SOLVED IE 32- or 64- bit?

[Sharon]

Hi

If I were to install IE on my x64 OS would I be better off with a 32 bit or 64 bit version of IE ???

tia
Sharon

 

[Nibiru2012]

Hi Sharon, welcome to the Windows 7 Forums website!

It doesn't make any difference which version of IE9 you use, both the X86 and X64 versions work well. Just be sure if you use the X64 (64-bit) version that you have the Java 64-bit and Adobe Flash 64-bit installed so that you may see all the web content available.

You can just Google for those to find them and get them installed on your system.

 

[Sharon]

Many thanks for your swift response Nibiru2012

You have supplied the knowledge and confidence that I needed to complete this action...my thanks again,

Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

You might check to see if your Antivirus software has a 64-bit plug-in before you decide. Many companies like Norton Symantec currently offer no script protection inside a 64-bit browser. (Still supposedly they should catch it once it downloads but by then it could be well dug into your OS)

I have both versions installed but as of yet I don't really use the 64-bit because of lack of AV support. In a couple months when my Norton expires I will look at an AV that includes 64-bit protection.

 

[Sharon]

Hi TrainableMan

Thanks for your input...I will check my AV prior to deciding.

Cheers,
Sharon.

 

[Sharon]

First, I would like to reiterate my sincere thanks to the guys who responded to my initial query...proof that this forum has knowledgable people who care

I have a couple more questions which I would like to put to anyone who may care to share their wisdom with me.

Do I really need IE enabled on my system ?

Would a fully enabled IE assist in my video streaming from tv/movie sites ?

I am thinking that I may need IE enabled to assist flash player and it's settings when I want to watch live or streamed tv or movies.

Thanks again guys,

Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

IE (Internet Explorer) is just a browser. In Europe Microsoft is required to offer a version of Windows 7 without IE (these are called W7 N if I remember correctly). All other versions including those in the USA all come with IE 8 preinstalled and cannot be removed easily, if at all. On 64-bit W7 both 32- and 64-bit versions of IE 8 are installed. IE 9 is now available for download and most users likely got it in a Windows Update. So unless you're in Europe you already have IE enabled, either version 8 or 9.

There are a myriad of other browsers available. I use Firefox, I also have Google Chrome (just because it was required for a free version of Angry Birds I wanted) and I have Opera though I haven't used it in a long time. I'm sure there are more..

You will need a browser to "browse" the web (but you can have several installed). Within that browser you will find you need several things to make certain web pages work. You need Flash if the site has flash video. Or you may need Silverlight. If it includes PDFs you would need a PDF add-in. VLC is a good video player that includes a browser add-in. And many sites like ABC TV require their own video players.

Generally if you are missing anything a webpage needs it will tell you that when you get there.

 

[Nibiru2012]

I use two browsers; IE9 and Firefox. Both work well and have pluses and minuses compared to the other. Mostly I use the 64-bit versions of both.

Firefox has lots of add-ons, themes, and other tweaks. IE9 not so much so, however I find it's easier to use for my streaming ESPN video of BB games through my cable provider.

Silverlight works better in IE9 versus Firefox too. When I access Hulu TV, IE9 does a better job of rendering and speed versus Firefox.

Everyone have varying opinions regarding different browsers. Whatever you choose will probably be the correct one for your purposes.

 

[Sharon]

Hi TrainableMan

I understand all that you say above, thanks.
If my IE is indeed enabled I cannot find it anywhere on my system ???
I need to track it down to see if it has any ad blocking enabled...this may be the root of my problem ?

Cheers,
Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

Sharon, the original thread was referring to whether to install Windows 7 32- or 64-bit. Since you are talking about IE, I have moved all the posts to a new thread.

In order for IE ad blocking to affect you, you would actually have to have IE open, it is not a separate item that runs in the background, it is part of the browser.

You never stated you had a problem, you simply asked about installing 32 or 64-bit IE. So root of WHAT problem?

Do you not know if you are using IE? What browser are you using to talk to us here on this forum?

 

[Sharon]

Hi again

I am unable to locate IE on my system.

My root problem is that I apparently have ad blocking enabled somewhere on my system...
I have no ad blocking software installed and no ad blocking plug-ins on Firefox (my prefered browser) so I would like to be able to open up my IE and check two things...

1) If it is a 64 bit or 32 bit version
2) If it has any ad blocking enabled on it

Appreciate your continued help, thanks,

Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

IE is short for Internet Explorer. Go to the Start Orb to bring up the start menu, then type Internet Explorer in the search box at the bottom. Internet Explorer should appear in the list and you can select it.

