need a new browser recommendation for win 7

explorer 11 just doesn't work anymore, way too many incompatibilities with certain websites causing it to constantly be hanging up and crashing

thing is, firefox looked great at first but I quickly found it is just as bad and even worse for hanging up and crashing on some websites

I really really really don't want chrome and try to avoid anything google related


I tried opera but has a laptop browser touch screen format and from what I see most of the browsers that come up in searches are like that now

I just want a simple desktop PC browser that works and wont hang up loading tons of crap or be filled with built in spyware to sell my browsing habits to spammers.

what is out there that is very similar to explorer format and designed for PCs and not laptops?

I don't know much about browser software and just want something basic that works without conflicts.

I hope I can get something with a familiar looking layout to what I am used to with explorer. hell I don't even know if I can go back to an older version of explorer to find something that works but if I could, im good with that too.

[Gerald]

Chrome.Safari.

[BarracudaUAK]

I'm using firefox, no problems here.
Even have it on my phone, does all the stuff that the built in browser won't.

Currently have Firefox 55 installed...

I'm avoiding all others except Konqueror (https://konqueror.org/download/), which doesn't appear to be available for Windows...

Which OS do you have?


Barracuda

[Skybird]

Chrome is secure from a malware-related point. No other browsers get patched as often and quickly. The big negative is that Google denies you any privacy with it. Security top, privacy flop. Fail.

Explorer: dont cry for it. No other browser got attacked as much as this one. Fail.

Firefox: the only browser amongst the big ones that I know that allows oyu both security and privacy. Seal it up, have a few addons adding to safety (ask for adds and I gove a short list), and enjoy. If you constantly run into problems with it, then most likely the prioblem is with your generla system, connection, whatever. The browser itself runs very stable both under Windows 7 and Linux Mint. Pass.

You could check out Opera. Years ago I used it, and it was quite good in security and privacy, but then they messed up the UI and thought they had to reinvent the wheel, and it became a mess and they lost half their user base, they also went with some stuff by Google. I have not followed it since years anymore, I am happy with Firefox now. But Opera is maybe worth to be re-checked out. But I promise you nothing. Unknown.

My vote goes for Firefox.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Webster

hell I don't even know if I can go back to an older version of explorer to find something that works but if I could, im good with that too.

You. Dont. Want. That.

[Onkel Neal]

I switched from IE to Chrome some years back. I'm not allowed to endorse Chrome but I can say I don't have any big complaints.

Originally Posted by Skybird

Chrome is secure from a malware-related point. No other browsers get patched as often and quickly. The big negative is that Google denies you any privacy with it. Security top, privacy flop. Fail.

Explorer: dont cry for it. No other browser got attacked as much as this one. Fail.

Firefox: the only browser amongst the big ones that I know that allows oyu both security and privacy. Seal it up, have a few addons adding to safety (ask for adds and I gove a short list), and enjoy. If you constantly run into problems with it, then most likely the prioblem is with your generla system, connection, whatever. The browser itself runs very stable both under Windows 7 and Linux Mint. Pass.

You could check out Opera. Years ago I used it, and it was quite good in security and privacy, but then they messed up the UI and thought they had to reinvent the wheel, and it became a mess and they lost half their user base, they also went with some stuff by Google. I have not followed it since years anymore, I am happy with Firefox now. But Opera is maybe worth to be re-checked out. But I promise you nothing. Unknown.

My vote goes for Firefox.

well firefox works great until you come across certain websites that have some sort of compatibility issues which I assume are somehow cookie related, but if you use one of those websites it goes into endless cookie loading and being blocked issues until it freezes, then you have to reload the page and it happens again. sometimes its not the main page but when you open a forum post is when it does it. its just one or two websites I have issues with but I use those 40% of my online activity so its something of a huge problem for me but I don't know what is so different about those websites software that causes issues

I love using firefox except for this issue but its very similar to the problems explorer has where some pages wont load because of (im assuming) the same loading cookies issues. plus explorer is slow as a turtle

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

I switched from IE to Chrome some years back. I'm not allowed to endorse Chrome but I can say I don't have any big complaints.

well I don't agree with googles privacy invasion policies or their SJW politics and censorship so chrome is definitely NOT what I want unless I have no other choice, and I mean "absolutely" no other choice.

why Microsoft made "edge" incompatible with older OS is infuriating but SOP for those crooks trying to force win 10 down our throats.

from what I am hearing, it seems like my only two good options are, use chrome and have everything I do online recorded and sold to spammers or upgrade to win 10 (which I don't like at all) and then I can use edge browser that comes with it

