Reinstall Internet Explorer 8

Since 1995, Internet Explorer has been dished out with every version of the Windows operating system. For many years, it was the browser of choice for most netizens around the world. Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) is the latest avatar of Microsoft's premier web browser. Released on March 19, 2009, it comes installed by default with 32 bit and 64 bit versions of Windows XP, Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

When you encounter problems with IE 8, which arise due to the corrupting of the software, one of the best ways of fixing them is to reinstall. A reinstallation wipes the slate clean and restores functionality of the web browser. As you know, computer software and hardware installation procedures are different. While hardware reinstallations can be complicated, software reinstallation is much simpler. With the extremely user-friendly GUI (graphic user interface) of the Windows operating system, it is very easy to uninstall and reinstall the browser. What makes installation and reinstallation on Windows easier, are its 'Wizards'. They are easy to follow programs that guide you through the process. This is one of the prime reasons why people opt for Windows operating system.

How to Uninstall and Reinstall Internet Explorer 8

The procedure that I present here is with reference to Windows Vista. It will be similar for Windows 7 and other operating systems.

Step 1: Open Control Panel
For any administrative function, including uninstalling programs, adding devices, configuring hardware and other such jobs, which you need to carry out on a Windows operating system, you need to visit the 'Control Panel'. Click on the Windows logo, at the bottom left of your computer screen. This will open up several options. Click on the control panel option, which will open up several programs icons. On Windows Vista, the bottom left option will be 'Programs'. Select the 'Uninstall Programs' option listed under it.

Step 2: Uninstall Internet Explorer
Once you do that, a list of currently installed programs will appear. You won't find Internet Explorer listed there. That is because it is installed as a Windows update. Click on the 'View Installed Updates' link on the left hand side. Go to the list bottom to find 'Windows Update For Internet Explorer 8'. Select it and click on the 'Uninstall' button. This will trigger the uninstalling process.

Step 3: Restart Computer
Once the uninstallation of the IE8 windows update is over, you will need to restart your computer to complete the process. Once you restart, you will notice that Windows has reverted back to Internet Explorer 7. This finishes the reinstallation process. Now let us see how to reinstall.

Step 4: Download Fresh Internet Explorer 8 Update & Install
There are two ways to reinstall this browser. One way is to go to the Microsoft official web page for IE8 upgrade and download and install the upgrade. The other way is to go to the Windows update page, through the 'Check for Updates' link under 'Security' icon in control panel. There you must select the 'Windows update for Internet Explorer 8' option and click on 'Install Updates'. This will download the IE8 update again, which will be installed once you restart the computer. That concludes the procedure.

As you must have realized, it is an extremely simple procedure to follow. In fact, the above mentioned procedure works for reinstallation of any program on Windows 7, Windows Vista or Windows XP operating system.