Scan & Fix 50 registry issues FREECNET Editors' note: Update, March 20, 2013: Please note that Internet Explorer 8 is now for Windows XP only. Because of its numerous security and stability flaws as a legacy browser, CNET does not recommend using IE8 except as a last resort. In light of its limitations when compared against the competition, we have downgraded IE8's final score to 2 stars. Also, we strongly advocate using either Chrome or Firefox, both of which receive updates every six weeks on Windows XP, and offer improved security as well as better browsing features. If you are looking for the most recent version of Internet Explorer, you can read CNET's review and download IE10 here.
CNET Editors' review
Update, March 14, 2011: Note that Internet Explorer 8 is now for Windows XP only. If you have Windows Vista or Windows 7, you are strongly encouraged to upgrade to Internet Explorer 9 (download) for improved browser security and better browsing features.
Internet Explorer 8 addresses just about all of the major concerns that users and critics have had with the world's most used browser. Whether they get answered in a way you like is another matter.
There are several new and interesting features. Web Slices lets you save predefined sections of a Web page for at-a-glance viewing. Instead of going to a traffic Web site for updates, the latest commuting news comes to you. Similarly, Accelerators make repetitive tasks one-click behaviors, for instance finding directions or blogging. InPrivate browsing introduces a cache and history on-off switch, while related tabs are color-coded and automatically reorganized as you open them. There's also tab sandboxing, which means that when a tab crashes, IE itself won't, and it even tries to resurrect the page that crashed.
There's a greater emphasis on Web standards and security than before. The SmartScreen and cross-site scripting filters throw up a red warning page when you're about to visit an unsafe site. There's also domain highlighting, which grays out the name of the URL you're looking at except for the domain itself. This sounds simple, but effectively draws attention to spoofed site URLs. There's also a compatibility button so that sites designed specifically for IE 7 and earlier can still be viewed.
IE 8 lacks a default "smart" location bar that many other browsers have, but you can search your history and most visited pages from there. Also, the installation process still requires a reboot--unimpressive, to say the least. Drawbacks aside, there's no reason to not upgrade if you're an old fan of IE, and there's even a few things in IE 8 for new users.
Publisher's Description
From Microsoft:
Internet Explorer 8 adds accelerators to provide instant access to information like maps, web searches, translations, email, blogging, and more; faster performance; a smart address bar; improved privacy protection; and Compatibility View for displaying websites designed for older browsers.
Internet Explorer is in the Web Browsers category of the Browsers section.
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6,891 downloads
- Internet Explorer
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All versions:
2.4 starsout of 1,685 votes
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Current version:
2.3 starsout of 591 votes
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My rating:
Write review
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"Probably the worst browser out there."
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
-Useable.
-Great for untechy folk.
-Free.
-Made by Microsoft.Cons
-Slow.
-Crashes all the time.
-Can't eaisily add plugins.
-Hard to make webpages compatible with it.
-Does not support latest web standards.Summary
Internet Explorer is a useable browser, but I would strongly recommend another browser such as Google Chrome or Firefox.
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"Failure In Every Aspect"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
Nothing at all
Cons
Slow, ugly design, a million toolbars, and slow (Yes, I said it twice. It really is that slow)
Summary
It's the dumbest browser that Microsoft ever thought of.Need I say more?
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"Absolute rubbish. Does not behave like a browser should"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
The Close button
Cons
its existance
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"My favourite browser since i bought my PC(with IE 6)"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
Everything is very fast, its even faster than google chrome. User interface is great, adress bar is awesome - everything is well organised
Cons
Reputation - Many people have problem with IE because their windows is in terrible shape (and that's the reason why they start hating IE)
Summary
In my opinion IE is the best browser, i've been using it since version 6 and it has never dissapointed me.(sorry for bad English I am from Serbia)
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"I don't like this browser,Chrome and FF is much better"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
Bookmarks can be accessible from task bar
Nice designCons
It has very ****** engine
Very slow
laggy -
"it's total crap"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
let's see, during the few minutes it works before the message "internet explorer has stopped working" it does what you would expect from a browser
Cons
it stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working and stops working
Summary
it's complete crap, get the picture? Total waste of hard drive space, and my experience with Windows 7 Ultimate 64bit so far isn't much better. I never had a problem with 32bit. Microsoft has gotten so dang fat and lazy they don't even try to make a product work right until they've sold millions of copies and people start to complain
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"JUST RESET IT'S SETTINGS IF YOU HAVE PROBLEMS WITH 'IE'"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
Internet explorer is a good browser with simple interface.
Cons
It seems to me that every program which I install wants to add something to internet explorer , and those toolbars and 'right click add-ons' are internet explorer's ''killers''. For me - everything which wants to add something permanently to my browser without asking is a malware ,and programs which does not warn you about those add-ons should not be installed .
Summary
Do reset to you're internet settings periodically , and you will have no trouble with it ...JUST GO TO - CONTROL PANEL - INTERNET OPTIONS - ADVANCED - RESET - and restart the browser after that,then you can change you're home page etc...
hello dograg,
Updated on Aug 24, 2012
I think that you should turn automatic updates on,maybe that makes problems with your IE,and uninstall all the ''system optimizers''-if you got any -except CC cleaner . And reset IE like I had explained in review. -
"Bad version.... keep your current IE version."
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
There are no pros.
Cons
They took away all of the comfort (what I was used to) and gave me a screen devoid of quick links. Additionally, videos don't load correctly, many of my work-based applications/websites crash or appear strange. PDFs load as if they're 8-bit. It's a really terrible version. I even had to move to chrome to submit this review. No wonder it's gotten such bad ratings.
I've gone to using Chrome exclusively when I was a pretty devout IE user.Summary
Just a bad version.
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"Fast, Stable and Secure"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
Fast, Stable and Secure
Cons
None that I can think of...
Summary
Great browser. Much better than IE 8. Much better than Chrome...
Chrome sucks... it is an over-hyped and over-rated system memory hog... and isn't as secure as many seem to think. Use a different browser. -
"keeps changing my settings"
Version: Internet Explorer 8
Pros
seems faster than previous versions but ...
Cons
changes my home page to MSN on every restart even though I keep changing it back to my custominzed MyYahoo page; on every internet visit (that could be twenty plus times a day) it gives me a pop up asking me to manage my add-ons - have tried adding and taking away - but the useless screen pops up everytime, won't let me go back to a previous version just to get rid of this BS; keeps adding bing search and other similiar stuff, even though I won't use it. I'm moving to another browser
Summary
Question is - which browser, don't want to use Chrome for the same reasons I don't use Google, too much tracking so just don't trust them. Have tried Gozilla but its got problems too. So just as I've changed to DuckDuckGo search which gives me google plus others without the tracking, will use a browser that combines others
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