Upgrade IE even if I don't use it?

[DivByZero]

Fairly recently I installed xp pro sp3 on a new hard drive. I haven't upgraded its ie6 to ie8 yet because the only thing I use IE for is the Microsoft Update site. I'm told that upgrading IE affects more than just the browser, so would upgrading make the OS more secure in any way? Would it make any other desirable changes?

[Tomwa]

Because Microsoft has engrained their browser into the depths of the operating system I would recommend leaving the browser alone and updating it through Windows Update when prompted to do so. I haven't been on XP in several years so I'm unsure of how bad it would be on XP I know it's a generally accepted policy to update it and leave it alone (I've actually got my IE blocked with SRP).

[Kerodo]

Originally Posted by DivByZero

Fairly recently I installed xp pro sp3 on a new hard drive. I haven't upgraded its ie6 to ie8 yet because the only thing I use IE for is the Microsoft Update site. I'm told that upgrading IE affects more than just the browser, so would upgrading make the OS more secure in any way? Would it make any other desirable changes?

Upgrading to IE8 would probably be the wise thing to do just in general principle... You should probably treat that update just like any other, and install it.

[noone_particular]

You either need to update it or get rid of it. IE6 is the last thing you want on any PC. Internet Explorer is very integrated into the OS. Getting rid of it is possible but is not a task for the average user. Getting rid of IE can break other apps. Sometimes this can be fixed by adding the specific IE files to the apps folders. Sometimes it doesn't. If you consider getting rid of IE, make a full system backup first. Save yourself a lot of grief.

[DivByZero]

K, verdict is do something about ie6 asap.

Interesting, I didn't know IE could be removed. Is that what you chose to do, noone? Did it break any apps you actually use? If I went that route and disliked the side effects, wouldn't a full-install of IE8 fix the problems? I notice you didn't say system restore point, you said full system backup, so I guess it's more serious than I'm imagining.

If I update instead, then after updating I'll SRP its ~ Snipped as per TOS ~ right away, smart thinking Tomwa ty.

[erim]

Update it to IE8, but then disable it in "Windows features".

You don't need to use IE for updates, XP has automatic updates, which you can set so that you get notified, but you select them manually.

[noone_particular]

DivByZero,
IE and many other "integrated components" can be removed. When I stripped mine down, I used XPlite. It's been a while since I used it and I'm kicking myself for not documenting it better. I can't point directly at Internet Explorer and say that removing it broke specific apps I used. I stripped out a lot more than IE, and I did break several apps. I also remember having a difficult time getting IE8 (required by a game I tried) to install properly. On that PC, I reverted back to its original state, then installed IE8. Out of 2 XP units here, one has IE8. The other doesn't have IE at all.

Regarding system restore, I've had very little success using it. In this instance, I didn't even try. Depending on what you use your PC for, stripping it down can have unexpected consequences. MS interconnected a lot of their apps.

[DivByZero]

I think I'll just try it out on my old hard drive (which I'll boot from usb) first to see if I wanna do it to the new drive's xp.

I can do it with just the free trial? (I think first I'll google around for the manual steps though.)

The xplite site says it can also reinstall, I take it that didn't work for you?

[noone_particular]

Internet Explorer removal isn't available on the trial version. I didn't try the reinstall option.