i am forced to use windows 2000 at work and i do not have administrator rights to install anything or change any settings. Right now i am at work, but i am not using IE. If you could read the server logs for this site, i would be showing up as netscape 6.2 on linux.
So long as you have access to any folder on the hard drive (typically the My Documents folder for instance) then you can do the following to be totally IE free (well, you can do everything but uninstall it):
1) download phoenix.
here's the current windows version, however it might be worth checking at
http://ftp.mozilla.org/pub/phoenix/releases/ to see if there's a later version than 0.4 since i wrote this reply.
2) unzip it into the folder (My Documents?) that you have the right to use.
3) notice there's a new folder called 'phoenix', now go into that folder and run 'phoenix.exe' by doubleclicking it.
4) now go to
Tools > Preferences and set the cookies to expire after the current session. Also, while you're in there, turn off all the autofilling in of forms off as well. You would do well to open IE and go to
Tools > Internet Options > Connections > LAN Settings > Advanced and copy any proxy information you find in there into phoenix's
Tools > Preferences > Connection section.
5) Lastly, for a cruisy browsing experience do the following. Go to
Tools > Preferences > Themes and Extensions > Extensions > Get New Extensions and download and install all (currently three) the extensions for phoenix.
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Of course your stuff that IE has saved is still on the hard drive, and you won't get rid of it unless you can get administrator access.
This program is very good at cleaning up the gumph that IE keeps hanging about, but it needs to be installed, and so if you don't have admin access forget it.
Your other choice is to make a DOS startup disk, i think you need to make this from win9x but i could be wrong, then stick it in your floppy drive before you boot up, and make your changes using DOS.
fairly complete instructions for this process can be found
here. You can
download this as a PDF right here.
And lastly
STOP USING IE!!!If you continue to use it, it will only store up more shit, so don't use it. that's my advice.
[edit]By the way,
This can now be found as a topic in the FAQ in case anybody else asks. By the way people, browse the FAQ. It's an easy out for anybody who can't be arsed answering an already answered question. That's what it's there for, please use it!
[ November 07, 2002: Message edited by: Calum & his insidious little spies ]