How to get rid of iexplore.exe? Help

It's a long time µI haven't come around but I'm happy to find back this site i really appriciate.

Those who recall me knows that my expertise field is about networking and communication systems, Iam a so called system architect.

For my technical background, especially on windows I' am a dick!

I'd like to use Opera to browse the web, and get rid of iexplorer.exe in the started process list. But %I can't find the servicce related the Enternet Eplorer APP.

I'll really appriciate your help about this dumb question....

thanks AOs

I've been doing a little searching on this as it's been asked before (in a variety of ways). In one of my searches someone recommended XPLite (note: they also have a 2000Lite and a 98Lite). Apparently this effectively removes ALL of iexplore (well over 200+ deletions and registry enteries). It looks like an interesting tool that could help a.) reduce the footprint size of a Windows install (streamline it) and b.) help remove some of the unnecessary or riskier components.

A word of caution however: I haven't used it so I can't fully attest to it's successes or failures. So you are at your own risk here.

First, what OS are you using?

Second, why delete IE completely ?

Third, is this for your home machines or a corporate network you are configuring?

I use Mozilla products exclusively, but leave IE. ( It is integrated into the OS anyway )
Set the security options for IE to high, set the firewall to block requests from IE, leave IE as default browser. Then, if any applications try to access the web I get an alert! ( for a corporate implementation you could just deny with no alert ). And when I click on “ Windows Update” IE loads. I don’t have to F* around trying to do upgrades without “ Automatic updates” enabled.

Quote:

---

Originally posted here by MsMittens
A word of caution however: I haven't used it so I can't fully attest to it's successes or failures. So you are at your own risk here.

---

Thanks professor, sound to be a good lead to investigate... Hope that AOs had already experienced it and share their experience ....

Quote:

---

Originally posted here by IKnowNot
First, what OS are you using?
Second, why delete IE completely ?
Third, is this for your home machines or a corporate network you are configuring?

---

I assume their is no social engineering. For detail, the machine is running XPsp2 and I have admnistrator rights (it is my computer wife property). I don't really want to delete IE (but if I have no choice I'll do it!)
I am just upset by the waste of RAM iexplore induce on the system, sometimes it goes up tu 40MB, compare to opera it is very counter performant.
My point is that when I'm using Opera , I don't see any reason why iexplorer.exe is running in background.
Best solution for me is to desactivate the related windows service, but I can't figure out which one it is.

Any info would be very helpful, thanks buddies

you can't delete IE..it's part of the OS.

Networker, I don't think there is an associated service with iexplore.exe. As has been mentioned, it is integrated to the OS, so unless you go the route MsMittens has mentioned, I doubt you will be able to remove it completely. As for removing the running processes, I would consider IKnowNot's advice carefully...that strategy sounds like a pretty good one. I tend to set Firefox as my default browser, and then I go into the Program Access And Defaults and select Firefox as the default resource with IE access disabled (XP Pro SP2). This makes IE pretty much disappear...but its still there. If I click the 'Inbox' link in MSN messenger, it still opens IE. :P And I bet your background processes are still active too, but hopefully not wasting 40MB of ram overhead.

I am running XP SP 2 and firefox.

However, when i'm not running IE, iexplore.exe does NOT stay open in the background. Is there any possibility the system has a virus or spyware of some sort masquerading as iexplore.exe?

I suspect that explore.exe and Iexplore.exe are tightly merged or linked in the OS. Especilally from millenimum edition, I suspect that's part of monopolistic M$ strategy.

Mentionned MsMittens XPlite site is very interesting for a quick surf, its just annoying to pay 40 box to remove a M$ stove pipe...

Maybe the best solution is to double my hardware ram capacity from 512 to 1G so it would be neglictable but that would be a brut force a defeat soution.

God save linux, BSD, unix, and send M$ to hell...

This machine is running XP SP1 and I am browsing using Firefox right now. I have no iexplore.exe running in the background.

I do have explorer.exe running, as this is a fundamental part of Windows. Basically, Windows won't run without it.

I am wondering if you have Windows/IE set to automatically look for updates..............in which case it may well be in your startup list. As a first step, just go to Contol Panel, Automatic Updates and turn them off.

Otherwise it sounds as if you have some malware running. Update your AV, reboot into SAFE MODE and run that.

Cheers

Quote:

---

I do have explorer.exe running, as this is a fundamental part of Windows. Basically, Windows won't run without it.

---

What if you use a shell replacement and use litestep.exe as your "explorer.exe", could windows run without it then, since you edit the registry to use litestep.exe instead of explorer.exe ?

Quote:

---

I assume their is no social engineering.

---

?????
Don't know why you would ask this in this scenario, but no ( geeeeesh, ... you must be as paranoid as me! ) Don't you know I am one of the most trust-worthy persons on AO????
( Even though it's true, if you believe it I have a bridge to sell you. )

Again, I stand by my first post. But I would also consider Timmy77 's and nihil 's request to know if there could be spyware, etc. Although I have not used Opera in quite a while, I believe IE should not be running, even though in the background, unless as nihil said you have auto-updates enabled which I do not.. ( it doesn't here, XPsp2 and Mozilla product, ... oh, wait a minute, My wife woke up and kicked me off that machine ... but it still was true )

You should try to download process explorer from http://www.sysinternals.com/ and run that, the site also has several other applications for windows included in the ps-tools stuff. These applications will show you what is running at the time it is running, what is really running mind you, and it also shows you the actual tree of execution. This will show you where that iexplore.exe is coming from. Using this you can see whether or not it is the real IE. If it isn't (IE shouldn't load on startup, or unless you specifically tell it to) it will tell you where it is, delete(stop it from execution first) that one. If it comes back you have a virus, otherwise if it is the real IE, something got a little screwy in your registry.