disabling iexporer will foreclose the functionality of other programs?

I think Steam relies on it as do a few other programs. Why do you want to do this?

drugo said:

TwoCables said:

I think Steam relies on it as do a few other programs. Why do you want to do this?

steam do you mean the game client?

Yep!

drugo said:

because i use only firefox

This isn't a good enough reason (Firefox is the only browser I use too). Disabling Internet Explorer won't provide you with any benefits.

Disabling IE is good for security, I don't know if IE is still as terrible as it used to be, I hear it's great now, but I'll still never go back to it. Either way not here to bash IE, if you don't use it, remove it, gets rid of loose ends. Removing IE does not affect Steam or any other programs on the computer. On fresh installs of Windows since Windows XP I've disabled it and not once have I gotten an error or request to re-enable it. Still not here to bash IE, but because of how bad it used to be most programs do not rely on it, thus I've never heard of it being needed for something, but if it ever is needed all you have to do is re-check it and Windows will reinstall it, no DVD or downloading needed, takes just a minute.

How is it good for security if you're not even using it? I mean, how is disabling it making a difference to your system's security?

TwoCables said:

How is it good for security if you're not even using it? I mean, how is disabling it making a difference to your system's security?

While disabling IE does not actually remove it from the computer, since you can re-enable it without the DVD, it still locks it up and removes it from the installed programs list. If the OPs computer were ever to say get a virus that did something requiring/involving IE, well you just took its ammo and now it can't do anything. And this theory of mine applies to any program that you don't use.

Dude said:

herqulees said:

TwoCables said:

How is it good for security if you're not even using it? I mean, how is disabling it making a difference to your system's security?

While disabling IE does not actually remove it from the computer, since you can re-enable it without the DVD, it still locks it up and removes it from the installed programs list. If the OPs computer were ever to say get a virus that did something requiring/involving IE, well you just took its ammo and now it can't do anything. And this theory of mine applies to any program that you don't use.

That theory doesn't hold water with me. If I were one that made a virus that could use IE, I'm sure I could enable it too. I think it's just paranoia.

Well everyone has their own ways. Either way the main question still stands, IE is never used, so why keep it? Since XP I've disabled it from day one and deleted the Internet Explorer folder from Program Files, something I did just out of curiosity if it'd crash anything, and here it is ten years and three different OSs later I do the same without issue. I keep a backup of the IE folder along with tons of other folders and files I've stripped from my still fully functioning OS, but have yet to need them.