IE8 will not open for me any more

Discussion in 'Computer Science & Culture' started by Billy T, Jul 27, 2012.

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  1. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    I rarely us IE, but one site (my clinical records) only opens with it. In mid June, I downloaded and installed IE8 from a Yahoo site / link into my XP running computer that writes me msgs etc. in Portugues. I tried for first time to use newer IE8 just yesterday, but it would not open (I tried many ways, including doing cntrl,Alt,del´s open tab.)

    So I went to MS´s download site to get copy directly from MS. There you read that you must be using IE5 of later to down load IE updates. So with google I found site offering download of IE8 for XP and did so and tried to install. When it went thru first few steps (I accepted the terms, etc.) but soon black screen with briefly displayed white type mgs telling a problem had occurred (something about "bad pool..." I think I read in the less than second before computer shut down and restarted.

    I bet there is some conflict between my Portugese version of XP and the downloads expecting English - is that likely? If so do you know site I can set language I need before download, using firefox browser, not IE5 or greater?

    I can´t even find, via std fix or remove option of the control panel, how to remove the non-opening IE as was it is not listed, but when I searched for it, with the search feature of the start menu, it is there at a quite reasonable address, but not there in the start menu´s all programs list. Ran my virus prg and all is OK.

    Any ideas what is going on?
     
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  3. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    Sheesh! Billy this reeks of pc capture [hijacking]...Try downloading IE7 in any language [ I believe IE7 was a better browser than IE8 any way] using firefox as your download browser.
    the ie8 browser that you are using may not be "yours" and belong to someone elses machine so to speak..hmmmm...
    I would be seriously considering that a hard drive formating/cleansing exercise will be necessary
     
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  5. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    Thanks. I will try to install IE7 but would hate to wipe clean entire hard drive. About 6 months ago, I got bunch of "can not deliver" Email notices. Some one some how was sending out advertisments as if from me to every contact in my Yahoo contacts list but some of those addresses no longer existed. I copied all the addresses in to a word document and then deleted them all at Yahoo and changed my Yahoo pass word. One or both of those ended that problem. Yahoo has rebuilt some, not at my request, into that contact list, but probably they are all valid. I think I will put an invalid one in the list to see if I am still unknowingly advertising for some "earn money at home" firm.

    I am now using a computer that wife used for some years as mine had a fan problem - over heated in less than an hour. She got (and still gets) all sorts of crap sent to her, with frequent infections. Perhaps there was some sleeping capture of this computer as you suggest that has been watching the clock and now is awake. I really don´t want that IE8 using disk space, but can´t find how to clean it out. Any ideas on this?
     
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  7. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    The simple fact that you can not find a way to uninstall it is a key indicator. You mentioned that you use XP. The control panel has a software installed uninstall menu item. You mentioned that you tried to find it using the standard methods and could not find it.
    FACT: You have IE 8 running on your machine yet the machine doesn't register it as existing.
    FACT: It must be installed on your machine or...hmmm

    Billy do a property search on the IE8 Icon and see if you can find out what url it is hyperlinking to....right click the icon on the desk top >> properties>> target location = ?????????
    You should find where the executable file is and get something like this:
    "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

    I would like to see what you get...curious!
    if it links to something weid do not try to delete it...more research needed especially if it's a http:// address.
    you can verify the resultant file by searching using windows explorer but do not open anything of move it or do anything to it.
     
  8. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    I just searched for "internet Explorer Browser" which must be the very same search term I used before as the "auto complete" brought it up for me. In the OP I tell that that search did find it "at a quite reasonable address" - much like the one you gave as I recall. BUT now it the search (with the little brown dog looking) does not find anything! A search for just IE8 did turn up many results.
    All but 6 were in C: windir ...
    Many were "updates" and most of them from when it did open OK, but three were in feb, march & may of 2012 and of type: "catalogue of security"
    Also in later 2012 were two made at almost idential times on 27July12, both type "text documents" (with notebook icon at extreme right of listing - I think it safe to open them and read.
    Also on 13june12, there is a folder called IE8updates, which I think safe to open and see what is in it, but wait your comment before doing anything.

    Most every thing in this search list is made on or before Aug 2010, so very unlikely to be cause of "no open problem"

    Unfortuantely, since it was useless the icon pointer sitting on the desk top (I forget what they are called in English) was sent to the trash can and that has been emptied, so I can not look at "properties" with it.

    There was an "IE8unist" listed by the search. Should I try to open it?

    When I use the control panel´s "add or remove" program to list things, there is the blue E with gold ring around it followed by "Internet Explorer 8" of size 14.27MB. I may have missed seeing last time I looked (time of OP) as it is not with other microsoft listed stuff. I am very tempted to tell it to go ahead and try to remove - what do you think of that idea?
     
  9. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    Billy can you do as I suggested and check the icon that you normally click to launch with... right click >>>>properties>>> target location
    no at the moment don't open anything... research only is my advice.
    If it is a hijacking you could loose everything once the malware recognises it has been discovered.
    I also have ie8 on xp so I shall check file sizes...please wait
     
  10. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    mine is only 4.97 mb and works fine

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  11. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    so how do you launch IE8?
    if it is off the start menu do the same thing:
    start>>programs>> internet explorer>>properties>> target location
     
  12. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    I have to get some sleep... sounds pretty safe so far [ since you found it in the program install panel ]
     
  13. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    But the pointer icon that was used for that and sat on my desk top was sent to trash can as it would not open, do anything. Trash has been emptied so not even there now. Only icon of IE8 I now have is the one that the "add and remove" program of the control panel found. I could try right click on it.

