IT Queries: Computer problems answered

Is it worth updating to ie8 yet?

Our general rule is to leave major product releases for three months to let the early adopters deal with the problems. Given Internet Explorer 8 was released in mid-March 2009 it’s probably a bit early to recommend an upgrade at the beginning of May 2009.

That said, we haven’t heard of major problems with IE8 so it may be worth trying. The only concern is some sitesand computer programs designed for IE6 and 7 may have problems, so you should check any business critical programs before upgrading.

A good testing strategy is to install Firefox, Opera or Safari, set them as the default browser and see if this affects the websites and programs you use.

So it may be worthwhile giving it a go. Just remember to back up your important data before starting the upgrade.

After updating internet explorer 8, some sites are not opening. How do I remove internet explorer?

The first thing to try is uninstalling Internet Explorer from Add/Remove Programs. Follow our instructions for uninstalling software and choose Window Internet Explorer 8.

If you can’t remove it, Microsoft have a removal tool and further instructions on their website.

Before running the removal tool, we’d strongly recommend backing up your data as a damaged Internet Explorer installation can cause problems for a Windows computers.

I’ve read I should use a different browser to Internet Explorer because of its security problems. Which one should I use?

Internet Explorer is the web browser built into Windows. Because of the way Microsoft have set it up, it is particularly prone to security problems.

To make things worse Internet Explorer is a fundamental part of Windows so any problem with IE becomes a problem for your entire system.

So regardless of the current security scare it’s a good idea to use an alternative to Internet Explorer and there are plenty of options.

Mozilla Firefox

The most popular alternative browser is Mozilla Firefox. You can download a free a copy from the Mozilla website.

Opera

One of the longest established alternative browsers, Opera tends to be the cutting edge browser, while it’s not for everyone it’s fast, stable and is also a free download.

Google Chrome

A new alternative is Google’s web browser. It’s fast but it does do things a bit differently from the others. You can get this free from Google’s website.

Apple Safari

If you use a Mac then the Safari browser is included with your system. Windows users can download a free version from Apple.

All of these alternatives are perfectly good for general web browsing. It’s best to try each and use the one you find works best for you.

Unfortunately you can’t completely get rid of Internet Explorer. Not only is it a integral part of Windows, but some web sites won’t work properly on anything else, so reserve IE for those sites that require it and use an alternative for the rest of the web.

This 89 yr old must be a slow learner. My Vista home prem has picked up “about:blank”.  Please point me to a  s i m p l e  way to delete. 

The about:blank page is the opening page for Internet Explorer when there’s no start page set.

Usually this is easily fixed by opening Internet Explorer, clicking Tools, Internet Options and select the General tab.

Once you are in the General settings, you can type the page you’d like to start with in home page box or click the Use Default button.

If Internet explorer keeps going back to the about:blank page then you probably have a spyware infection and you should follow our Removing a Trojan instructions.

I have Windows XP and I use google as my default search engine.
I recently downloaded a new version of Bear share and ever since then several times a day a window appears that says;-
DEFAULT SEARCH ENGINE PROTECTION
An unknown application is trying to change your default search engine.
Changing these settings controls the way Internet Explorer treats search queries.
What would you like to do
1. Keep my current search engine (Recommended)
2. Replace my default search engine with the one from the unknown application.

The first option is checked so I leave it that way and I just close the window. How can I stop this window appearing all the time. I have removed Bear Share.

A program is trying to change your browser’s search engine. This is known as “browser hijacking” and it’s common trick by software distributors to make a few more dollars.

The software might have been bundled with Bear Share or it’s come through the same website. Often these programs claim to be download accelerators.

You’ll need to uninstall the program trying to hijack your computer. The best thing to do would be to follow our “removing a Trojan” instructions which should pick up and remove the hijacking program.

When i try to open my mail on yahoo internet explorer, it says that the security certificate authority is not valid or has expired.

So,it asked me to proceed and i click yes but still it won’t open.

I tried with several attempts. I also checked and viewed the certificate and it says the same.

Now, the internet yahoo explorer wont open anymore as well as my yahoo messenger. Everytime i open Yahoo mail, it says that the page cannot be displayed. What’s wrong with it?

The first thing you need to check is the date and time of your computer. If these are wrong, you may get this message.

To check the time, double-click the time in the bottom right hand corner and it will come up.

In Internet Explorer you can clear the SSL settings by clicking Start, Control Panel and selecting Internet Options.

In the Internet Options click the Content tab then the Clear SSL state then OK.

Should the problem still continue, then there may be a problem with the website. This is something outside of your control and you’ll have to contact the site owner.

To enter a certain website, it asks me to “Click here to download Plugin” which I do. In the “Plugin Finder Service” Box - after failing to find plugin it tells me ”No suitable plugins were found. Unknown Plugin (application/x-nppgwrap)”

What should I do? I have Windows XP and use Firefox 3.0.1

Thanks Diane

The problem is the website you want to access is designed for Internet Explorer and uses Microsoft Active X.

The main reason for recommending Firefox is precisely because it won’t run Active X controls.

Over the years, the combination of Active X and Internet Explorer has been responsible for many virus and spyware infections. This is why we recommend not using Internet Explorer for casual web surfing.

The downside with that is the odd websites, including some bank and government websites, won’t work when you access them.

If you trust the website you are trying to access then you should use Internet Explorer. Open IE and type the address into the address bar. It should then run fine.

After downloading mozila firefox, how do I disable Internet Explorer as my web browser and make FireFox the default, I have Windows Vista Home Premium installed on my laptop, thanks.Normally Firefox will ask you if it should be the default browser the first time you open it. If it doesn’t, you’ll have to change the settings in the Default Programs settings.To get to this setting, click the Start Button and then Control Panel. In the Control Panel screen, click the Programs heading and select Default Programs.The the Default Programs box will show the available programs on the left of the box, double click Firefox and select Set this program as default on the right. Click okay and Firefox is now your web browser for all applications. 

For about a week or so whenever I use the help in MS Office 2007 applications the normal help dialog box appears but when clicking on the Topic it brings up a File Download box and asks me if I want to “open or save the file”.

I click open it display it in my Firefox browser.   How do I get it to open in the help box (other progs such as Windows & MS Works display OK, it is only in Office there is a problem)

I have tried Repair Office and I’m running Windows XP.

The problem is Firefox is set as the default browser for web files. You’ll need to change the association.

To do this, follow our instructions on  our “I can’t open my files” answer. Choose Internet Explorer as the program.

Cannot access any web page even though modem is dialed up properly. Typical page not available message.

Running Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP sp2 on Dell 2400.  I use dial up with Eartlink.  Access internet modem connects up properly — hear dialing and handshake and then message pops up that it is connected and I can see a IP address(I have even checked this by using a brand new USB modem and get the same result, so it is not modem). I have tried Earthlink and Dell help lines with no success.  I reloaded Internet Explorer 7 with no effect.   Am unable to use recover utility.  Anyone out there have any ideas?

The first thing to do is uninstall any firewall programs. Before going on the net, make sure your dial up connection has the Windows Firewall enabled so you don’t get any worms wriggling their way onto your system.

If you still have the problem, then try repairing your TCP/IP stack by clicking start then run and typing CMD in the box.

You’ll find yourself at the DOS prompt and there you should type the following command.

netsh int ip reset resetlog.txt

Press enter and this will reinstall the basic TCP/IP stack.

One thing to note with this problem is that it can be spyware related so it is essential you check your computer for spyware and viruses.

You may also have to completely remove Internet Explorer 7 and then reinstall it. This may be an opportunity to check out alternatives like Firefox, Opera or Safari.