Tutorial to set up 3 Microsoft web browsers (Edge UWB, new Edge, & Internet Explorer) to work concurrently coexisting peacefully even after subsequent Windows Updates

[Arlen Holder]

Tutorial to set up 3 Microsoft web browsers (Edge UWB, new Edge, & Internet Explorer)
to work concurrently coexisting peacefully even after subsequent Windows Updates
<https://i.postimg.cc/PrcV1pXF/browser06.jpg>

(As always, please test & update so that many may benefit from every action.)

Note: When Windows Update automatically installed the new Edge in a Windows update,
Microsoft purposefully hid the old Edge & grayed out the UNINSTALL for the new Edge.

Assuming you made that same mistake of installing the new Edge browser,
then you will instantly realize that doing so "hides" the old Edge browser.

Assuming that you want to use all three Microsoft browsers concurrently, these steps
worked for me on Win10 Pro (where there are a handful of tricks that were needed).
o <https://i.postimg.cc/QN6rbSQD/browser05.jpg>

a. Delete the new Microsoft Edge (see trick below) & re-enable the old Edge shortcuts
b. Prevent Windows Update from overwriting your old Edge setup again (see trick below)
c. Enable all three MS browsers to coexist peacefully concurrently (see trick below)

1. Download the installers but do not install them yet (see steps below).

For Internet Explorer, either of these two official full installers should work:

Name: IE11-Windows6.1-x64-en-us.exe
Size: 55915216 bytes (53 MiB)
SHA256: 559EAFE456E5D29B19CD3A9D6BE7C77F3F576A484434BD5B2AA5B6188AAA00B2
<https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/18520/download-internet-explorer-11-offline-installer>

Name: EIE11_EN-US_MCM_WIN764.EXE
Size: 58069888 bytes (55 MiB)
SHA256: 8360C0AE62A10311536211132F842169240EAB504B82782683AB72666A9633FB
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/download/details.aspx?id=41628>

For the new Microsoft Edge, this official beta full installer should work:

Name: MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi
Size: 90255360 bytes (86 MiB)
SHA256: 4CBD6B9FD748A05BA5ACB3F05CCE152AF197047B54DD61BD5C6D8CEC5FE37146
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download>

Does anyone know where to find the official old MS Edge standalone installer?
<https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/microsoftedge/forum/all/microsoft-edge/b77fc2d8-c4c0-4798-a127-aa115b33a64c>

2. You might want to safely archive the shortcuts to the old & new Edge while you
have them in sight (otherwise you have to re-create them manually).

Win+R > shell:appsfolder

Right click on any shortcut you want to archive to your desktop & press:
o Create shortcut

For example:
Win+R > shell:appsfolder
Test the old "Microsoft Edge" (white & blue) icon by doubleclicking on it:
Settings > General > About this app > Microsoft Edge 44.18362.449.0, Microsoft EdgeHTML 18.18363
TARGET: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge

3. You can't graphically uninstall the new Microsoft Edge because the graphical
control panel and settings "Uninstall" buttons are all grayed out for the
new Microsoft Edge, so what you do is delete it on the command line manually:
(Note: My version was 84.0.522.50, where your directory name may differ.)
<https://i.postimg.cc/2SzGQkQZ/archive-installer.jpg>

cd C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\84.0.522.50\Installer\
setup.exe --uninstall --system-level --force-uninstall --verbose-logging
(Note: The logging option above is optional.)

4. That will bring the old Edge back, where you might want to make a
shortcut to that old Edge if you haven't made that shorcut already.

Edge UWB.lnk
TARGET: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge

5. Add a registry key so Windows Update won't wipe out that old Edge again:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate]
"DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium"=dword:00000001

6. Add a registry key so Windows 10 allows both Edges to coexist peacefully:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate]
"Allowsxs"=dword:00000001

7. After rebooting, you can install the new Edge browser & it won't hide the old.

Name: MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi
Size: 90255360 bytes (86 MiB)
SHA256: 4CBD6B9FD748A05BA5ACB3F05CCE152AF197047B54DD61BD5C6D8CEC5FE37146
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download>

8. Set up your taskbar > menu > browser > {InternetExplorer, OldEdge, NewEdge}
<https://i.postimg.cc/PrcV1pXF/browser06.jpg>

Internet Explorer.lnk
TARGET: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

Edge UWB.lnk
TARGET: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge

Edge CHR.lnk
TARGET: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

9. Test that you can choose between the two Microsoft Edge browsers:

Win+R > microsoft-edge://
(That should give you a choice of either of the two Edge browsers.)

