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Welcome to IE-Vista

Dedicated to providing advice and support to users of IE7 and IE8

Uninstalling IE7

 

If you plan to remove IE7 because of problems, please review the Knowledge Base and Known Issues pages just in case there is a known cause and fix for your issues.
 

Uninstalling IE7 (Windows XP only)

Before installing IE7 (and before *uninstalling*), it is important to complete the following steps.

  • Set a restore point (just in case)
  • Disable antivirus, antispyware, crashguards etc.
  • Shut down all other running programmes (except for firewall) - that includes Messenger, Windows Defender, OneCare - don't forget to exit via systray icons as well.
  • Turn off Automatic Updates until you have uninstalled all you want, rebooted twice, installed what you want and rebooted twice - once you've done that, turn Automatic Updates back on (believe me, you'll thank me later)
Regarding the warning that appears when we uninstall IE7 mentioning programs that may stop working if IE7 is removed, that warning is related to the dangers discussed here.  The warning can invariably be ignored although you should, of course, shut down running programs before attempting an uninstall or install of IE7.  Further pre-install and uninstall advice can be found on the Known issues - IE7 page.

The IE7 installer will automatically remove any beta versions of IE7, or the Release Candidate version, automatically as part of the upgrade to IE7 final.

If you decide to uninstall a previous beta of IE7 separately and before running the IE7 final installer, please reboot TWICE after the old build of IE7 has been removed. This is because on first boot after uninstalling IE7 there are several processes that occur before Windows finishes loading. Sometimes things don't *quite* get cleaned up properly, and that second boot ensures that we're working with as clean a slate as possible and that there are no left over tasks hanging around that may mess things up.

IE7 Final

Control Panel, Add/Remove Programs. Scroll down to Windows Internet Explorer.  Remove (Windows XP only)

 

If the option shown above does not appear, make sure "view hidden folders" is enabled (Control Panel, Folder Options, View tab).


Then, click on Start, then Run, then run the following command:

%windir%\ie7\spuninst\spuninst.exe

 

If the installer starts, but install/uninstall fails to complete, try Safe Mode with Networking Support.

If that doesn't work, follow the instructions at this URL to remove IE7 via recovery console:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;917964
 

Older versions of Internet Explorer

Uninstalling via Add/Remove Programs

The entries you need to look for are:

Windows Internet Explorer 7

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 3

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview
 

Note:  you cannot see the following entries unless you turn on Show updates

These entries are under "Windows Updates"

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview

Internet Explorer 7 Beta 1

 

Removing IE7 via Run command

You must have the option to view hidden folders enabled. 

The command that you use to uninstall IE7 RC or IE7 beta changes depending on the version you are running:


Beta 1:  %windir%\$NtUninstallie7beta1$\spuninst\spuninst.exe

Beta 2 Preview January:  %windir%\$NtUninstallie7bet2p$\spuninst\spuninst.exe

Beta 2 Preview March:  %windir%\$NtUninstallie7b2pmx$\spuninst\spuninst.exe

Beta 2:  %windir%\$NtUninstallie7beta2$\spuninst\spuninst.exe

Beta 3:  %windir%\ie7beta3\spuninst\spuninst.exe

RC1:  %windir%\ie7\spuninst\spuninst.exe


If the uninstall starts, but fails to complete, try Safe Mode with Networking Support.

If that doesn't work, follow the instructions at this URL to remove IE7 via recovery console:
http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;en-us;917964

Microsoft have released an Uninstaller Kit which "Forces uninstall of Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 using default files and settings. This toolkit will uninstall Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 using default files and settings from Microsoft. It is only intended for use if normal uninstallation methods failed. See KB 923721 for more information."

http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/details.aspx?displaylang=en&FamilyID=671baf16-52a3-410c-85a8-931ea6de5ff8

The MS uninstaller will run on releases besides Beta 2, it won't be an exact uninstall because other releases backed up a slightly different set of files and reg keys than beta 2. Therefore, it is not recommended that the uninstaller be used with anything other than Beta 2.

Some are suggesting taking a copy of the missing uninstall folder from another PC to replace the lost data, and even offering a folder for download. I cannot recommend that people take this step. The results are too unpredictable. Things are a bit less dangerous now that IE7 installs compulsory security patches, but there may still be file type mismatches that could mess things up.

Putting aside the question of whether or not it is legal to redistribute MS files in such a way, the danger of sourcing a replacement uninstall folder from third parties is:

Potential for system damage (immediately obvious or appearing later) thanks to DLL Soup.

Potential exposure to hostile assembly hacking, or viruses or trojans.

The golden rule when working with betas is that you should not install them if you are not willing or able to reformat the machine on which it is being installed.
 

Error message:  IE7 must be uninstalled from the User Account that installed it

Start Regedit.  Navigate to this key:

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Internet Explorer

Right click the Internet Explorer folder in the left pane and the following DWORD and set the value to zero:

InstalledByUser

 

 






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