Don’t use Internet Explorer

Don’t use Internet Explorer: a reader asks…

I just got a new computer and it has Windows 10. I was using Windows 7 with Internet Explorer. After some searching, I finally found the Internet Explorer program to surf the internet, but it’s not on the new All Programs list, I have to search for it every time I want to use it. Is there an easy way to put a shortcut somewhere so I can run the program without searching for it each time?

So let me get this out of the way first – do not use Internet Explorer! Microsoft replaced that program with Microsoft Edge as the default web browser on Windows 10, and for good reason. Internet Explorer is a huge security risk to your computer and to your personal data and identity. It is trivially easy for hackers to use the unpatched vulnerabilities in IE to compromise your computer’s security and then they can steal all your personal data, force your computer to do work for them, grab all your online passwords and more.

Either start using Microsoft Edge for your web browsing, or switch to another web browser like Google Chrome or Firefox. There are plenty of alternatives, and each have their pluses and minuses.

1. Google Chrome is great for everyday browsing and if you use Gmail or other Google services, it can be a real time-saver.
2. Mozilla Firefox is a good alternative for fast and secure web browsing. I think it’s primarily for die-hard and long-time Firefox users more than for folks new to web browsing.
3. Opera is a quirky but fast web browser that has basic VPN service built in.
4. Microsoft Edge is automatically updated by Windows 10, so you don’t have to make sure you have the latest version – this is vitally important these days (to only use the current most up-to-date version of software)

There are others, but these are the most popular. Personally, I use Chrome most often for everyday web browsing. All these browsers have an easy way to import your IE Favorites (aka ‘bookmarks’). Use the comments below to tell me which one you will use and I can point out the way you import your bookmarks into your web browser of choice.