How to Repair Internet Explorer

If you are an Internet Explorer user, you may at times face some problems. You should know how to repair Internet Explorer to avoid wastage of time searching for solutions for different problems on the Internet or otherwise.

The problems can be as diverse as:

This list is not comprehensive, but indicative. This does not mean Internet Explorer is a bad browser. These things happen with other browsers too. In most cases, the steps to repair Internet Explorer are the same, and IE is fixed when you find out which add-on is giving problems. This also means in most cases, it is one or more add-on that creates the problem.

Find Out Problematic Add-On

Most programs add their own add-ons to Internet Explorer. When you install programs such as Nero or ZoneAlarm, they install their own toolbars and attempt to change the homepage. Programs like Adobe and HP printer drivers too, add their own IE helpers. To handle real-time changes in IE helpers or add-ons, I recommend using WinPatrol.

Repair Internet Explorer

To repair Internet Explorer, first of all you need to see if it is some add-on creating problem. To check out the same, run Internet Explorer without any add-ons and see the performance. If it runs fine, the problem is some add-on.

To run Internet Explorer without add-ons:

Click Start Menu
Click All Programs
Click Accessories
Click System Tools
Click Internet Explorer Without add-ons

To isolate the add-on that is creating a problem:

Press ALT + T to open the Tools menu
Select Manage Add-ons
When the Manage Add-ons window appears, disable all the toolbars and other add-ons
Enable one add-on
Click OK to close the Manage Add-on Dialog Box
Test the performance of IE
If it gives a problem, the add-on you just enabled is the culprit.
If it does not give any problem, keep on enabling and checking IE performance until you find the one giving you the problem
When you find the problematic add-on, simply disable or remove it from IE.

If you enabled all add-ons one by one and the problem is still there, some setting must have been changed in the Internet Options.

This is where you will need to reset Internet Explorer.

Reset Internet Explorer

To reset the Internet Explorer:

Open Control Panel
Open Internet Options
Go to the Advanced Tab
Click on the Reset Button
Confirm by clicking OK
After the reset, reopen Internet Explorer and see if the problem is gone.

If the problem is still there, you will need to reinstall Internet Explorer. But before you do so, try using our Fix IE utility or the Internet Explorer Troubleshooter and see if it helps you.

This explains how to repair Internet Explorer for common problems. If you have any questions, please feel free to leave a comment below.

How to Reset Internet Explorer Settings to default in Windows?

Internet Explorer has many security enhancements, that make it less susceptible to malware. However one can never be too sure! Moreover, badly written add-ons can also affect the browsing experience in IE. Often we find that our once fast browser has become slow to start and use. Over a period of time, we may install and uninstall add-ons, plugins, and toolbars. Should you find that your Internet Explorer freezes or is not working the way you want to, you can easily reset Internet Explorer settings to default. This is called the RIES feature of IE.

To reset Internet Explorer Settings to default, open IE > Tools > Internet Options > Advanced tab > Click Reset > Close >OK. Once this is done restart Internet Explorer. But before you use the reset button, there are a few things you should know.

When you click on the Reset Internet Explorer button, the following will happen:

Toolbars and add-ons get disabled
Web browser settings revert to the default
Privacy & Security settings are changed back to their default values
Tab browser, pop-up settings, and advanced options are reverted back to default values.

If you select the Delete personal settings, then additional settings like home page, search providers, accelerators, etc are all set to default. Moreover Cache, Cookies, Passwords, Web form data, History, ActiveX filtering, Tracking Protection data, etc files are also deleted.

RIES does not reset some settings in Internet Explorer.

The following four settings are not reset, because applications other than IE may be using them.

Enable FTP folder view (outside of IE)
Use passive FTP (for firewall and DSL modem compatibility)
Always use ClearType for HTML
Check for Publisher’s certificate revocation

To reset these settings, in Windows, you will have to follow these steps:

Click Start, type inetcpl.cpl in the Start Search box, and hit enter. In the Internet Properties dialog box, click the Advanced tab, and then click Restore advanced settings.

The RIES DOES NOT affect the following settings:

By default, the Automatically detect intranet network setting is enabled. To change this setting, follow these steps:

On the Security tab in the Internet Properties dialog box, click Local intranet, and then click Sites.
Click to select the checkbox that is next to Automatically detect intranet network.

By default, the Require server verification (https: ) for all sites in this zone checkbox for the local intranet is not selected. To restore this setting, follow these steps:

On the Security tab in the Internet Properties dialog box, select the Local intranet zone, and then click Sites.
In the Local intranet dialog box, click Advanced.
Click to clear the Require server verification (https: ) for all sites in this zone checkbox.

By default, the Require Server Verification (https: ) for all sites in this zone check box for trusted sites is selected.
To restore this setting, follow these steps:

On the Security tab in the Internet Properties dialog box, select the Trusted sites zone, and then click Sites.
In the Trusted sites dialog box, click to select the Require server verification (https: ) for all sites in this zone checkbox if it is not already enabled.

By default, the Lock the Toolbars setting is enabled. In Internet Explorer \, on the View menu, click Toolbars, and then click Lock the Toolbars to enable this setting if it is not already enabled.

PS: If you are not an Internet Explorer user, you might want to check these links instead!