Unable to Re-Install IE8

[Joshr]

I un-installed IE8 awhile back because I use Chrome as my default, but it turns out many sites require IE for job applications and do not support other browsers.

I have tried to get IE8 back but I have found no available downloads. The Microsoft site says it comes bundled with Windows 7 and apparently gives no link to replace it if you remove it.

If I'm missing something obvious please let me know, I've found no applications to re-install IE8, no downloads and no help on this particular topic on a few forums, including the Microsoft forum. Help is greatly appreciated!

[Allan]

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/internet-explorer/worldwide-sites.aspx (If you're already running Windows 7 you'll see the message you mentioned, otherwise there should be a download link - otherwise try one of the linkes below)

http://www.google.com/search?hl=&q=download+ie8&sourceid=navclient-ff&rlz=1B3GGGL_enUS312US316&ie=UTF-8

[soybean]

Since Windows 7 comes with IE8 installed and since IE8 is not available for removal via the Programs and Features panel (in Control Panel), how did you un-install IE8? 

And, why did you make the irrational decision to "remove" IE8?  Just because you've installed Chrome and have made it your default browser, that's absolutely no reason to remove IE, or any other non-Chrome browser.  Two or more browsers can live happily together on the same system.

If you don't want to use IE (except for sites that require it), then simply don't use it.  There's no need whatsoever to remove it.  Computer users get themselves into trouble with this notion of removing IE since IE, especially the version originally packaged with a particular version of Windows, is somewhat tightly integrated into the Windows 0S.  It's not the same as removing a non-Microsoft browser such as Chrome, Firefox, Opera, etc.

[BC_Programmer]

especially the version originally packaged with a particular version of Windows, is somewhat tightly integrated into the Windows OS. 

This I agree with, but I thought I should mention that this stands despite the "warnings" by oh so many self-proclaimed "experts" on the subject who say that it's "easy" to separate the two, and then they give you a detailed 200 step procedure you can use to do so.

What they fail to mention is of course that you lose quite a lot of features. Some of them might make a passing reference of the form "once you've removed it, you will lose a few features, like single click to open in explorer, but nothing you will miss".

Which is a clear indication that despite dictating hundreds of steps to separate IE and windows, they've never actually done it themselves. Internet Explorer is really just a shell around any number of components that are used and depended on by windows itself- the DHTML component, for example, is used extensively for the help and support modules as well as for the help files of other programs. If you were to remove IE entirely then you would no longer be able to view the help files for any program at all. To me this is something that would bear mention on said pages. In fact there are any number of completely unforeseen consequences to literal removal of IE, involving any number of UI elements and their respective features. programs who try to use these features under the silly assumption that people won't go diddling about with core OS components may not work correctly, if at all.