    Perhaps if I kill my connection to the internet, I could then safely try to delete the IE8 listed by add & remove? - I.e. no way (until I reconnect) could high jacker, if there is one, learn anything.
     
  14. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    I sent it to trash as their was no way to launch IE8 - tried many as told in OP.
    Yes, now the IE8 shows on left half of box that comes up after click on Start, so I can get properties etc. as you suggest there, However when I use Start to list all programs, there is no IE8 listed.

    PS I´m not in great hurry - get some sleep if you want and reply when you get up.

    I did use that pointer/icon of the left side of start menue to see properties. here is where it is at:

    C:\Arquivos de programas\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" -extoff

    I have never seen the final "-extoff" before - could that be the cause of the "no open" problem?

    If I back up one level and get properties of \Internet Explorer\ it is 4.80 MB (5,033,984 bytes) in disk and slightly more (as a file?) It has 57 files and 9 folders.

    The pointer displayed in left side of Start seems to be at: Iniciar\Programas\Acessórios\Ferramentas do Sistema (name in Portuguese) and only 4kb in size.

    after seeing where it was, I used "my computer" / Drive C / archive de programs (part of name in Portuguese?) ... and found folder "Internet explorer" which I opened and saw 6 or 8 folder and 12 or so other programs.

    One I noticed was the only one in blue. It was called: "ie8props.propdesc" I recall seeing it before, for "IE8" (only) search results, I think I can find how large it is but need to do search again as it is now closed.
     
    Last edited by a moderator: Aug 3, 2012
  15. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    What I was tryng to ascertain was
    1] where the link took you...done
    2] Can the files be contained?
    3] Are those files linked to other files on your pc that my instigate a destructive function if triggered

    I donot believe we can check properly for 2 or 3.

    Have you downloaded IE7 as it should uninstal IE8 for you as it gets installed on your pc.?
     
  16. Billy T Use Sugar Cane Alcohol car Fuel Valued Senior Member

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    No not yet. I was not sure it would clear out IE8. Where do I go to download it?
     
  17. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=2
    create a folder on you pc called browsers or [your choice] then download the file to it.
    change your language settings to Portuguese [Brasilia] is possible then download it.
    Run it once it is installed from your hard drive [ not the web ]
    see what happens...
     
  18. KilljoyKlown Whatever Valued Senior Member

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    If I remember correctly XP doesn't support any version beyond IE7. You really should upgrade.

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  19. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    Sorry to tell you but I have been running IE8 on XP for ages.
    You may be thinking about how to run IE9 you have to upgrade your operating system to vista or seven.
    Microsoft marketing ingenuity means that all older xp's have to upgrade to take advantage of a better browser as generally IE8 sucks.
     
  20. KilljoyKlown Whatever Valued Senior Member

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    It's just that I hated XP and your right about IE8, very buggy, IE9 is better but not much. For the most part it's my secondary browser, I like using FF for forum work and usually keep about 15 active tabs up all the time. I like Windows 7 as Microsoft's best yet, also 64 bit machines and a great deal more memory work wonders.

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  21. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    I must admit I am not as up on browsers as I should be. As I use ie8/7/6 only for testing designs etc and use FF mainly for Fire bug and common browsing. Also I design in FF and it keeps the code cross bowser friendly.
    I am not at all happy about Microsoft demanding an OS upgrade to intall IE9 as my machine is really old and I have to wait for 7
    . I'd get a Mac but because most users use Windows machines I like to keep it market driven....
    I am waiting to see how Billy T went with his downoad and install...

    I am also wanting to recommend Spybot search and destroy, [google it] anti virus software as I have found it to be excellent. [I don't use a firewall type anti virus program as I found them to be too demanding on resources and essentially useless any way and I plan on the possibility of a reformat all the time. I use an integrated realtime mirror backup harddrive that does have a firewall protection installed.

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  22. KilljoyKlown Whatever Valued Senior Member

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    Windows 8 will be released this year (soon). So far I'm not very interested, but am looking forward to IE10. If and when you do get a new machine make it 64 bit. The extra memory it supports is so worth it and memory is so cheap now. I have 7G of very fast memory an wonder what 16G would do for me. When I had XP, I was always having problems running out out memory and could never have all the apps I wanted active at one time, and running a complete security package like Norton would really bog the system down. Now I never notice any problems with it.
     
  23. Quantum Quack Life's a tease... Valued Senior Member

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    I must admit I am not as up on browsers as I should be. As I use ie8/7/6 only for testing designs etc and use FF mainly for Fire bug and common browsing. Also I design in FF and it keeps the code cross bowser friendly.
    I am not at all happy about Microsoft demanding an OS upgrade to intall IE9 as my machine is really old and I have to wait for 7
    . I'd get a Mac but because most users use Windows machines I like to keep it market driven....
    I am waiting to see how Billy T went with his downoad and install...

    I am also wanting to recommend Spybot search and destroy, [google it] anti virus software as I have found it to be excellent. [I don't use a firewall type anti virus program as I found them to be too demanding on resources and essentially useless any way and I plan on the possibility of a reformat all the time.
    well I am bit more boring than that as I really only use mine for design and a research, games and graphics c/o PS3 etc... so I keep only 2mb ram at present.. does ok for most/all web needs.
    However when I run CAD software that's when I get into trouble 3d filled wireframe rotations are tough on memory.
    I think I shall wait until windows 8 comes out and get it on proprietry disk with hardware deal...shall see though..things might change ...
     
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