Fun with Microsoft

Yesterday (or maybe the day before) the little yellow shield icon that means updates are available for my computer popped up, asking if I wanted to install them now. Figuring it could hurt to take a look, I clicked the icon. Up popped a window saying that Internet Explorer 8.0 was available for installation, and asking if I would like to upgrade. Figuring that I'd have to eventually, I said, "Sure, why not?" Silly me.

The program commenced to download itself, then ran a scan for malicious software, and a second scan for something else (don't remember what) and then installed itself. Only after all of this was done did it bother to mention that, "Oh, hey. This one add-on that you installed to IE 7 is incompatible with IE 8 and may cause it to crash." Oh great!

It did, however, offer me two options: run IE 8 with the add-on (not recommended), and run IE 8 without the add-on (less not recommended, but not by much). I picked 'run without the add-on'. IE 8 started...and promptly crashed. I wrestled with the problem until I had to go to work, and then some more after I got home, to no avail. It seems that when IE 8 was installed, so was something else called a 'data execution prevention' program designed to protect my computer from suspicious programs and other code. This was what was preventing IE 8 from running. apparently Microsoft's own programs don't recognise or trust one another. How ironic is that?

Since I'm posting this, you can tell I solved the problem. I uninstalled IE 8 and my system reverted back to IE 7. Now everything works fine. That pesky DEP program is still lurking about, but if it tries to block a program, I just tell it to allow it, and things are fine from then on. Odd thing is, no matter how many times I told DEP to allow IE 8, it wouldn't. More irony for ya.