Remove MSIE4 from Windows 98

Remove MSIE4 from Windows 98.

How to remove MS Internet Explorer 4.x from Windows 98.

Thanks to Shane Brooks!

When removing Internet Explorer from Windows 98 you get the following benefits:

- Windows 98 runs much faster
- You get back 35Mb more diskspace
- Netscape Navigator works fine under Windows 98 again.... :)

Wether I or anyone else will take no responsability for this, so you better use a test system so you easily can reinstall if needed if this goes wrong. Also take a backup of the registry, the entire Windows directory tree and "c:\program files\internet explorer" tree.

1. Replace the shell

Restart the computer in MS-DOS mode. Move the following three files to a diskette by typing:

move c:\windows\explorer.exe a:
move c:\windows\system\shell32.dll a:
move c:\windows\system\comdlg32.dll a:

Then copy the Windows 95 version of these three files to the same location. If these files are located on an other diskette, insert it and type:

copy a:\explorer.exe c:\windows
copy a:\shell32.dll c:\windows\system
copy a:\comdlg32.dll c:\windows\system

(Here you can download the files from the Norwegian Windows 95, including Wordpad and Notepad.)
Now restart the computer with the new shell. Of course you can stop here, and if you need MS Internet Explorer, you just replace the three files with Windows 98 versions.

2. Make some free space

If you want to you can free some space on the disc by deleting a lot of files that only the Internet Explorer uses. This meens you can deleted the following directory structures and all files and subdirectories they contain:

c:\program files\internet explorer
c:\program files\uninstall information
c:\windows\application Data\microsoft\internet explorer
c:\windows\application Data\microsoft\welcome
c:\windows\catroot
c:\windows\cookies
c:\windows\downloaded program files
c:\windows\favorites (have to delete in DOS)
c:\windows\history
c:\windows\java
c:\windows\temporary internet files
c:\windows\web

Search for and delete all Desktop.ini and *.htt files (used for "web view" of folders). And if you do not use multi user setup you can delete:

c:\windows\all users

3. What's the catch??

Well, for one you can not use MS Internet Explorer, but that should be obvious. :) But I'm shure you'll find a substitute for that one. Then the Windows Update will not work because it depends on the Explorer. Also the Notepad and the Wordpad did not work, but these are easily replaced by the Windows 95 versions.

The good news is that we have a faster, cleaner and more stable OS.....

On Shane Brooks' website there is also mentioned more files you can delete together with registry entries to remove in addition to free programs that automate a lot of this for you.