Background: I currently have IE7 on my system. I always run it sandboxed (Sandboxie) and have had zero problems. Regarding Windows updates, my settings are to notify me when updates are available, but not to download and install them. For a couple of months now, I have ignored the updates alert message that IE8 is available for download and installation.
Issue: A few days ago I clicked the updates alert icon in my system tray and got the message that IE8 was now downloaded on my system and asked if I wanted to install it. I closed that message without installing it. How IE8 got downloaded is a mystery; maybe I was sleeping-walking one night and did it then. ???
Questions:
1) My hunch is Firefox is the preferred browser by most posters in this forum. But for those who use or have good knowledge of Internet Explorer, what do you think of IE8? (I'm trying to figure out if I should reconsider my reluctance to use it.)
2) If I want to keep IE7 for now, how do I remove the downloaded (but uninstalled) IE8 from my system? I don't know where to find it. I tried looking for it in Windows Explorer by searching for it by name, but was not successful.
Some people can use IE8 with no issues, however just search around this very forum for people that have stated having issues after installing IE8. Such as severe system slowdown that causes other non-IE applications to start loading very slow.
Go to Add/Remove Program > scroll down and find IE8 > Remove
It will roll back to previous version IE
I have IE8 and running well.No problem at all.
I appreciate your suggestion abu...but IE8 is not appearing in Add/Remove Program because, as I noted, IE8 is not installed on my system. Windows Update is telling me it's downloaded on my pc, but not installed. So I'm trying to figure out where it has been downloaded to so I can remove it if I want.
I also kept ignoring the "Update to IE8"...bla bla bla mainly because I use Firefox.
Then one day Windows informed me that IE8 was downloaded and ready to be installed...etc
That's interesting. It sounds like you had the same experience as I did in that Windows unilaterally downloaded IE8 on your system as well without you giving permission. That's kind of disturbing in that the setting that I selected in my Windows Security Center says "Don't automatically download or install" updates.
Actually that's a very good valid point you've made. The majority of IE8 issues to my current knowledge reside in Windows XP.
Thanks for highlighting that point.
Are there any other suggestions regarding where I can find this downloaded IE8 on my system?
This is a subject discussed on here very recently. I have my Windows Update set to "Inform But Not Download" because I don't want Microsoft to actually download stuff I don't want.
The subject was highlighted by another member, Alan B, and discussed here:
This is a subject discussed on here very recently. I have my Windows Update set to "Inform But Not Download" because I don't want Microsoft to actually download stuff I don't want.
The subject was highlighted by another member, Alan B, and discussed here:
The downloads are kept in ... C:\WINDOWS\SoftwareDistribution\Download\
I've added that folder to CCleaners "Include" feature following the discussion in that thread.
Hope that helps.
Hi Dennis. Good to hear from you.
I checked C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download\ on my system. That folder has about 110mb of data consisting of 4 sub-folders and 13 files. I'm not at all familiar with what I'm seeing as I look at that information and I'm having trouble determining which sub-folder pertains to the IE8 download. I'm worried about deleting the wrong thing...(maybe it's safe to delete everything in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download ???).
There is one sub-folder in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download that has a date of 7/30/09, which is around the time that IE8 got downloaded to my system. But, when I open that sub-folder, I don't see anything that clues me in on whether it pertains to IE8. I also recall recently downloading and installing an IE7 security patch. So I'm not sure what would happen if I deleted that 7/30/09 folder and it was not the IE8 download but rather the IE7 patch...or something else.
Do you have any suggestions? Also, do you mind if I PM you if I have more follow-ups?
I have the update option set to notify me but not install anything, like DennisD. When IE8 showed up, I unchecked the box for it, then checked a box that said "Don't show me this update again". Now it doesn't show up unless I go to the WXP update site and select the option to restore updates I have previously hidden.
...(maybe it's safe to delete everything in C:\Windows\SoftwareDistribution\Download ???)
If all the updates you wanted installed successfully, it's safe to delete everything. In fact, the folder is supposed to self-clean the updates 10 days after successful installation. Some small files (licences for the software) may remain.
And I've no hesitation in cleaning that folder out the same day MS updates are installed.
If there's a problem during the install, then Windows Update will certainly tell you, and you'll have to try installing any failures again. If all goes OK with no error messages, then everything in that folder goes.
If there's any sort of problem after Windows Updates are installed, then it's probably some sort of conflict, and you'll need the "hotfix uninstaller" to remove the problem update. These are the files you really don't want to remove until you know all's running tickety-boo.
For anyone using Windows XP you can also use Dial-a-fix to empty the contents of that Software Distribution folder, which is something I do every now and then, that is when I actually remember to do it.
I have about 300 mb of stuff in that folder, and nothing is wrong on my computer, so is it ok if I use Dial-a-fix to empty out that folder? Or will emptying out that folder cause any types of problems for me in the future (sorry about my paranoia, I have my comp in a perfect state don't want to mess it up).
It's ok to use Dial-a-fix on that folder even with a perfectly working computer.
The option I use in Dial-a-fix is Yes, so that it remembers my preferred settings stored in DataStore.ebd.
It will tell you on a pop up screen how to use it though, such as when having Windows Update issues sometimes emptying out that whole folder can allow an update to properly install which is sometimes actually needed.
Note that emptying out the Software Distribution folder may make hidden updates you don't want start prompting for installation again, so you need to pay close attention or set Automatic Updates to Notify instead of automatic downloading.
Also "cc1" I checked my "Windows Update" settings and found that Install updates automatically (recommended) was checked.
I'm guessing that means "important updates" are going to be downloaded & installed without any notification to the user?
Then there are the updates that need Windows to be "restarted" so Windows needs to let the user know whats going on
In the case of "IE8" as an "update" I'm assuming that Windows was kind enough to let me know that it had only downloaded "IE8" and that it was ready to be installed
It's ok to use Dial-a-fix on that folder even with a perfectly working computer.
The option I use in Dial-a-fix is Yes, so that it remembers my preferred settings stored in DataStore.ebd.
It will tell you on a pop up screen how to use it though, such as when having Windows Update issues sometimes emptying out that whole folder can allow an update to properly install which is sometimes actually needed.
Note that emptying out the Software Distribution folder may make hidden updates you don't want start prompting for installation again, so you need to pay close attention or set Automatic Updates to Notify instead of automatic downloading.
So using the Flush Software Distribution folder with the Yes option is safe?