[propbeanie]

Webster, for Windows 7-64, I've got IE11, Firefox (whatever the latest version) and Opera all on the same computers, and all for the same reason. Some sites want and need IE 11 and only IE 11. Others are OK with Firefox, but I use mostly Opera because it is "lighter" in its load size, and faster. However, like all the others, certain web site "techniques" will cause it problems, just like all the others. It used to be that a site might have a logo on the home page that would say "Optimized to work with IE6" or "Opitmized for Firefox" or whatever, but now it's up to the user to figure it out, I guess. If a particular page gives me trouble, I try one of the other browsers. I keep IE 11 as my "default" browser, which is what opens when certain programs (Photoshop LE) open their "Help" page, but it can be a bit inconvenient to always having to answer "Not now" or whatever it is, to the pop-up "This is not your default browser. Do you want to change that?", every time I open one of the other browsers first. My XP boots are no longer allowed on the internet, and I'll pull the wire whenever going into XP, but I had a similar set-up on them. I have two school-age sons, both on Windows 10-64 laptops, and one uses Firefox almost exclusively, the other uses Opera, but they both still have IE whatever the last number was, and that Edge, which is nothing more than IE whatever, with the guts cut out, so that it resembles an Opera install... But they also have to swap browsers also whenever they encounter page issues. I'd say that the http "standard" isn't quite so...

[mapuc]

I have two browser.

The one I use daily and one I use on occasion.

Skybird wrote:

Explorer: dont cry for it. No other browser got attacked as much as this one. Fail.

Can't say if he's right or not about this statement, I do know however that every FB-friends and other online friends who have been hacked, tried to be hacked or other bad things have or had Chrome-

This made me remember an article I once read in a Computer magasin (while I was waiting at the barbershop)

"Though more a software or similar gets though more the hacker get interested in it, it has to reach about 50.000 or more before the hacker start looking at it with interest"

In the beginning Chrome wasn't that popular or was quite new-Hackers didn't bother to make virus program for this browser-Now everyone is taking about Chrome, everyone is saying a person with his brain in order use Chrome a.s.o.

year maybe-but it also makes the hacker a lot more interested in

That is my conclusion after having talked with my FB-friends and other friends when I ask them-Which browser do you use and they all have said-Chrome.

Markus

[Rockin Robbins]

There's a new Chrome based browser out called Vivaldi. It's a GEM! It's been my primary browser for the last couple of months. Before that I used a Firefox derivative called Waterfox. It's probably the ultimate power user's browser, but Vivaldi is so darned snappy and fresh that it's really compelling. Just what they've done for history display will curl your toenails.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Webster

well firefox works great until you come across certain websites that have some sort of compatibility issues which I assume are somehow cookie related, but if you use one of those websites it goes into endless cookie loading and being blocked issues until it freezes, then you have to reload the page and it happens again. sometimes its not the main page but when you open a forum post is when it does it. its just one or two websites I have issues with but I use those 40% of my online activity so its something of a huge problem for me but I don't know what is so different about those websites software that causes issues

I love using firefox except for this issue but its very similar to the problems explorer has where some pages wont load because of (im assuming) the same loading cookies issues. plus explorer is slow as a turtle

Well, I have a lot of thigns switched off any must activate them per websire again. Active scripts, pop ups, Java, cookies. If website depebd ion cookies, and you do not allow themn, then it is logical that the website doe snot correctly load. On some website, you have to allow compromise, if you realyl want to visit them.

My idea is that thigns should not happen automatically. A pop-up with commercials shoupold not pop up in the firstm, but when it does, it shall not run its script autmatially, since such popups can be malware-infested, and you do not want to havbe malware scripots runnign automatically. So I use browser settigns and addons to have such stuff manually allowed every tikme it happens or I visit a site.

If I do not give certain permissions, sites will not load.

I suspect you have your cookie policies tuned too tight, excluding too much stuff. Try to loosen it a bit - but not with Explorer, but Firefox.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Rockin Robbins

There's a new Chrome based browser out called Vivaldi. It's a GEM! It's been my primary browser for the last couple of months. Before that I used a Firefox derivative called Waterfox. It's probably the ultimate power user's browser, but Vivaldi is so darned snappy and fresh that it's really compelling. Just what they've done for history display will curl your toenails.

Vivaldi is kind of successor to Opera. Many coders and programmers who worked on Opera, left Opera and now work on Vivaldi.