10. Test and check the versions of each of your three Microsoft browsers:
a. InternetExplorer: Gear icon > About Internet Explorer
Version 11.959.18362.0 (Update version 11.0.200)
b. Edge UWB: Elipses > Settings > General > About this app
Version Microsoft Edge 44.18362.449.0
Version Microsoft EdgeHTML 18.18363
c. Edge Chrome: Elipses > Settings > About Microsoft Edge
Version 84.0.522.50 (Official build) (64-bit)

WIP: I need to test that these tweaks survive future Windows Updates.

As always, please test & update so that many may benefit from every action
--
Note that I only tested this once on Windows 10 Pro, where it took a few
mistakes before I realized the handful of necessary tricks (such as first
deleting the new Edge before adding the registry tweaks and then after
rebooting, re-installing the new Edge anew), so I may have inadvertently
skipped a step or switched the order - so please test & let us know how it works
so that, always, everyone can benefit from your every action on Usenet.

[Arlen Holder]

On Fri, 31 Jul 2020 18:11:39 -0400, Paul wrote:

> Right-click Start : Run : control
> Programs and Features (control panel)
> Windows Features
> Check that Internet Explorer 11 tick box is still ticked
>
> The "removal" of IE11 does not remove the folder,
> because some part of that folder may still be in usage.
>
> The Internet Explorer 11 tick box in Windows Features,
> normally controls "iexplore.exe" . If the Internet Explorer
> line is removed in Windows Features, that would be a sign
> the removal is permanent.

UPDATE:
(Missing step in the tutorial which I had forgotten to document prior.)

As per Paul above from the thread that prompted me to set up all three
Microsoft browsers, we need to add to the tutorial a step to determine if
Internet Explorer is enabled, and how to enable it as per Paul above.
<https://i.postimg.cc/9QhZb9Qg/browser08.jpg>

Mine was already enabled, but for the tutorial, we need to assume that the
user might not still have Internet Explorer enabled on his Win10 system.

Here's how to check if Internet Explorer is enabled based on Paul's advice.
o Win+R > control > View by "Category" > Programs > Programs and features
o > Turn Windows features on or off > [x]Internet Explorer

I suspect a reboot is necessary if that checkbox entry is changed, e.g.,
o %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe /r /f /t 5 /c "Reboot in 5s!"

As per this tutorial on creating batch commands as icons in your taskbar:
o Shutdown or Restart Windows without bickering
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/Ou___EcjwKo>
--
Usenet is a polite public potluck of purposefully helpful advice.

[Arlen Holder]

TESTING HINTS:

Start Run commands:
o Win+R > microsoft-edge:// <== gives you a choice of Edge browsers if both
o Win+R > microsoft-edge: <== brings up the current Edge browser if one
o Win+R > iexplore <== brings up Internet Explorer (if enabled)
o Win+R > microsoft-edge:about:blank <== opens default edge to a blank page
o Win+R > http://google.com <== brings it up in the default browser
o Win+R > microsoft-edge://google.com <== brings it up in the default Edge
o Win+R > cmd > start microsoft-edge: <== brings up the default Edge
o Win+R > cmd > start microsoft-edge:http://google.com <== opens that page
o Win+R > powershell > start microsoft-edge: <== brings up the default Edge
o Win+R > explorer > microsoft-edge: <== Windows file explorer address bar
o Win+R > shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge
o Win+R > %windir%\system32\cmd.exe /c "start microsoft-edge:http://google.com"
o Win+R > %comspec% /c start shell:AppsFolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge http://google.com
etc.

