If you love to hate Internet Explorer 8 really badly, this is the solution for you. But please bear in mind that this is not the ultimate solution if you really want to get rid of IE8 completely from Windows 7. Back in RC version, Windows 7 development team confirmed that users will be able to remove Internet Explorer 8 from Windows 7, a smart move I suppose.

Well, to be specific, users can turn on or off Windows 7 features such as Internet Explorer 8, XPS Viewer, .NET Framework, etc. Turning off does not mean that those features are removed permanently as explained by Jack from the Windows 7 development team:

If a feature is deselected, it is not available for use. This means the files (binaries and data) are not loaded by the operating system (for security-conscious customers) and not available to users on the computer. These same files are staged so that the features can easily be added back to the running OS without additional media. This staging is important feedback we have received from customers who definitely do not like to dig up the installation DVD.

So, How to “Remove” IE8?

It is pretty easy to turn off Windows features that you do not need, in this case – Internet Explorer 8. Go to Control Panel > Programs > Programs and Features or you can search from the Start Menu.

Search for Programs and Features

Click Turn Windows Features On or Off on the left sidebar of the window.

Uncheck Internet Explorer 8

Now, just unselect the checkbox for Internet Explorer 8. A warning message box will popup, acknowledge it by clicking Yes.

Click OK to apply the change and you will be prompted to restart. Windows will restart again after making few system changes. After that, IE8 will be disabled until you turn it on again via the same way.