Solved IE still in use...


Jamis

Jamis

The Nut In The Cellar
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Location
Northwest Ohio, USA
OS
W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899
Now that I'm using W11, I see IE is still being used by Windows. IE files keep showing up every time CCleraner is run. I was under the impression IE was going away?
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhzIntel UHD Graphics 770
OS
W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP ENVY/TE01-3254
CPU
Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core
Motherboard
The Mother Of All Boards
Memory
16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Intel UHD Graphics 770
Sound Card
internal, 5.1 Surround Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
AOC 22", mdl: 2269W
Screen Resolution
1280x1080
Hard Drives
1 internal- 1 TB SSD, 1 internal-1 TB SATA HDD, 1 USB external- 256GB SATA HDD, 2 USB external- 1 TB SATA HDD
PSU
310 watts
Case
HP ENVY
Cooling
Air, three internal fans
Keyboard
HP wireless
Mouse
HP wireless
Internet Speed
200+ Mb/sec Local Cable Gateway, Netgear R6400 bridged router, PC ethernet connection to Modem/Route
Browser
FireFox v.143.0, Chrome v.140.0.7339.128
Antivirus
Norton360 w/LifeLock
Other Info
4 USB 2.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.1 Type A Ports, 1 USB 3.0 Type C Port, 2 M.2 Slots
Macrium Reflect v.8.0.7279
IE is needed for Edge's IE mode and for any apps that use IE via COM (e.g. to display an HTML help file).

More details here.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10/11
OS
Windows 10/11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200....
OS
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.8037
Jamis said:
Now that I'm using W11, I see IE is still being used by Windows. IE files keep showing up every time CCleraner is run. I was under the impression IE was going away?
Click to expand...

Try3 said:
Which files?

Denis
Click to expand...

Run Task Manager (taskmgr.exe) and click on the Details tab
check if iexplore.exe is listed there and use Task Manager to end process
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

windows 10 ltsc
OS
windows 10 ltsc
erpster4 said:
Run Task Manager (taskmgr.exe) and click on the Details tab
check if iexplore.exe is listed there and use Task Manager to end process
Click to expand...
iexplore.exe doesn't just spontaneously run. If it's in the task list, something called it, such as an IE Mode page in Edge or an older app that uses IE to display HTML content.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10/11
OS
Windows 10/11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer
Jamis said:
Now that I'm using W11, I see IE is still being used by Windows. IE files keep showing up every time CCleraner is run. I was under the impression IE was going away?
Click to expand...
There aren't that many now. If you look at the ones CCLeaner finds you'll see that they are often for other apps besides IE11. For example, this one is the 'mostly cloudy' image used by Widgets on my taskbar.

1680029130614.png
 

My Computers My Computers

System One System Two Other systems

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 HomeAMD Athlon Silver 3050U8GBRadeon Graphics
    OS
    Windows 11 Home
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Acer Aspire 3 A315-23-R9VY
    CPU
    AMD Athlon Silver 3050U
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics Card(s)
    Radeon Graphics
    Monitor(s) Displays
    laptop screen
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768 native resolution, up to 2560x1440 with Radeon Virtual Super Resolution
    Hard Drives
    1TB Samsung EVO 870 SSD (from April 2026: 250GB EVO 850)
    Internet Speed
    150 Mbps
    Browser
    Edge, Firefox
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    fully 'Windows 11 ready' laptop. Windows 10 C: partition migrated from my old unsupported 'main machine' then upgraded to 11. A test migration ran Insider builds for 2 months. When 11 was released on 5th October 2021 it was re-imaged back to 10 and was offered the upgrade in Windows Update on 20th October. Windows Update offered the 22H2 Feature Update on 20th September 2022. It got the 23H2 Feature Update on 4th November 2023 through Windows Update, 24H2 on 3rd October 2024 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 24H2, and 25H2 on 30th September 2025 through Windows Update by setting the Target Release Version for 25H2.

    UPDATE - 11 April 2026: due to mechanical deterioration this PC has been retired from active duty. The OS with all software and files has been migrated to my System Seven in 'Other systems' to carry on as my general purpose 'main machine'.

  • At a glance

    Windows 11 ProIntel® Core™ i5-520M8GB(integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Operating System
    Windows 11 Pro
    Computer type
    Laptop
    Manufacturer/Model
    Dell Latitude E4310
    CPU
    Intel® Core™ i5-520M
    Motherboard
    0T6M8G
    Memory
    8GB
    Graphics card(s)
    (integrated graphics) Intel HD Graphics
    Screen Resolution
    1366x768
    Hard Drives
    500GB Crucial MX500 SSD
    Browser
    Firefox, Edge
    Antivirus
    Defender
    Other Info
    unsupported machine: Legacy bios, MBR, TPM 1.2, upgraded from W10 to W11 using W10/W11 hybrid install media workaround.

    In-place upgrade to 22H2 using ISO and a workaround.
    Feature Update to 23H2 by manually installing the Enablement Package.
    In-place upgrade to 24H2 using hybrid 23H2/24H2 install media.
    Upgraded to 25H2 by Enablement Package.

