IE+removal+and+Fixing+the+Vista+Sidebar+Clock

IE removal and Fixing the Vista Sidebar Clock

Many people appear to be having problems with their Vista sidebar gadgets ( in particularly their clocks). There are several potential causes, along with recommended solutions for each. The cause that appears to be the most common, and the one that required the least disruptive solution, is one involving Internet Explorer 8 (IE8).

Apparently, Windows IE8 updates are occasionally wreaking havoc with Vista sidebar gadgets, This will involve uninstalling IE8 so, if you don’t have another browser installed, you may want to consider installing another one before going any further. The three different browsers below are all free and all work very well.

Firefox Chrome Opera

Click the Start button and select Control Panel

In the Control Panel, under Programs, select Uninstall a Program. If you have problems with yours, click on Control Panel Home in the upper left.

Once you’ve arrived at the Programs and Features window, in the Tasks pane on the left, click the link, View installed updates.

In the list of updates, look for Windows Internet Explorer 8 (the list is in alphabetical order). Double click on that.

You will be asked, Are you sure you want to uninstall this update?. Click Yes.

If this solves your problem, you can then reinstall IE8, and hope the problem doesn’t reappear, or you can just switch to whichever browser you installed earlier. Personally, I have 3 different browsers installed, and use them at different times, as some seem to perform better under different conditions. You may also want to try the version of IE9.

In XP

However, versions of Internet Explorer can be uninstalled. For this demonstration, IE8 was removed. After that, the browser automatically reverted to the previously installed IE7. With a minor adjustment to the Run line command (see below), this process can also be used to uninstall IE7 (it should be noted that wasn’t done here). Before uninstalling a browser, be sure another is installed. Begin by making hidden files and folders visible (this step is recommended by Microsoft, but I didn’t find it necessary. On my computer, the IE uninstall was successful either way). Click Start and select My Documents. Or, since the goal is to get into Windows Explorer, the keyboard shortcut (Win+E) can also be used.

Whichever method is chosen, from the Tools menu, select Folder Options.

Under the View tab, in Advanced settings, click the radio button beside Show hidden files and folders.

For the next step, you’ll have to know the correct IE version number. If you’re not sure which version you’re running, in the IE Help menu, click About Internet Explorer

Then, using the keyboard shortcut (Win+R), bring up Run and type (or copy and paste) the following, %windir%\ie8\spuninst\spuninst.exe Then click OK.

This run command applies to IE8. When removing a different version, the version number will need to be changed (%windir%\ie7\spuninst\spuninst.exe) In the Removal Wizard, click Next.

The following message will appear, with a list of all programs and updates installed after the installation of IE8. While a warning indicates that these programs might not work properly if IE is uninstalled, You should have no problems and, when the process was complete, Windows updates and IE8 were easily reinstalled.

Click Finish in the Removal Wizard for an automatic restart. Or, if you’re not ready for a restart, check the box, Do not restart now.  