Firefox and IE on the same computer? Is it even possible?
July 8, 2010 8:20 PM Subscribe
Firefox problems or something else? I have an Acer Aspire 3000 laptop running Windows XP Version 2002. I bought it used from a friend about six months ago. It had both Explorer and Firefox loaded. The Firefox works, the Explorer doesn't. But wait! There's more...
This didn't bother me until I attempted to complete online traffic school for a ticket and the site said I couldn't do it since I didn't have Explorer or Netscape. So I went to download Explorer 8 (not sure what version is already on it) and the dialog box didn't look like the sample dialog box on the Explorer download page. I completed the download anyway and the popup window on the lower right
said the download was complete.
So where is it? It wasn't on the desktop. After the download had supposedly completed, the dialog box was blank. Clicking on the IE icon didn't work, it gives me a "Page not found."
So what could be going on? Is Firefox preventing IE from connecting and from downloading and is there any way to get around it? Or could something else be wrong?
(FWIW I also tried downloading Netscape but that took me to a page that said Mozilla owned Netscape and is discontinuing their products. There was nothing to download).
This didn't bother me until I attempted to complete online traffic school for a ticket and the site said I couldn't do it since I didn't have Explorer or Netscape. So I went to download Explorer 8 (not sure what version is already on it) and the dialog box didn't look like the sample dialog box on the Explorer download page. I completed the download anyway and the popup window on the lower right
said the download was complete.
So where is it? It wasn't on the desktop. After the download had supposedly completed, the dialog box was blank. Clicking on the IE icon didn't work, it gives me a "Page not found."
So what could be going on? Is Firefox preventing IE from connecting and from downloading and is there any way to get around it? Or could something else be wrong?
(FWIW I also tried downloading Netscape but that took me to a page that said Mozilla owned Netscape and is discontinuing their products. There was nothing to download).
Apologies if this is obvious and you've already tried it:
In firefox, go tools->options...->general
under "Downloads" select "Always ask me where to save files" and try the IE download again.
?
posted by juv3nal at 9:34 PM on July 8, 2010
In firefox, go tools->options...->general
under "Downloads" select "Always ask me where to save files" and try the IE download again.
?
posted by juv3nal at 9:34 PM on July 8, 2010
Check...Control Panel...Add or Remove Programs...Add/Remove Windows Components(on the left side of the box) maybe they have disabled IE there.
posted by lee at 9:38 PM on July 8, 2010
posted by lee at 9:38 PM on July 8, 2010
You should use Windows Update to install the latest version of Internet Explorer.
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:59 PM on July 8, 2010
posted by jeffamaphone at 9:59 PM on July 8, 2010
Also, Firefox and IE have nothing to do with each other, so it is very unlikely they are interfering with each other.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:00 PM on July 8, 2010
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:00 PM on July 8, 2010
Also, make sure your IE install is generating a reasonable user agent string.
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:01 PM on July 8, 2010
posted by jeffamaphone at 10:01 PM on July 8, 2010
Okay, a couple of things here:
First of all, your priority, I think, should be getting the original Internet Explorer working on this computer. It ought to work, and since it's technically actually impossible to uninstall or even disable Internet Explorer on Windows XP (juv3nal's talking about an option on Vista, I think; you can in fact disable IE in XP, but it takes some weird proxy-server shit) the fact that it doesn't work is a little worrisome to me - it seems to me that something might be wrong with the computer.
jeffamaphone's instructions will probably work well. I'm going to start with basics, though:
1. How do you know that Firefox works, and Internet Explorer doesn't? Is this something you've seen for yourself, or did the guy you bought it from just tell you that Internet Explorer didn't work? Did you just buy that because all the icons for it are gone? That doesn't mean it doesn't work.
2. You should try running the system copy of Internet Explorer purely, without any shortcuts. Do this:
Press Window-R, or open the start menu and select "Run." You will get a little box that says "Run" in the lower left corner.
Type the word iexplore into the box, and press enter. This should run Internet Explorer.
Do all of this, and tell us what happens. We ought to be able to figure out what's going wrong with it.
