Replacement for Internet Explorer? (vanity)

April 2, 2015 | me

[Leaning Right]

I have an older relative who is running Internet Explorer 8 on a Windows XP machine. She is finding that she can no longer load many of her favorite sites (no surprise there). So it's time for a new browser.

However, it took her quite a while to learn IE: how to add to Favorites, adjust the text size, etc. So I'm hoping there is a replacement browser out there that closely resembles her comfortable old IE 8. Any ideas would be very much appreciated!

[Leaning Right]

I also know my relative has a security issue with her XP machine. But she has Avast and Malwarebytes on it, and so far so good with that.

[rarestia]

If you’re running on XP, you might have a problem finding a modern browser. Have you tried to upgrade IE to 10 or 11?

[Eric in the Ozarks]

Headed into 6 years with iMac desktop.
Updated to Yosemite a few weeks ago (free.)

No problems.

[Yo-Yo]

With apologies to all of the Firefox fans, I’d recommend Google Chrome.

I hate Google, but Chrome works with most sites, and it is updatable. I had the same issue with Vista at home, and many sites required IE10 or higher to function properly.

They all worked on Chrome.

[BBB333]

You are NOT helping this post.

[Citizen Zed]

I like the Opera browser on XP. It does not come with the bloat that Chrome has. And Opera keeps itself updated easily.

http://www.opera.com/download

[BBB333]

XP machines can have their Internet Explorer updated to IE 10...

You will need to know if you have a 32 bit OS or a 64 bit OS (32 bit likely...)

Good luck!

[yuleeyahoo]

Slimbrowser functions like IE and works perfectly fine on XP.

http://www.slimbrowser.net/en/

[trebb]

The browser probably ain't the problem so much as what malware, etc., might be on it.

I use Chrome (moved from Firefox as it became more flaky and kept slowing down as a "normal" event). I have added AD BLOCK Plus TO Chrome and also have Avira Browser Safety installed. I use Windows Defender and occasionally use a free version of malwarebytes and their rootkit version and haven't had any issues in over a year since I went that route.

[Citizen Zed]

If you go with IE 10, use 32 bit to avoid compatibility issues with many web sites.

http://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/internet-explorer.aspx

[Eric in the Ozarks]

I had a belly-full of stupidity.

[Citizen Zed]

On XP, I suggest using AVG Free antivirus and occasionally run Malwarebytes Free.

http://free.avg.com/free-antivirus-download

https://www.malwarebytes.org/mwb-download/

[Montana_Sam]

1. PaleMoon. A derivative of Firefox.
2. Chrome can be OK.
3. Opera, possibly.

Or switch from XP to Kubuntu (Linux). That probably wouldn't work because it requires some re-learning as to how to do the same old thing on a new system. But Kubuntu is simple to maintain, works reasonably well on older hardware, and has few security issues. I highly recommend Kubuntu to all who would prefer not to deal with the idiocies of Windows 8/8.1 and the upcoming Windows 10. The scale/scope/quality of software available for free is astonishing.

[minnesota_bound]

Get Firefox and then install some add on’s like Flashblock and Adblock to get rid of all the blinking ads and the Classic Theme Restorer so it looks like the older browser with buttons with names on then them instead of the sleek hide everything Chrome and IE look. Also get Image zoom and NoSquint (for text).

[rstrahan]

Google Chrome is my go to browser. IE downloads so much crap that it is slow and clunky. Chrome is a much cleaner browser. You can run Startpage as the search engine under Chrome and it hides the source, keeping a lot of ads from popping up.

[Citizen Zed]

You can also use Microsoft Fixit to solve problems with XP

https://support2.microsoft.com/fixit/?ln=en-gb

[HotHunt]

I'm with you. Tell her to dump the Windows XP PC, forget Internet Explorer and get an iMac. She'll have no more problems.

I have three iMacs and will never go back to a PC that runs Microsoft anything. There's her problem.

[SuzyQue]

I use Palemoon. Works very well - haven’t found any site problems.

I don’t and won’t use Google anything.

[SuzyQue]

Ah, the knee-jerk “evil Microsoft” comment.

[Phillyred]

Chrome is pretty intuitive. I wouldn’t recommend installing any Flash blockers (as some have suggested) if she plays any online games, e.g., on Facebook.