I read this ^. I do not know the browser, however. I also read that the former opera people in the Vivaldi team left Opera in anger and/or dissappointement. I take from that that Opera has not recovered from its unneeded, intentional fall.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by mapuc

I have two browser.

The one I use daily and one I use on occasion.

Skybird wrote:

Explorer: dont cry for it. No other browser got attacked as much as this one. Fail.

Can't say if he's right or not about this statement, I do know however that every FB-friends and other online friends who have been hacked, tried to be hacked or other bad things have or had Chrome-

This made me remember an article I once read in a Computer magasin (while I was waiting at the barbershop)

"Though more a software or similar gets though more the hacker get interested in it, it has to reach about 50.000 or more before the hacker start looking at it with interest"

In the beginning Chrome wasn't that popular or was quite new-Hackers didn't bother to make virus program for this browser-Now everyone is taking about Chrome, everyone is saying a person with his brain in order use Chrome a.s.o.

year maybe-but it also makes the hacker a lot more interested in

That is my conclusion after having talked with my FB-friends and other friends when I ask them-Which browser do you use and they all have said-Chrome.

Markus

The more popular a browser or operaiton system is, the more thnakful a target it becomes. Thats why you see a correlation bertween popularity of a software, and the number of attacks on it. You code one malware - and reach many users with it. That was why the older Opera until severla years ago was quite safe, it had no big user base. That also is why Linux does not get attacked as much as Windows, it has a minimal user base in the private user segment. Intially Android was safe, with popularity came the attacks, Now even the webstore by Google is no longer the sterile security zone it once has been.

If you want to reduce the chances of attacks aiming at software you usek, use software that is not popular and not widespread. You get no guarantee, but you push chances in your favour. Thats why I use no stuff by Adobe, Microsoft, no Java, no flashplayer etc.

[Skybird]

I rsearched a bit about Opera. It seems that they reversed over their mistake to no longer have bookmark lists in Opera. They came up with this fantastic (careful, cyncism) idea when they changed their browser engine to Chromium. Three months later half of their user base had disappeared. Since some versions they have brought it back recently, however. I read the browser now is one of the fastest if not the fastest out there, and has some comfort and security features you do not have in other browsers or that they must install via addons, it also comes with by default included popup blocker. Hoiwever, i have no info about privacy, and the thing bases on Chromium (Google). Scepticism is on order.

Maybe its time to give it another look. Its been five years or so since I left it behind. Sounds as if their deep fall has taught them some lessons, and the started to listen to people once again.

Its availabe for Windows, Mac, Android and Linux as well.

Originally Posted by propbeanie

Webster, for Windows 7-64, I've got IE11, Firefox (whatever the latest version) and Opera all on the same computers, and all for the same reason. Some sites want and need IE 11 and only IE 11. Others are OK with Firefox, but I use mostly Opera because it is "lighter" in its load size, and faster. However, like all the others, certain web site "techniques" will cause it problems, just like all the others. It used to be that a site might have a logo on the home page that would say "Optimized to work with IE6" or "Opitmized for Firefox" or whatever, but now it's up to the user to figure it out, I guess. If a particular page gives me trouble, I try one of the other browsers. I keep IE 11 as my "default" browser, which is what opens when certain programs (Photoshop LE) open their "Help" page, but it can be a bit inconvenient to always having to answer "Not now" or whatever it is, to the pop-up "This is not your default browser. Do you want to change that?", every time I open one of the other browsers first. My XP boots are no longer allowed on the internet, and I'll pull the wire whenever going into XP, but I had a similar set-up on them. I have two school-age sons, both on Windows 10-64 laptops, and one uses Firefox almost exclusively, the other uses Opera, but they both still have IE whatever the last number was, and that Edge, which is nothing more than IE whatever, with the guts cut out, so that it resembles an Opera install... But they also have to swap browsers also whenever they encounter page issues. I'd say that the http "standard" isn't quite so...

wow, so even if I upgraded to win 10 "against my will" just to get edge in hopes it will give me trouble free browsing, I will still have all this website not working BS?????? what the hell?

I find it simply amazing that with todays tech this is an issue that a browser cant function on any and all websites that you go to.

I just want "1" browser that works trouble free on any website I go to and secondary is it would be nice if it was secure, lastly would be my concerns about the amount of spyware and selling my online activity.

is chrome also going to not work on some websites? as much as I hate google and loath the idea of using it, if it runs trouble free, then I guess I will just have to learn to live with it and its invasiveness.

at the end of the day im just going to be practical and what ever works and does it all "without issues" that's what I will use, even if its not what I "want to use"