Microsoft Edge

D

darkroom12

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With an update this has been imported onto my computer. It lay dormant for a few months because I was quite happy using Firefox but recently it has been trying to get me to click to turn it into my web browser of choice and each time I decline, the next time it pops up again. is it principally a browser or has it other uses . This was on my lap top.

Then more recently on my main desk top, I got a message telling me that a desk top app malfunctioned and the content had been moved to Microsoft Edge.If I uninstall ME will it have any other detrimental effect on the working on either computers? I don't like an external source doing things I don't want or don't need.
 
You can stop it asking by editing the Registry:


I'm not sure I understand what happened with your second problem.

Unfortunately, Windows isn't entirely under the user's control these days. MS pushes updates all the time, some for good things like security and others adding (or sometimes removing) features you may or may not want. It's 'software as a service' and the only real way to be in full control of a currently supported OS is to switch to something like Linux and only update manually...
 
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I never understand how people complain about MS and their updates.
Essentially there OS is free, the pittance paid for it and all the security updates week in week out.

They even offered W10 for free for all the losers that simply refuse to acknowledge W7 is dead
 
Having uninstalled edge I found it re-installed after the latest w10 update

To add insult to injury, windows defender then messaged me to say that the option to protect against PUPs(potentially unwanted programmes) was turned off and I needed to adjust my settings!

Windows is neither cheap nor free for most PC users, I'm just about to receive a new computer with about £110 added to the invoice as it comes with w10 installed.

I feel like sending an invoice to microsoft for all my time I've wasted over the years sorting out their botched updates and inefficient junk files which slow down PCs
 
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Having uninstalled edge I found it re-installed after the latest w10 update

To add insult to injury, windows defender then messaged me to say that the option to protect against PUPs(potentially unwanted programmes) was turned off and I needed to adjust my settings!

I don't think you are alone with the re-installing. I have heard of this before. They have what is essentially a captive market unless you pay the price of moving over to an Apple computer which is in most other spheres an unfair business practice.

Try doing this with a new car where you have to take it to a garage owned by the car manufacturers. All others will not be supplied with spares and the onboard computer can only be accessed by the parent company. That was stopped a good few years ago.

Actually getting in touch with Microsoft is virtually impossible. Has anyone actually managed to get through to a customer service desk - ever. I certainly have not. If you have, what telephone number or mail address did you use and what was their response?
 
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There are a lot of free alternatives, however you can may have to run different software to do the things you do now.
 
If I uninstall ME will it have any other detrimental effect on the working on either computers? I don't like an external source doing things I don't want or don't need.

You more or less can't.

Can't uninstall Edge | Talk Photography - nobody seemed that bothered about this 8 months ago :)

If you *really* want to get rid of edge then your best option might be Linux. I have no idea how hard that is to install these days or how practical for the average user (my guess is pretty easy and fairly good). After many years of hating MS products I quite like them now - Win10 is a bit like the old OSX experience. It mostly works for me and mostly syncs in a way I like. I even like Edge though hilariously ended up using IE the other week as it was the only browser I could make something techie work on. Now there's a horrid browser.....
 
Didn't they get wrists slapped when they embedded a browser in the OS a few years back?
 
I never understand how people complain about MS and their updates.
Essentially there OS is free, the pittance paid for it and all the security updates week in week out.

They even offered W10 for free for all the losers that simply refuse to acknowledge W7 is dead

I liked W7 but finally retired it about eighteen months ago and upgraded my 2010 laptop to W10. It was straightforward, and I haven't had any issues with it.

I use Firefox, with Duck Duck Go as my default search engine, and just ignore Edge.
 
The main problem with computers is that humans press the keys....sometimes the correct ones and sometimes the wrong ones.
Sorry only mean it in a humouress way :cool:

99% of problems i have helped with over the lifetime of Windows has been down to the user.
Edge is as good as any other browser and Windows 10 is as good as any other operating system.
W 10 even updates every 2 or 3 days with major ones twice a year.
It's the largest programme on a PC and costs far less than most of the little programmes!
As photographers..... most members will be fully aware of that point!
 
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I used a third party windows optimiser programme to uninstall edge as its a browser and not part of the OS.

In theory it should be possible in control panel but windoze hides it from view :shifty:

Be sure to create a restore point before starting so you can return if uninstalling creates problems
 
Oddly since I posted this M.E has not made an appearance even though I have used the web to do a lot of searches involving various topics. It is still there but 'lurking' that I am sure
 
This is a daily discussion for me, being a computer technician - my default explanation for my customers is - The Edge is simply an ungraded version of Internet Explorer, which in itself is only a browser version of file explorer which is part of the core of Windows itself. Ergo it cannot be uninstalled !

