Can I Download Firefox & Still Keep Internet Explorer?
You can download and use as many different Web browser programs as you wish on your Microsoft Windows computer. You can even run more than one browser simultaneously, using each to browse to different websites. You can experiment with different browsers to see which program best meets your needs.
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Background
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Microsoft's Internet Explorer Web browser is included with the Windows operating system, but is not the only program available that allows you to browse the Internet. Mozilla's Firefox is one of a number of well-known alternative browsers which you can download and install free of charge. Once installed, Firefox will appear among the programs on your start menu.
Defaults
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You will need to choose which Web browser installed on your computer is your preferred default. The default Web browser is the program used to display Web content that you access via any other program. For example, if you click on an Internet link in an email you receive, the default browser will be the one which opens to display the content.
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Configuration
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There are a number of ways to choose your default browser. When you start Firefox for the first time, a dialog box will appear asking if you wish to use the program as the default browser. You can also set each browser as the default manually, via the "Options" menu in Firefox and the "Internet Options" menu in Internet Explorer. Finally, you can choose between all the browsers installed on your PC by using the "Default Programs" option on the "Start" menu.
Usage
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There are a variety of reasons it might be useful to have both Internet Explorer and Firefox -- as well as other browsers -- installed on the same PC. Web developers, for example, need to check how sites display in all the popular browsers. Feature-sets and performance differ between browsers, and sometimes particular websites display better using a specific browser application. The choice of Internet browser also depends on your personal preference.
Recommendation
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Firefox and other third-party browsers are available free of charge, so it is simple to download them and try them out as alternatives to Internet Explorer. When you have decided which browser you prefer, you can then set it to be your default.
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References
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