Note: Those latter entries are useful to create TARGETs to specific
web-page shortcuts, (where you can combine commands to quickly open any
number of web pages):
o What syntax combines 2 commands into a single shortcut TARGET line?
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.msdos.batch/azQbz6D_v0Y>

You can even create an "edge" command to enable "Win+R > edge", e.g.,
o Win+R > shell:appsfolder
o Create a System32 (path) shortcut named "newedge" and "oldedge".
o Win+R > newedge <== you can also add to the "app paths" registry key

See details in:
o Tutorial to set up 3 Microsoft web browsers to work concurrently
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.freeware/fZlJTYRxYFg>

And in:
o Over 250 Start > Run commands (please improve this Start Run commands list)
<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/microsoft.public.windowsxp.general/cc1lGn3ty0E>
--
Every post to Usenet archives should help someone now & in the future.

[Arlen Holder]

UPDATE: <https://i.postimg.cc/q7VC5YXV/microsoft-browsers01.jpg>
o Tutorial to set up 3 Microsoft web browsers (Edge UWB, new Edge, & Internet Explorer)

to work concurrently coexisting peacefully even after subsequent Windows Updates

<https://groups.google.com/forum/#!topic/alt.comp.freeware/fZlJTYRxYFg>

Based on:
<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-blocker-toolkit>
Note: Microsoft will distribute Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) to all Windows Update-connected
devices running Windows 10 version 1803 and newer. This process will start after January 15, 2020"

Addendum: The prior tutorials showed how to "repair" your system if you _already_ installed
the new Chrome Edge; the tutorial below assumes you're starting clean without
having installed the new Edge (i.e., you only have the old Edge installed).

1. Check the version of Edge & IE if you haven't installed the new Chrome Edge yet.

Edge(old):
Threedots > Settings > General > About this app > Edge 44.19041.423.0, EdgeHTML 18.19041

IE 11:
Gearicon > About Internet Explorer > Version 11.264.1904.0, Update Versions: 11.0.190 (KB4556798)

Edge(new):
Threedots > Settings > About Microsoft Edge > Version 84.0.522.63 (Official build) (64-bit)
Note: If you have the new Edge already installed, use the prior tutorial to remove it
and then re-install it side by side with the old Ege.

This tutorial assumes you do not _yet_ have the new (Chrome) Edge installed!

2. Check whether Internet Explorer (IE) is already enabled (if not, you can enable it
if you wish for Internet Explorer to work alongside both Microsoft Edge browsers):

Win+R > control > View by: Category > Programs > Programs and features >

Turn Windows features on or off > [x]Internet Explorer 11

Reboot if you change the checkbox value:
Win+R > %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe /r /f /t 5 /c "Reboot in 5s!"

3. Put all existing shortcuts in a safe location for archival & reuse:

Win+R > shell:appsfolder

Right click on any shortcut you want to archive to your desktop & press:
o Create shortcut >

"Windows can't create a shortcut here.
Do you want the shortcut to be placed on the desktop instead?"
[Yes][No]

On the desktop shortcut, check the properties:
Edge(old) TARGET: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge
IE TARGET: Microsoft.InternetExplorer.Default

4. Download the full Edge(new) installer but do not install it yet.
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download>
Select channel/version: Stable 84 (Current and supported)
Select build: 84.0.522.63
Select platform: Windows 64-bit
This downloaded:
Name: MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi
Size: 90148864 bytes (85 MiB)
SHA256: C4EACB85A29452C27309CB6E4D495C1661B768135451464AB52CC157BA84706E
If you keep multiple versions, rename accordingly:
move MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64_84-0-522-63.msi

5. Add a new key to prevent Windows Update from deleting old Edge when you install new Edge.

Note that you don't have an "EdgeUpdate" key yet in this location:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\]

<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-blocker-toolkit>
<https://msedgeblockertoolkit.blob.core.windows.net/blockertoolkit/MicrosoftEdgeChromiumBlockerToolkit.exe>
Name: MicrosoftEdgeChromiumBlockerToolkit.exe
Size: 178624 bytes (174 KiB)
SHA256: F386D4E80AB9FC11CE5FEF97B9D6A1DA9AA1B64F577233E158A6B490D7D1031D
When you doubleclick on MicrosoftEdgeChromiumBlockerToolkit.exe it asks where to put it:
C:\app\os\microsoft\edgeblocker
That created: C:\app\os\microsoft\edgeblocker\EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd
Name: EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd
Size: 1832 bytes (1 KiB)
SHA256: 215FCAF2FE62297A31D740904E872DB1AB949B4BE604605DBCEA6E003C08730F

