Microsoft has provided us with a version of Internet Explorer called, “Internet Explorer, no add ons”. This is a stripped down version of Internet Explorer that has no bells or whistles; it is not meant for daily browsing but it’s wonderful for finding out which side of a website a problem is occurring on. Should you encounter a problem with a site that does not want to load or certain areas are not working right for you, try this.

Go to your ‘Start’ button, go to “Accessories” and into “System Tools”. In the “System Tools” folder you will see “Internet Explorer no add ons” – select that and a new browser window will open with a little warning window, like this:

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With this version of Internet Explorer, go back to the website that you were experiencing difficulty with and try to do the same thing that it would not let you do previously – If you were trying to post on a message board and it would not allow you to post, try to make a new post using this bare bone basic version. If you are able to navigate the site with this version of Internet Explorer, then you have narrowed your problem down to it being an add on.

Now it’s time to close this version out and go back to the “real version” and begin experimenting with disabling the add ons that might be causing the problem. Internet Explorer comes prepackaged with several add ons already, and many sites install their own so this might be a chore. You can safely disable any and all of them, just know that when you need one you will receive a pop up message stating that the website you are viewing requires ‘x’ add on, asking if you would you like to enable it.

To disable (or enable) add on, go to “Tools” –> “Internet Options”, when the window opens, click on the “Programs” Tab.

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Click on the “Manage add-ons” Button, and this window will open, displaying all of the add ons installed in your Internet Explorer:

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As you highlight each add on you will see radio buttons underneath (in the gray area at the bottom of the screen) where you can enable or disable each add on. Once you are done, click “OK”, and then close the subsequent window to return to your Internet Explorer. Open a new browser window to check your new settings (to see if the add ons that you disabled fixed your problem).