.s After shutdown/restart : Failure configuring Windows updates. Reverting changes.

  60. Zeus said on November 7, 2013 at 7:45 pm
    Reply

    Any downsides to upgrading, or missing features from IE10?

    I’m thinking of installing IE11, but Windows programs are notoriously hard to downgrade.

    1. enabugs said on November 13, 2013 at 11:30 am
      Reply

      I just did my pc updates on my windows 7 as instructed. I trust they should know what they are doing when they give us this stuff. Right? No-wrong! I allowed installation of Internet Explorer 11 and it played havoc with my computer. I have Windows 7 and like it very much. I found out from a post on this forum that the update can muck up your widgets! I want my widgets. They are there for a purpose. They were there but gone all funny. Not easy to read and looked something a child would have put there! What are Microsoft thinking? Do they think we are all stupid and we want (unnecessary) updates to Internet 11 (which I don’t want as I prefer Firefox) and LOSE MY WIDGETS! Why? I followed the lead of Bill_S (posted Nov 7th) that he had lost his widgets or they had turned strange. I did what he did, went to my update list, ticked Internet Explorer 11, then clicked “uninstall “. Worked a treat. Got rid of that. Don’t need it. I prefer Mozilla Firefox. It doesn’t do strange things to you. Thanks Bill_S. Regards enabugs. 13th Nov 2013

      1. qbertnl said on November 30, 2013 at 5:00 pm
        Reply

        Same problem here. And windows did NOT make a restore-point. Had the same problem with IE10 update. It messes up the desktop quite a lot. Lost the background, icons, fences, etc…. Thank you MS for updates that are more a problem than the security issues you try to repair. I use Firefox for years without any problems.

      2. Sandy said on November 25, 2013 at 4:01 am
        Reply

        I had, did you hear me had, Internet Explorer 10 on my only 3 yr old home pc Windows 7, then I got curious and downloaded Explorer 11 from the Microsoft site. I wasn’t crazy about it when I read on my favorite site after the fact, that it is really called Internet Explorer 11 BLOCK. It is only a preview of PART of the true 11 that they are still trying too get the bugs out and ready for market, especially for Windows 7. So I uninstalled it with no problem and it took my Internet Explorer 10 with it. My wizard doesn’t work, my utilities are messed up, my off line games that I payed for and installed won’t work because of this, I can’t access many things in my Control panel and I can’t download Explorer 10 because I lost most of my Windows Operating System. Hey Microsoft, do you hear a lawsuit coming?????? My attorney will be in touch with you soon!!! DON’T DOWNLOAD INTERNET EXPLORER 11 BECAUSE YOU DON’T GET THE WHOLE VERSION AND IF YOU ALREADY DID, DON’T UNINSTALL IT BECAUSE YOUR LAPTOP OR PC WILL BE USELESS!!!

      3. GRANT said on November 17, 2013 at 6:30 pm
        Reply

        YES I LOST MOST OF MY WIDGETS AND SOME STOPPED WORKING.
        UPON REBOOT THEY WERE GONE. WTF! MICROSOFT.

      4. C Doc said on November 15, 2013 at 2:50 am
        Reply

        I can confirm that installing IE11 screws up desktop gadgets. (weather, etc) I was able to uninstall, and they work again!

        Don’t install this useless piece of garbage! (and yes, make sure you have windows updates set to notify only. otherwise, they will try to sneak in other crap like Bing Bar)

      5. Michael said on November 13, 2013 at 12:32 pm
        Reply

        I always recommend not installing all updates automatically; IE11 is an listed as Important which means it should not install unless it is selected. In the last few months Microsoft has had some pretty serious known issues with patches. Every patch has a KB number reference or a listing such as MA13-094 (one with known issues for Office Outlook this month) that can be used to search. If there are issues found by Microsoft they will be listed in those reports. Albeit some come pretty late. Since I am a patch manager at a large company I always wait for at least a week before I allow my systems at home to install any update unless it is classified a zero-day risk. Plus I have the advantage of lab and pilot system testing. I have selected the option to download and not install in the Windows Update Settings.

        You can download a blocker to prevent future installation (at least a few months) at http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=40722 to prevent automatic installation of IE11.

        By the way these comments are just my opinion and do not represent any other party.

        Michael L. Bell, Lead Systems Analyst, Level 3 Desktop Systems Support
        Patch Management/Desktop Security

    2. sml156 said on November 7, 2013 at 10:22 pm
      Reply

      No I did not I did not uninstall it , It is working fine your question just made me curious

    3. Martin Brinkmann said on November 7, 2013 at 8:06 pm
      Reply

      I’m not aware of any. Plus, it is easy to uninstall.

    4. sml156 said on November 7, 2013 at 8:04 pm
      Reply

      I just installed IE 11 and I looked at view installed updates in programs and features and found that it is easy to uninstall

      1. Zeus said on November 7, 2013 at 8:06 pm
        Reply

        Thanks for the information!

        Just out of curiosity, did you actually uninstall it for some reason, or were you just checking? :D

  61. Coyote said on November 7, 2013 at 7:02 pm
    Reply

    Is it that IE is approaching the level of Firefox/Chrome or is it that those services seem to be degrading. Firefox most notably by removing some of the signature things that made me drop it last year i.e. addonbar, extensions, and general dumbing down of the whole UI. And with google adding more tracking to Chrome and requiring G+ for most if not all their services it appears all web browsers are fighting to see who can sell out the fastest.

    1. Gari G said on January 4, 2014 at 7:38 pm
      Reply

      Please can someone help me??? I am 65 and totally computer illiterate. After saying “NO” for weeks, MS downloaded Internet Explorer 11 in the middle of the night without my permission. Everything changed and nothing works. Had to change all my passwords, e-mail [outlook] disappeared] Capchta things appeared on my computer when sites claimed they had no such things….the long and short of it is, my computer is a mess and I have no one to help me.
      Can I just uninstall it???????
      Please e-mail be direct as I will NEVER find this place again to see any replies!
      kivabenruth@gmail.com. Put “luddite” in the subject line. I will be forever grateful!

      1. Gia Vista said on January 7, 2014 at 1:46 am
        Reply

        I have the same experience. My laptop is a complete disaster with nothing working or even visible. My documents, empty, My pictures empty, address books gone, most programs not accessible. My God, why don’t lyou leave things alone???? I have Windows 7 64 En,vy laptop, now unusable since Dec 2=14, 2013. I spend 8 hours a day since then trying to get something back. Picasa gone, gifs gone!!!! etc.

    2. Martin Brinkmann said on November 7, 2013 at 7:23 pm
      Reply

      I think that Chrome and Firefox are nearing a plateau so that progress is made in smaller steps right now, while Microsoft has still options to progress in larger steps.

      1. Rubens said on November 11, 2013 at 3:08 pm
        Reply

        ilev, where in the hell did you find this crazy market share of just “3%” for Internet Explorer?… IExplorer is the most worldwide used browser still.

      2. ilev said on November 7, 2013 at 8:12 pm
        Reply

        IE has nowhere to go with 3% market share, and dropping, this year, on all devices sold.
        Windows PC sales are a disaster, crashing 12% in Europe in the last quarter….

        http://betanews.com/2013/11/07/its-game-over-for-the-pc-as-shipments-in-europe-collapse/

        You can say that IE is almost obsolete.

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