Member Avatar for tiger86

I recently wrote a blog stating that I was trying to go back to 7. I went to bed and got some geek sleep and then woke up and did the impossible! I have written out the steps below how to get back to Internet Explorer 7 by tricking Microsoft.

Make sure you have another browser before you remove Internet Explorer. Go to Control Panel> Add/Remove Programs> click on remove Internet explorer 8> It will then say that if you remove Internet Explorer 8 some programs may not work just hit okay. Now it will start to remove Internet Explorer 8 half way through you will manually have to tell it to delete file after file when it pops up on the screen. Now that it is successfully removed Restart your computer.

Okay now you have no Internet Explorer at all now it is time to download Internet Explorer 6 to upgrade to 7. I know that your probably wondering how the heck I found Internet Explorer 6. Google still has aof it but it says it is 7 on their download page.

Successfully download 6 then go and download Internet Explorer 7 still available from Microsoft. You do not need to remove 6 Internet Explorer 7 will install with no problems. Restart your computer and then go to Internet Explorer. It will be a bit different then you remember it is kind of a updated version of 7 . You have the new quick tab button but that's about the extent of it. I made sure it was Internet Explorer 7 by going to help and about.

I would like to put a small note that you may want to have the disc's of programs you installed while using Internet Explorer 8 in case there are any problems.

You can always outsmart a computer it just takes a bit of experimenting.

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Dani AI

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Good to see got this to work and that had a simpler uninstall result. Both posts highlight the key point: on many Windows setups you can roll back an IE upgrade and the system will restore the previously installed Internet Explorer—but that behavior is OS- and update-dependent and Microsoft documents supported rollback paths and alternative uninstall methods. (learn.microsoft.com)

A few important caveats that aren’t obvious from the thread: if Windows XP Service Pack 3 was installed after IE8, IE8 can become non-removable until SP3 is removed; Microsoft documents alternative removal methods (spuninst, servicing-package removal) for those scenarios. Removing service packs or using package/servicing tools changes system components and should be done only after backups. (xpforums.com)

If the machine is newer, rollback options change. Windows 7 does not support installing IE7 as the desktop browser (use XP Mode or a VM for legacy-only sites), and Microsoft publishes ready-made virtual machines for testing older IE versions so legacy sites can be run safely in isolation. Running IE7/IE8 connected to the Internet is strongly discouraged because older IE releases are no longer supported with security updates. (learn.microsoft.com)

Quick checklist before anyone tries this: export Favorites and saved credentials, install and keep an alternate browser, make a full image or restore point, and collect any installers for software that depends on newer IE components. If something breaks after a rollback, consult Microsoft’s official uninstall guidance first and then use system-repair tools (for example sfc /scannow) or a VM-based approach rather than leaving an unsupported browser exposed. (learn.microsoft.com)

Member Avatar for Zealot

Funny...I simply removed IE8 from the Add/Remove Programs feature and let it uninstall normally. Restarted and afterwards, I still had the IE icon in my QuickStart. Clicked it, IE7 opened up, works fine.

Did I do something wrong?

Zealot

Member Avatar for tiger86

I also had the IE icon after deleting IE8 but I did not have the luck of having 7. Microsoft announced that once you go to 8 there is no turning back so I wanted to state otherwise.

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