Once IE opens, to check the version, select the IE window and hit Alt+X. Choose About Internet explorer from the Tools Menu. On that tools menu you can also see Pop-up Blocker and can adjust those settings (Pop-ups would be a specific type of ad that opens in a new window)/ Also from the tools menu you can choose Manage Add-ons and see if any other blockers are loaded. Like I said before though, these IE popups and add-ons could have absolutely no effect on stuff you are watching inside Firefox.

FireFox add-ins (like NoScript & ABP Ad Block Plus) are much more likely to block stuff than IE.

There are other ways to block though ... If you have a router it may have a Firewall, Windows has a firewall of it's own, programs like Spybot Search and Destroy actually add entries into your host file to block whole web sites, and of course your AV can block sites.

Many websites like Hulu and ABC, TVLand, etc slip ads into their web programming and many of them will not function properly if the ad sites are blocked. Now personally I laugh when I get HULU's message that their ads are blocked because I would rather see 30 or 60 seconds of that message than to see an actual commercial. ABC's website is much more strict and I must actually turn off my hosts file to watch their webcasts.

 

[Sharon]

Hi and thanks.

I have IE9 (64 bit) installed with no ad blocking or pop-up enabled.

Firefox has no ad blocking/pop-up enabled.

I have no ad blocking software installed.

Yet when I try to connect to a tv site I receive the error message...

"Ad blocking appears to be in use"

I have used this site successfully for months until recently ???

Cheers,
Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

Have you tried Mozilla Firefox (safe mode)?
Did you try to get to the TV site using the IE you found?

If it works in either of the two things listed above then it is being blocked by a Firefox add-on. Otherwise continue reading ...

Have you tried any Anti-spyware/spybot programs like Spybot Search & Destroy's Immunize feature (or your AV may even have a feature that adds hosts file entries)? I would suggest you check to see if you have any entries in your hosts file. This is a hidden system file and accessing it depends on your computer skill level as it can be complicated; what I consider to be a faster way is to install a free product called hosts manager which is included in our Freeware DB.

Simply install HostsMan and run it. Find the icon with a green H in the Taskbar Notification Section and right-click, deselect the Enable Hosts option (this will turn off any website blocking done by your hosts file) & the icon turns to a red H. Now try accessing your website with Firefox or IE. If it works you know it is your hosts file, if not then you can uninstall hostsman, as you likely have no use for it. If it does work then I would suggest you keep it enabled normally and only disable it to watch your programs, because not only is it effective at blocking many ads it also may be blocking known evil scripting sites, etc.

Still an issue? Please answer a few questions ...

Do you use Windows Firewall or something else like Comodo or Norton or some other AV?

Do you have a wireless router? Has it worked in the past even with your router hooked up?

 

[Sharon]

Hi and thank-you

I tried both the Firefox safe mode method and the IE9 that I found hidden away in my system ! Both showed exactly the same error message as before.

The site in question has worked perfectly well for months in the past with my router and my installed firewall.

btw...I ran a six hour CHKDSK tonight and it looked as though numerous Windows files were renewed/installed at the end of the disk check.

I am now looking at hosts manager (I have had issues with my hosts file in the past).

Thanks for all your time and help here,

Sharon.

 

[Sharon]

Instant Success with hosts manager...all is good again

My humble but totally sincere thanks and appreciation to TrainableMan and Nibiru2012 for their superb efforts in resolving my problem.

I will not think twice about returning if I ever need any help in future,

Excellent :adore:

Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

That definitely means it is something in your hosts file. And for normal browsing you really don't want ads, so I really love HostsMan; when I go to ABC TV I turn off the hosts and when I finish there I turn hosts back on. So much easier than all the DOS stuff I used to do.

I'm glad it helped you too.

 

[Sharon]

Hi,
Yeah, it's all good apart from the fact that...


I have 14,600+ entries in my hosts file !

Should I delete some of these entries, if yes, how do I know which entries are totally safe to delete

Cheers TrainableMan

Sharon.

 

[TrainableMan]

No I wouldn't manually delete any, but what I would do is use HostsMan some more.

Double-click on the HostsMan icon (or right-click and select show window) to bring up the Hosts Manager Window
1)Select Menu Hosts ... Find Duplicates and remove all the duplicates
2)select Menu Hosts ... Optimize

That should make your hosts file work faster.

I have 30,400 entries in mine

 

[Sharon]

Hi TrainableMan

I have checked for dupes...none found
I have also optimised

Thanks,
Sharon.