Removing the Internet version has no effect on Windows itself so it will always be there in part and re-appear when needed. Whenever an update is applied it will try and force itself to be your default browser.
Other browsers are available and each has its merits/de-merits and it comes down to personal choice at the end of the day.
 
can you not just set firefox as your defualt browser? That's what i do with chrome and aside it coming up on the odd occasion (normally after one of the bigger annual updates) and asking if i want to use edge as my default it tends to stay out of the way. It's really not a big deal when it asks if you want to use edge to just click no.

The other issue you have though i can't help with sorry
 
I used to have it as my default but when M.E. invaded the ability to set the preference seemed to be no longer available. Any clues as to what I can do to restore it, I would be grateful
 
I used to have it as my default but when M.E. invaded the ability to set the preference seemed to be no longer available. Any clues as to what I can do to restore it, I would be grateful
 
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Right! I followed the instructions result and got a totally unexpected result - in that, non of my current passwords would work with my 3 E mail addresses and and one to an official E Mail for my club where I am forum admin.. Fortunately when I changed the passwords about 6 weeks ago I kept a copy of the old passwords and I was able to access the ones that were not recognised. Other passwords that I need, such as for this forum and all but 2 out of 11 of the others were 'unsaved' so had to re-input the details. All's good now and Firefox is the preference let me see how long that lasts.
 
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I'm guessing that some of yout latest passwords were stored by one browser, and some by another. You can export the passwords from each to check and change them, but if you've already reset them there's no need.
 
I'm guessing that some of your latest passwords were stored by one browser, and some by another. You can export the passwords from each to check and change them, but if you've already reset them there's no need.

I fully believe in letting sleeping dog lie! You are probably correct with your assessment about different browsers. If M.E. hadn't pushed its head above the parapet without me actually knowing this would not have happened. Arghhhhhhh!
 
Random but.... I have recelty discovered Edge on my mac; I prefer it to Safari! its much quicker etc. If only I could sync the three billion passwords on Safari to it... I would not be going "On safari" again ;)
 
You don’t like Microsoft. We get it.

Buy a Mac.

I was coming in to say the same thing! I can’t say what the learning curve for a Mac is having tried to use it before and failing miserably. Perhaps I’m indoctrinated.
 
If data security is a concern then Linux would be much better than either, however it will require changing software for processing etc.
 
If data security is a concern then Linux would be much better than either, however it will require changing software for processing etc.

I’m not a Linux user but I’m under the impression that it requires more manual tweaking and configuring relative to Windows these days. I think OP is looking for something less involved than Windows so Linux is probably out of question.
 
There are a lot of varieties, however something like Linux mint cinnamon will 'just work' in a way Apple can only envy, especially if the non-free repositories are enabled and drivers/codecs installed. IIRC that was an option during installation, and very easy.
 
I stand corrected. I have been thinking about dipping into Linux for years now but never followed through. Now that I will soon have a spare laptop around I just might test run Mint out of curiosity.
 
I ran Linux distributions for years as my main personal computer OS, and remember being astonished that the creative sound card I used was too old for support under Windows 10 when I did a trial install.

Mint is the easiest, most sensible and user friendly distro IMO. Never been keen on Ubuntu and it's always had issues. Also consider PCLOS, openSUSE, Linux Lite. All of these will run from a live DVD allowing testing before install, and some will allow creation of a live memory stick that lets you run from a usb drive for a much more responsive test system.

I used to use Pear Linux, a version designed to look like OSX that I preferred to Apple's original, but it was discontinued. There are a few different desktop environments available - Mate/Cinnamon, KDE (quite windows-like) XFCE, LXDE, and Gnome (less noob friendly) and Elementary. Have a look on distrowatch to see the different designs etc available.
 
I'm finding that Edge works well in Windows 10.01.19041 running on a LG Gram 17. When I got this laptop I was delighted to discover that the built in Linux support works very well indeed with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It's good being able to get a 'nix command line with a couple of key presses rather than having to boot a different machine.

I'm happy. (y)
 
Mint is the easiest, most sensible and user friendly distro IMO. Never been keen on Ubuntu and it's always had issues. Also consider PCLOS, openSUSE, Linux Lite. All of these will run from a live DVD allowing testing before install, and some will allow creation of a live memory stick that lets you run from a usb drive for a much more responsive test system.
I like Mint MATE, and tried it for a while when Ubuntu was defaulting to that dreadful Unity thing; it was easier than installing MATE manually. But now that there's an official Ubuntu MATE I've switched to that. Gnome 2 got the Linux desktop right, and MATE carries on where it left off. It's incredibly irritating when developers decide the world needs a 'new desktop paradigm' and inflict things like Windows 8, Unity and the first version of Gnome 3 on us.

