Back in March, Microsoft finally released Internet Explorer 9 - a version which promised to put it on par with other modern browsers such as Firefox, Chrome, Opera or Safari. Initially, this browser was not pushed onto users in any way. Now it is part of the Windows Updates marked as important and recommended to users for installation. With today’s tutorial, we will start a pretty long series of articles on Internet Explorer 9 and what this browser has to offer. First, let’s see how you download & install it on your computer.
Installing Internet Explorer 9 can be done via several methods. One easy method is to install via Windows Update. The other is the traditional download from the official web-page. In this article, we will cover both scenarios.
Installing Internet Explorer 9 via Windows Update
This is the "easiest" of the methods. Go to Windows Update and check for the latest updates. In the list of Important Updates you will find Internet Explorer 9. Select it and click OK.
To start the installation procedure, click on Install updates. The procedure for installing updates, is detailed here: How to Check for & Install Windows Updates.
Once Internet Explorer 9 and any other updates you selected are downloaded, the installation starts. You will receive a separate prompt, asking you to confirm that you really want to install Internet Explorer 9. How Microsoftish is this, right? Click on Install.
The installation procedure requires you to have all programs closed, including Windows Explorer. Save any of your ongoing work, select ’Close programs for me’ and click Continue.
All running applications are closed and the installation begins. If you don’t want to be obliged to restart your computer, it is best not to start any applications during the install of Internet Explorer 9. Simply wait for it to finish.
Once this is done, the Internet Explorer 9 shortcut is placed in your Taskbar.
Installing Internet Explorer 9 via another Browser
You can also download Internet Explorer 9 yourself and have it installed on your computer. If you go to the official page via Internet Explorer 7 or 8, it will automatically detect the version of your operating system: 32-bit or 64-bit and give you the appropriate download link.
If you are using another browser, you need to select which Internet Explorer 9 version you want to download and install. The direct download links are as follows: 32-bit version.
Unfortunately, this doesn’t really download Internet Explorer 9 but a downloader of the version you selected. Run it and wait for it to download the installation files. Then, you will be asked to close all running programs. Make sure you save any work you have open, select ’Close programs for me’ and click Continue.
If you have Windows Defender running, you will receive a notification about it being turned off. Don’t worry, it will be turned back on, after the installation of Internet Explorer 9 finishes.
Wait for the installation process to finish and, if you don’t want to be asked to reboot your computer, don’t start any new applications while this process is running.
After a few seconds, Internet Explorer 9 should be installed on your computer.
Final thoughts
As you can see from this tutorial, installing Internet Explorer 9 is not exactly rocket science. However, it is not the simplest of installations either. Unlike other browsers, this one requires you to turn off all applications running and it even disables Windows Defender (albeit temporarily). If you have any troubles or questions, don’t hesitate to use the comments form below.
Related articles:
How to Remove Internet Explorer 9
Internet Explorer 9: Finding Your Way Through the Main Interface Elements
Demystifying Internet Explorer 9 Add-Ons
Managing Downloads in Internet Explorer 9