Q:

How do I uninstall Internet Explorer 9 and go back to Internet Explorer 8?

A: Microsoft began offering Internet Explorer 9 on March 14, 2011. Like any new piece of software, some people love it and some people hate it.

If Internet Explorer 9 doesn’t meet your needs, it’s easy to retreat to your previous version. For Windows 7 owners, that’s Internet Explorer 8.

To remove Internet Explorer 9 and return to your previous browser, follow these steps:

1. Click the Start button, and type Programs and Features in the Search box along the Start menu’s bottom edge.
2. When the Uninstall or Change a Program window appears, click View Installed Updates in the left pane.
3. Under Uninstall an Update, scroll down to the Microsoft Windows section.
4. Right-click Windows Internet Explorer 9, click Uninstall, and when prompted, click Yes.
5. Click either Restart Now to finish the job, or Restart later to remove Internet Explorer 9 the next time your restart your computer.

After you uninstall Internet Explorer 9, the previously installed version of Internet Explorer, usually Internet Explorer 8, will return to life and handle your browsing chores. Windows installs it automatically; you needn’t fuss with trying to reinstall it.

Or, if you prefer, install an alternative browser like Firefox or Chrome. Internet Explorer isn’t the only browser in town.

Installing an alternative browser isn’t an all-or-nothing affair. The new browser stocks itself with any bookmarks or favorites you’ve created in Internet Explorer; then it waits in your Start menu for you to give it a try. You can switch between different browsers, seeing which works best for the work you do. You keep even run several browsers on your computer simultaneously, seeing which one you prefer for different tasks.

Or, you can stick with one. But installing a second browser won’t mess up your settings in your other browser.

Note: Unlike most updates sent through Windows Update, Internet Explorer 9 can be removed safely. But don’t try to remove other updates you see. Almost all of those updates plug serious holes in Windows. Removing those updates reopens those security holes, leaving your computer vulnerable to security problems.

Q:

A: Windows 7 lacks an e-mail program, which causes more than a few problems. Microsoft expects people to download and install its free Windows Live Mail e-mail program. Or, you can download competing free e-mail programs like Thunderbird, and install them to handle your e-mail chores.

But if you’re using a Web-based e-mail service, like the ones provided by many Internet Service Providers like AT&T, you’re left in the lurch: Internet Explorer doesn’t consider them to be e-mail programs, so it won’t let you send pages and links using its menu.

So, since those menu options are grayed out, you’re stuck with these convoluted steps:

1. Highlight the link you want to send from within Internet Explorer’s Address bar.
2. Right-click the highlighted link and choose Copy.
3. Log on to your e-mail service and create a new e-mail.
4. Right-click inside your blank e-mail and choose Paste.

The link will appear in your e-mail window, ready for you to send to a friend.

The grayed-out links begin working once you install an e-mail program like Windows Live Mail, but you still might have to make a few extra tweaks.

Q:

On Internet Explorer 8′s Page menu, the “Send Page by E-mail” and “Send Link by E-mail” options are both “grayed out,” and I can’t choose them. Help!

A: Windows 7 lacks an e-mail program, an inconvenience Microsoft tries to remedy by letting people download the free “Windows Live Mail” e-mail program.

But once installed, Windows Live Mail doesn’t always tell Internet Explorer that it’s now in charge of your e-mail, leading to the “grayed out” options shown in the image above.

The fix? You must whisper in Internet Explorer’s ear about your new e-mail program by following these steps:

1. Click the Start button and choose Default Programs.
2. Choose the bottom option, “Set Program Access and Computer Defaults.”
3. Click the word Custom.
4. In the section called “Choose a default web browser,” choose Internet Explorer.
5. In the section called “Choose a default e-mail program,” choose Windows Live Mail.
6. Click OK to save your changes.

Windows 7 tells Internet Explorer to start using Windows Live Mail, and the options on Internet Explorer’s Page menu begin working again.

Not using Windows Live Mail or any other e-mail program? If you log onto a Web site to read your e-mail, Internet Explorer’s disabled links have a different problem.