I'm finding that Edge works well in Windows 10.01.19041 running on a LG Gram 17. When I got this laptop I was delighted to discover that the built in Linux support works very well indeed with Ubuntu 20.04 LTS. It's good being able to get a 'nix command line with a couple of key presses rather than having to boot a different machine.
WSL? That works really well, though at the moment I prefer the original to the new WSL2, which uses Hyper-V and doesn't play well with VirtualBox.
 
I never understand how people complain about MS and their updates.

I've used every version of Windows and Win 10 has been more problematic (never thought I'd say an MS OS was worse than ME or Vista).
There still networking issue with Win 10 home.
Their is a rumour that MS want to try and force users to buy the premium version and only allowing users to use shared folders rather than being able to browse devices on a network.
My desktop running Win 10 home can see my laptop and NAS boxes and access them via the network.
My laptop (also running Win 10 home) can only see the desktop but unable to access it.
I can't remember the update number but a while ago MS in their infinite wisdom decided to turn SMB1 as default.
A few weeks ago the latop could see and access the desktop and nas boxes for a few days then just stopped.
I have tried every fix for this and I still can't work out what is wrong.
Oh and I have loathed the start button layout since Win 8 so I use start 10 then give the old style layout.
 
I have a similar gripe about the start button layout and the Metro UI. I hope they will remove Metro from settings at least because it was much clearer in the old days.

On Win10 Home I agree that it is hobbled. I found a website where I purchased Win10 Pro keys for a cheap price. They are legit and I have used them a number of times over the years. Win10 Pro license is for £20.

 
I have a similar gripe about the start button layout and the Metro UI. I hope they will remove Metro from settings at least because it was much clearer in the old days.

On Win10 Home I agree that it is hobbled. I found a website where I purchased Win10 Pro keys for a cheap price. They are legit and I have used them a number of times over the years. Win10 Pro license is for £20.


That's interesting.
When you apply the upgrade does the Pro version return to the default network settings?
 
To my knowledge no it does not reset your settings it just elevates your rights and unlocks the Pro functionality. I never upgraded Home myself, I just did a fresh install but I can understand this might not be ideal for you.
 
On a side note you may also want to look at Win Server licenses which they also have. 2012, 2016 and 2019.
 
To my knowledge no it does not reset your settings it just elevates your rights and unlocks the Pro functionality. I never upgraded Home myself, I just did a fresh install but I can understand this might not be ideal for you.

Actually I was wrong about my desktop, I'd forgotten that I bought Pro when I built it.
It seems like there is an upgrade key and a full version key for Pro so I would just need one license.
If I remember correctly, back in the day, one Windows key would work with an upgrade or a new install.
However, I'm not going to do a fresh install on this laptop so my only option might is that I can buy an upgrade and at over £100 I think not.
 
Actually I was wrong about my desktop, I'd forgotten that I bought Pro when I built it.
It seems like there is an upgrade key and a full version key for Pro so I would just need one license.
If I remember correctly, back in the day, one Windows key would work with an upgrade or a new install.
However, I'm not going to do a fresh install on this laptop so my only option might is that I can buy an upgrade and at over £100 I think not.

If you scroll down on the Pro page of the website I shared they say their key works for both ;). Looks like today is your lucky day!
 
If you scroll down on the Pro page of the website I shared they say their key works for both ;). Looks like today is your lucky day!

Well that got me all excited but then....
So it seems like MS nowadays ask the manufactuers to inject the license key into the BIOS.
Because of this if I try to do an upgrade it will only revert back the home version.
Dell have told me it would need to be a clean install.
So with that I'll stick with home and with the lack of it seeing network devices it can still access the mapped folders.
 
I have a similar gripe about the start button layout and the Metro UI. I hope they will remove Metro from settings at least because it was much clearer in the old days.

On Win10 Home I agree that it is hobbled. I found a website where I purchased Win10 Pro keys for a cheap price. They are legit and I have used them a number of times over the years. Win10 Pro license is for £20.
I've been using Classic Shell / Open Shell to replace the Start menu since Windows 8. The current W10 Start isn't nearly as obnoxious as before, but I still prefer the third party alternatives. Splitting settings between the Metro-style PC Settings and the old Control Panel remains one of W8's more annoying legacies.

I'm afraid MS wouldn't agree that those keys are legit:
 
I completely don't get the problem with Windows start - don't like the junk tiles? Delete them. Metro hasn't been visible for a long time unless you use tablet mode.

W10 is really solid and reliable, not perfect, but pretty darn good.
 
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