Win+R > cmd {Control+Shift+Enter} <== to open an admin prompt, which is required
cd C:\app\os\microsoft\edgeblocker
EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd /B
MICROSOFT TOOL KIT TO DISABLE DELIVERY OF
MICROSOFT EDGE (CHROMIUM-BASED)
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corporation. All rights reserved.
LOCAL!
Blocking deployment of Microsoft Edge (Chromium-based) on the local machine
The operation completed successfully.

Note the two main options are /B (blocks distribution), and /U (unblocks distribution).
EdgeChromium_Blocker.cmd [<machine name>] [/B] [/U] [/H]

Note that you now have a newly added "EdgeUpdate" key in this location:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\]
Specifically:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate]
"DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium" > Dword (32-bit) Value 1 Hexadecimal

Registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Key value name: DoNotUpdateToEdgeWithChromium
0 Distribution is not blocked.
1 Distribution is blocked.

6. Add a registry key so Windows 10 allows both Edges to coexist peacefully:

<https://www.thewindowsclub.com/run-legacy-edge-and-chromium-edge>
<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-update-policies>
See the section titled "Allow Microsoft Edge Side by Side browser experience"
And this: "Prevent Desktop Shortcut creation upon install default"

Note that you don't have an "EdgeUpdate" key yet in this location:
[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\]

Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Value Name:
(Stable): Install{56EB18F8-B008-4CBD-B6D2-8C97FE7E9062}
(Beta): Install{2CD8A007-E189-409D-A2C8-9AF4EF3C72AA}
(Canary): Install{65C35B14-6C1D-4122-AC46-7148CC9D6497}
(Dev): Install{0D50BFEC-CD6A-4F9A-964C-C7416E3ACB10}
Value Type: REG_DWORD

This allows the side-by-side experience of old & new Edge:

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate]

"Allowsxs"=dword:00000001 (hex)

This ensures a desktop shortcut is created when installing the new Edge:
Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Value Name: CreateDesktopShortcutDefault
Value Type: REG_DWORD
Example Value: 0x00000001 (1 hex)

7. Optionally, ensure you get a desktop shortcut to the new Microsoft Edge
<https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/deployedge/microsoft-edge-update-policies>
See the section titled "Prevent Desktop Shortcut creation upon install"
Path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\EdgeUpdate
Value Name: CreateDesktopShortcut (hex 1 === a desktop shortcut is created when Microsoft Edge is installed.)
Value Name: CreateDesktopShortcutDefault (hex 1 === a desktop shortcut is created when Microsoft Edge is installed.)
Value Type: REG_DWORD (32-bit value)

These are optional because these values are the defaults.

8. After rebooting, you can install the new Edge browser & it won't hide the old.
Win+R > %windir%\System32\shutdown.exe /r /f /t 5 /c "Reboot in 5s!"

9. Install your new (Chromium-based) Microsoft Edge alongside the old Edge.
(Note: You're really gonna want to be off the net when you install anything.)
<https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/edge/business/download>

Name: MicrosoftEdgeEnterpriseX64.msi
Size: 90255360 bytes (86 MiB)
SHA256: 4CBD6B9FD748A05BA5ACB3F05CCE152AF197047B54DD61BD5C6D8CEC5FE37146

This will not ask you where you want to put it unfortunately; it goes in:

"C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

It phones home if you're on the network when you install it:
https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?linkid=2132465

When you check the version, it also phones home if you're on the network.
Edge(new):
Threedots > Settings > About Microsoft Edge > Version 84.0.522.63 (Official build) (64-bit)

10. You can put all three shortcuts in your taskbar if that's what you want.
IE 11:
TARGET: Microsoft.InternetExplorer.Default]

TARGET: "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"

(old) Edge:

TARGET: %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge

(new) Edge:
Target: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

Note: Given Microsoft named the shortcuts EXACTLY the same name, it's a good idea to change one or both:
Microsoft Edge (old)
Microsoft Edge (new)

Look in:
Win+R > C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application
Win+R > %ProgramData%\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs\
Win+R > shell:appsfolder
etc.

