How To Remove IE8

If you've found a web browser that you like better, you might want to know how to remove IE8. While Internet Explorer is a very popular browser, recently a few other browsers such as Mozilla Firefox and Google Chrome have gained attention for their speed and customization options. Getting rid of programs you don't use any more can help free up precious hard disk space so you should remove IE8 if you are sure you don't plan to use it again. Removing Internet Explorer 8 is a fairly simple and straightforward task if you are using a recent version of the Windows operating system.

1. Go into your Control Panel. For all versions of Windows, the control panel can be accessed by clicking on the Start button in the lower left side of the screen. In Windows Vista and Windows 7, the Start button appears as a circle with the Windows logo inside. After clicking on the Start button, select "Control Panel".
2. Look in your list of removable programs. In Windows XP, this can be accomplished by clicking on Add or Remove Programs, looking for Windows Internet Explorer 8 in the list and clicking "Remove." In Windows Vista and Windows 7, click on Programs and then Uninstall a Program.
   
3. Look in the Tasks pane for "View Installed Updates" (Vista) or "Turn Windows Features On and Off" (Windows 7). Find Windows Internet Explorer 8 in this list. In Vista, you should double-click on it and in Windows 7 you should uncheck the box next to it. Then Click "Yes" when prompted for confirmation to remove IE8.
4. Follow the instructions presented on your screen. You will need to wait a few minutes while Windows uninstalls the program. You will then be prompted to restart the computer when you remove IE8. Upon restarting, the program should no longer be present on your computer.

Tips:

• Be sure to close any instances of Internet Explorer that are already running on your computer before attempting to remove IE8.
• If you remove IE8, you will not be able to view or access any websites without installing another browser such as Chrome or Firefox.

Warnings:

• There is a small issue with Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) that makes it impossible to remove IE8 without first uninstalling SP3. If IE8 isn't causing any trouble, it may be better to simply leave it on your computer unused rather than uninstalling it.