Removing the ability to open IE

HarshLanguage

I'm a long-time Firefox user. I only use IE when absolutely necessary for my job, and basically never use it on my home machines. I don't want to "completely uninstall" IE, I know XP almost requires it, I just want to prevent it from opening in any normal use. So I have my Program Access and Defaults set to disallow access to IE, and only use Firefox. Simple, right?

No. Here's the problem. Many applications, but specifically game launcher-type programs, still open IE when I click on a link. Now, I know that these programs are probably using the IE engine to display their content. But I want to open the links only in Firefox, never in IE. I never want to open a clicked link from a program into a brand-new instance of IE.

Is it possible to do this?

Dark Shroud

There is no way that I've found to prevent this. The program is calling IE directly instead of letting the OS handle it. For the reason you've already listed on the programs using IE to display their content.

I hope you're at least keeping IE updated for security reasons. If you want to lessen your pain you could install the IE8 beta 2.

You can give this program a try at your own risk.

http://www.softpedia.com/get/Security/Lockdown/IE-Close.shtml

exoplasm

This might have some setting to automatically open specified (or all) pages in firefox:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/223

wunderbar

IE is built into windows, there is no way at all to remove it. Just keep doing what you're doing, keep IE updated, and only use it when you have to.

Also, don't use IE8 Beta 2. It runs like ass on my Core Duo laptop.

Daedalus

1) Set Firefox as your default browser.

2) Stop using other programs that ignore your default browser setting and insist on IE.

There, problem solved.

Dírhael

Well you could set the permissions for iexplore.exe to prevent it from ever being launched (or allow/deny according to user/groups), but doing so will not force other programs to open links in Firefox/Opera/Whatever so it wouldn't completely solve your problem.

Szechuanosaurus

This is my sole gripe with Steam. Why couldn't they include an option to choose a different browser to open external links in the setup?