Within Windows

Or install Visual Studio and make your own IE-based browser from which to download Firefox from! :)

More seriously, it’s probably better to get a cheat USB drive and install Firefox Portable, Opera USB, or my own Google Chrome Portable on it. Then downloading a browser for Windows 7 E is only one of the many useful things you can do with it.

Sorry for the triple posting. Al you need to pay attention. E has no IE8 in features, IE8 is permanently stripped out unless you download the installer for it.

The ActiveX control for the IE rendering and browsing engine is still included because many third-party apps have it integrated, like Steam, and removing it would totally break those apps (plus it would encourage devs to use Gecko or Webkit in their apps instead).

Gah I really hate thinking of something new to post and not being able to edit comments. Merge them all if it bugs you Rafael. :)

Not too sure you should be encouraging ad clicking when it’s far too easy for a malicious ad to take you somewhere to pwn your computer (since you’re using IE’s browsing control). Possibly even more risky with the control since you’re not using the IE7/8 process integrity/sandbox feature, AFAIK.

What if you have Windows 7 N?

I remember couple years back that Windows Help could be used for internet browsing.

This is a pretty amusing trick if it works.

I was planning on firing up a command prompt and using ftp to connect to http://ftp.mozilla.org :-)

i was planning to wait if the EU accepts this ploy or not. The fat lady didn’t sing yet and they still have the last word.
for the while they are being seriously mangled to behave: http://www.v3.co.uk/v3/news/2245682/microsoft-faces-eu-antitrust

This does not work in the UK version of media guide it seems, typing firefox or ie8 just brings up videos to do with it, with no sponsored links on the side.

So this will only work if you have the country of the media guide set to the US.

Can’t get chrome that way! Microsoft’s search doesn’t turn up any ads

You missed one important step.

Adverts only appear on the US media guide. Luckily, you can just click on the language selector to the left of the search box and select “United States” to get adverts. Those of us who are set to the UK locale only get to see bing media results.

It’d be clever if each company put their browser installer on an easy to remember UNC path. e.g. If you could just type \\ie.ie\ie\ie.exe into the start menu to get IE. :)

(Inspired by the way you can access the SysInternals tools via UNC these days.)

Yes, that’s one of the days when you’re really proud to be an European. /blush

What about using the CTR+L in the media guide? When i do this – having IE8 “uninstalled” – i get to the well known window where i can enter any URL I want.

opera.com
chrome.google.com
mozilla.com (acting a bit weird when firefox is already installed and set as the default browser)

Run -> “mshta.exe http://www.mozilla.com”
Right-click on “Download Firefox Now” and “Save as”.
Done! You got the installer!

hh http://getfirefox.com
You’ll have Back, Stop, Refresh and Print buttons. :)

Try actually uninstalling the browser instead of just disabling it (go for the actual .dll:s if necessary, manually!) and see how this fails to work.

Quentin Calvez,

i’m sure no one at MS knows where I ends and E begins. I’m also sure it’s impossible to separate the 2 now. That they didn’t lie when they said they couldn’t get it out. Not for lack of (well at least not totally) of will but in great part because the code is now in a state where it’s completely beyond any human competence to visualize it’s state of integration.

Already with the source code for the shuttle it was admitted that the code was beyond human comprehension and i remember it to be a couple of million lines at the time.

Most blocks of code are generated by codegenerators which in turn are quality controlled by computerized processes. They are then assembled into the codebase via an automated proces that collates the code.

Which is then computer tested.

No way in hell anyone is going to comprehend that, but of course admitting to the world that MS has no idea how it’s code works is not what i would advise them to do.

So better to brave the onslaught of the EU, try to make the best of it, hide IE’s components and hope for the best.

is already being taken care of: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/07/16/changes-to-ie8-s-first-run.aspx

Better yet, search for ‘google’.

So… erm…. Can’t you just type “Firefox.com” into the “Explorer” (<- Explorer.exe not iexplore.exe) address bar and hit enter?

@Barryd According to the page you referenced.. N will be missing Media Player but E will include it.

You run Windows Update, which’ll install Internet Explorer as an ‘critical update’ automatically.

Surely?

Pathetic situation really. Microsoft should just be made to install Firefox by default. Clear.

Did any of you stop and think, why the hell are we going through all of this crap?

1. People who don’t care about what browser they use will end up picking IE anyway because it’s made by the same people who made the OS.

2. Is your grandmother really going to know to use FTP or click on a bunch of ads to get to a browser? Or better yet, she won’t even be able to get to these instructions to know how to click on a bunch of ads to get there!

3. The browsers wars are the stupidest thing to ever transpire on the internet. Let’s all fight over tooth and nail over products that lose millions of dollars a year for these companies. THEY ARE FREE. THEY DO NOT MAKE MONEY FOR THESE COMPANIES.

FYI – It has been announced by Microsoft have proposed a ‘ballot system’, allowing the user to choose and install a browser when they first install Windows. More information: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/8168235.stm

Freakin’ awsome! Thank you!

and with KE editions? no IE, no WMP
:)