Overall, though, jeffamaphone is right; you just need to install the latest version via Windows Update, if you can. These steps above will, however, give us some info to help diagnose the problem, particularly if you can't get the latest version through Update.
posted by koeselitz at 10:36 PM on July 8, 2010
First of all, your priority, I think, should be getting the original Internet Explorer working on this computer. It ought to work, and since it's technically actually impossible to uninstall or even disable Internet Explorer on Windows XP (juv3nal's talking about an option on Vista, I think; you can in fact disable IE in XP, but it takes some weird proxy-server shit) the fact that it doesn't work is a little worrisome to me - it seems to me that something might be wrong with the computer.
jeffamaphone's instructions will probably work well. I'm going to start with basics, though:
1. How do you know that Firefox works, and Internet Explorer doesn't? Is this something you've seen for yourself, or did the guy you bought it from just tell you that Internet Explorer didn't work? Did you just buy that because all the icons for it are gone? That doesn't mean it doesn't work.
2. You should try running the system copy of Internet Explorer purely, without any shortcuts. Do this:
Do all of this, and tell us what happens. We ought to be able to figure out what's going wrong with it.
Overall, though, jeffamaphone is right; you just need to install the latest version via Windows Update, if you can. These steps above will, however, give us some info to help diagnose the problem, particularly if you can't get the latest version through Update.
posted by koeselitz at 10:36 PM on July 8, 2010
@koeslitz IE is very easy to disable in XP thru the method I mention above. There is a check box menu and you can turn it off. You are correct that it can't be uninstalled.
posted by lee at 10:43 PM on July 8, 2010
posted by lee at 10:43 PM on July 8, 2010
lee: “IE is very easy to disable in XP thru the method I mention above. There is a check box menu and you can turn it off. You are correct that it can't be uninstalled.”
On Windows XP Service Pack 1 (2002), like the poster said? No. That option wasn't added until Service Pack 2, and not in the form you describe until Service Pack 3.
posted by koeselitz at 12:18 AM on July 9, 2010
On Windows XP Service Pack 1 (2002), like the poster said? No. That option wasn't added until Service Pack 2, and not in the form you describe until Service Pack 3.
posted by koeselitz at 12:18 AM on July 9, 2010
Give this firefox addon a try.
Seconding this, but IE Tab hasn't been updated for the newer version of Firefox. IE Tab Plus is a fork that is quickly updated.
So I went to download Explorer 8 (not sure what version is already on it) and the dialog box didn't look like the sample dialog box on the Explorer download page.
If you downloaded with Firefox then its under My Documents > Downloads or wherever the default has been set. Go to Tools > Options > General to see the default location. Here is a direct link to IE8 for XP. Click on here once you set your default to your desktop or wherever is easy for you to find.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:48 AM on July 9, 2010
Seconding this, but IE Tab hasn't been updated for the newer version of Firefox. IE Tab Plus is a fork that is quickly updated.
So I went to download Explorer 8 (not sure what version is already on it) and the dialog box didn't look like the sample dialog box on the Explorer download page.
If you downloaded with Firefox then its under My Documents > Downloads or wherever the default has been set. Go to Tools > Options > General to see the default location. Here is a direct link to IE8 for XP. Click on here once you set your default to your desktop or wherever is easy for you to find.
posted by damn dirty ape at 11:48 AM on July 9, 2010
Thanks damn dirty ape. I didn't know about that other fork.
posted by white_devil at 7:47 AM on July 11, 2010
posted by white_devil at 7:47 AM on July 11, 2010
Unfortunately, IE Tab (and IE Tab Plus) aren't actually Internet Explorer emulators. They just call the IE process that's native on the computer you're using, so if Internet Explorer isn't working on your computer, IE Tab won't work, either.
You'll have to get that sorted out, first.
That said, I suspect that a few people above who mentioned that you might have IE disabled might be correct.
posted by koeselitz at 10:03 AM on July 11, 2010
You'll have to get that sorted out, first.
That said, I suspect that a few people above who mentioned that you might have IE disabled might be correct.
posted by koeselitz at 10:03 AM on July 11, 2010
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posted by white_devil at 8:53 PM on July 8, 2010