11. Test that you can choose between each of the three Microsoft Edge browsers:
<https://i.postimg.cc/q7VC5YXV/microsoft-browsers01.jpg>

Win+R > microsoft-edge://
(The first run should give you a choice of either of the two Edge browsers.)
(After that first choice, it will default to whatever you had chosen.)

Test that you can execute each browser from the Win+R command line:
IE 11:
Win+R > "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"
(old) Edge:
Win+R > %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge
(new) Edge:
Win+R > "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

12. Optionally, create a simple-to-remember command to open each MS browser:
Right click on the App Paths key and create a new keyword ending with ".exe" (required).

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\App Paths
ie.exe = "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe"
edgeold.exe = %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge
edgenew.exe = "C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe"

Win+R > ie ==> brings up Internet Explorer
Win+R > edgeold ==> should bring up the old Microsoft Edge, but I need the right syntax.
Win+R > edgenew ==> brings up the new Microsoft Edge

Note: I'm not sure how to get edgeold to work using this method:
edgeold.exe = %comspec% /c "C:\Windows\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge"
edgeold.exe = %windir%\explorer.exe shell:Appsfolder\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe!MicrosoftEdge
edgeold.exe = C:\Windows\system32\cmd.exe /c "start microsoft-edge:"

As always, please improve so all benefit from every action.
In particular, help in creating an apppaths key for the old Edge would be useful.
--
Usenet is a wonderful public web-searchable repository of useful hints & tutorials.

[Arlen Holder]

UPDATE: <https://i.postimg.cc/26F7CZ7V/microsoft-browsers02.jpg>

If you keep the same names for both the old and new Edge shortcuts,
you may lose their default icon over time (apparently), as I did just now.

The only place shortcuts can have the exact same name, apparently, is here:
o Win+R > shell:appsfolder

In the folders under your control, you need to change at least one shortcut
name so that the old and new Edge shortcuts have different names when both
are in the same folder (e.g., your menu folders):
o C:\Users\%username%\AppData\Roaming\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
o C:\Users\All Users\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
etc.

Once you give them unique names, you can then reset the icons accordingly:
o Set the InternetExplorer shortcut to the following icon:
<%SystemRoot%\System32\SHELL32.dll> (choose the ie icon)
o Set the LegacyEdge shortcut to the following icon:
<%windir%\SystemApps\Microsoft.MicrosoftEdge_8wekyb3d8bbwe\MicrosoftEdge.exe>
o Set the ChromeEdge shortcut to the following icon:
<%ProgramFiles(x86)%\Microsoft\Edge\Application\msedge.exe>

Here is a screenshot after I fixed all the icons as shown above:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/9Mj5Zf5r/microsoft-browsers02abc.jpg>
--
Usenet is a rich public web-searchable archive of solutions & tutorials.

[Arlen Holder]

On Thu, 27 Aug 2020 05:45:03 -0000 (UTC), Arlen Holder wrote:

> Here is a screenshot after I fixed all the icons as shown above:
> o <https://i.postimg.cc/9Mj5Zf5r/microsoft-browsers02abc.jpg>

Ooooooops. That was a typo in the screenshot URL.

Here are the screenshots I made to help you in this thread:
o <https://i.postimg.cc/26F7CZ7V/microsoft-browsers02.jpg>
o <https://i.postimg.cc/q7VC5YXV/microsoft-browsers01.jpg>
o <https://i.postimg.cc/9QhZb9Qg/browser08.jpg>
o <https://i.postimg.cc/PrcV1pXF/browser06.jpg>
o <https://i.postimg.cc/QN6rbSQD/browser05.jpg>
o <https://i.postimg.cc/2SzGQkQZ/archive-installer.jpg>
--
Note: I make these screenshots so that the tutorials have more value.