Problems with Internet Explorer 8

[Grouser]

Earlier this year I downloaded and ran a temporary fix issued by Microsoft for a then newly discovered flaw in Internet Explorer. An update to IE8 was issued soon afterwards, but the tool to remove the fix disappeared from the Microsoft site.

Since then, to view and print online bills from British Gas, I have had to paste the link into Firefox. Now I am experiencing the same problem with online O2 bills.

How please can I restore IE8 to work fully as it used to?

[Jon]

What format are the bills being provided in? What happens when you try to print them? What was the fix supposed to address? Do you have a KB number for it? Without all that (and probably more) information we haven't a clue as to what you're actually experiencing.

[Grouser]

Apologies Jon! I cannot remember what the fix was supposed to correct.

Yesterday I opted to revert to the state of IE8 when it was installed, so I hope that this has corrected the problem. I did remember to opt for secure sites not being written to disk!

Bills are in .pdf format, and I will see if these can now be viewed normally, but renewed apology for my fading memory.

[Dr Keyboard]

You should be able to right-click the link to the bill and download it, then open it in e.g. Acrobat Reader. I use Firefox which has some plugin or other which shows PDFs as they should be seen in the browser - if you already have Firefox I'd suggest moving to it permanently and ditching IE except for Windows Update.

[doddl]

Is this still good advice? I have constant problems with IE8 despite updates and fixes and virus checking etc. It decides it must 'reload the window' at least once a day, and frequently freezes completely, requiring a reboot of the whole PC.

When it works, I like it. Does Firefox (which I'm using at the moment!) do everything IE does?

[Jon]

As far as I'm concerned FireFox does more than IE8, because it works consistently, which is a claim that IE hasn't been able to make since Version 5, IMO.

[Dr Keyboard]

Firefox is much better than IE, but its constant nags to update in the middle of doing something - and to do the update now and refuse to let me do anything else - drove me to try Google Chrome, which I have to say I love now. I no longer have Firefox on my machines.

[doddl]

Dr K and Jon, many thanks. I'm getting really fed up with IE having grumpy fits, so will start using Firefox, as I have it on the machine already, but will have a look at Chrome, too.

[Jon]

I actually use Seamonkey which is another Mozilla spinoff - it's like FireFox and Thunderbird (the Mozilla email program) combined, or the old Netscape Navigator. Has a few neat features that neither IE or FF have, like being able to set a bookmark to actually open a site for you if it's changed.