    Also running Insider Dev, and Canary builds and Windows 10 as native boot .vhdx.
  • My SYSTEM THREE is a Dell Latitude 5410, i7-10610U, 32GB RAM, 512GB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro.

    My SYSTEM FOUR is a 2-in-1 convertible Lenovo Yoga 11e 20DA, Celeron N2930, 8GB RAM, 256GB ssd. Unsupported device: currently running Win10 Pro, plus Win11 Pro RTM and Insider Dev, Beta, and RP 24H2 as native boot vhdx.

    My SYSTEM FIVE is a Dell Latitude 3190 2-in-1, Pentium Silver N5030, 8GB RAM, 1TB NVMe ssd, supported device running Windows 11 Pro, plus Insider Beta, Dev, and Canary builds (and a few others) as a native boot .vhdx.

    My SYSTEM SIX is a Dell Latitude 5550, Core Ultra 7 165H, 64GB RAM, 1TB NVMe SSD, supported device, Windows 11 Pro 24H2, Hyper-V host machine. Updated to 25H2 on 30th September 2025.

    My SYSTEM SEVEN is a Lenovo Thinkpad T580, Intel Core i7-8650U, 16GB RAM, 512GB NVMe SSD + 2nd 512GB NVMe SSD, a supported device for Windows 11. This is my current general purpose 'main machine'. The installed Windows 11 Home from my System One has been migrated to this machine.

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200....
OS
Windows 11 Home x64 Version 25H2 Build 26200.8037
Yes, since we don't use IE, nor any form of Edge, and I see all of these temporary files show up in CCleaner, I assume W11 is using these browsers for something. I just assumed it would stop using IE, but maybe it will take time.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhzIntel UHD Graphics 770
OS
W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP ENVY/TE01-3254
CPU
Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core
Motherboard
The Mother Of All Boards
Memory
16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Intel UHD Graphics 770
Sound Card
internal, 5.1 Surround Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
AOC 22", mdl: 2269W
Screen Resolution
1280x1080
Hard Drives
1 internal- 1 TB SSD, 1 internal-1 TB SATA HDD, 1 USB external- 256GB SATA HDD, 2 USB external- 1 TB SATA HDD
PSU
310 watts
Case
HP ENVY
Cooling
Air, three internal fans
Keyboard
HP wireless
Mouse
HP wireless
Internet Speed
200+ Mb/sec Local Cable Gateway, Netgear R6400 bridged router, PC ethernet connection to Modem/Route
Browser
FireFox v.143.0, Chrome v.140.0.7339.128
Antivirus
Norton360 w/LifeLock
Other Info
4 USB 2.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.1 Type A Ports, 1 USB 3.0 Type C Port, 2 M.2 Slots
Macrium Reflect v.8.0.7279
Jamis said:
Yes, since we don't use IE, nor any form of Edge, and I see all of these temporary files show up in CCleaner, I assume W11 is using these browsers for something. I just assumed it would stop using IE, but maybe it will take time.
Click to expand...
There are still a lot of programs that use IE in the background to drive part of the GUI. IE is only a security risk when used directly as a browser (which is pretty hard to do now), so best to leave it alone and not worry about it.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

Windows 10/11
OS
Windows 10/11
Computer type
Laptop
Manufacturer/Model
Acer
After watching what files CC deletes regarding IE, it looks like nearly all of them are related to the news pin on the task bar. I guess some day MS will rewrite that little app to use a different browser.
 

My Computer My Computer

At a glance

W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhzIntel UHD Graphics 770
OS
W11 Home v. 25H2 bld. 26200.6899
Computer type
PC/Desktop
Manufacturer/Model
HP ENVY/TE01-3254
CPU
Intel i7 12700, @ 2.1-4.9 ghz, 12 core
Motherboard
The Mother Of All Boards
Memory
16GB, DDR4, 3200 mhz
Graphics Card(s)
Intel UHD Graphics 770
Sound Card
internal, 5.1 Surround Sound
Monitor(s) Displays
AOC 22", mdl: 2269W
Screen Resolution
1280x1080
Hard Drives
1 internal- 1 TB SSD, 1 internal-1 TB SATA HDD, 1 USB external- 256GB SATA HDD, 2 USB external- 1 TB SATA HDD
PSU
310 watts
Case
HP ENVY
Cooling
Air, three internal fans
Keyboard
HP wireless
Mouse
HP wireless
Internet Speed
200+ Mb/sec Local Cable Gateway, Netgear R6400 bridged router, PC ethernet connection to Modem/Route
Browser
FireFox v.143.0, Chrome v.140.0.7339.128
Antivirus
Norton360 w/LifeLock
Other Info
4 USB 2.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.0 Type A Ports, 2 USB 3.1 Type A Ports, 1 USB 3.0 Type C Port, 2 M.2 Slots
Macrium Reflect v.8.0.7279
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