Computer with no browser

[Capetonian]

I am trying to diagnose a computer problem remotely by phone to help a computer illiterate friend. It's a case of the partially sighted helping the blind!

He was using Google Chrome and found it had 'too many adverts' so he got a mutual mate of ours (TinFoil Hat) to try to install an ad-blocker. TinFoil Hat convinced friend that Chrome is too intrusive and deleted it, and was going to install Firefox + Adblocker at my suggestion.

He now tells me that he has deleted Chrome, also the IE that the computer came pre-installed with, and having emptied the recycle bin, cannot restore.

He therefore sits with a computer that apparently has no browser and he is thus unable to access the internet to download Firefox.

Is it possible to email the set-up files for FF, or get them on a memory stick/CD device?

I know this sounds stupid and indeed it is. Is there a solution that I could talk him through?

It's a bit like 'There's a hole in my bucket ............' if anyone knows that old ditty.

[Bushfiva]

IE is never really gone. Depending on the OS version, go to the search box and type a URL in: it may automagically bring up a browser window.


For a USB browser, there are plenty of portable versions of current browsers at portableapps.com and elsewhere.


Finally, maybe the doofus that broke it should fix it. It's amazing: the less people know, the more they believe the entire internet wants to spy on them.

[KelvinD]

Give this a try.:
How To Download Firefox Without a Web Browser | Matt Silverman (http://www.mattsilverman.com/2009/06/how-to-download-firefox-without-a-web-browser.html)
If you can download and install it from the CMD prompt, that sounds like a winner!
Good luck.

[mixture]

He now tells me that he has deleted Chrome, also the IE that the computer came pre-installed with, and having emptied the recycle bin, cannot restore.

"Emptied the recycle bin" sounds awfully like computer-illterate code for ....

"I've deleted those pesky icons whilst cleaning up my desktop, I think I've deleted the software but in reality I've only deleted the shortcut"

:E


P.S Instead of installing web browsers, if you are determined to help your friend, it sounds like if you are better off getting them to install Teamviewer. You could always email him the minimal "QuickSupport" version.

[Capetonian]

Thank you all for the answers.

maybe the doofus that broke it should fix it.Nop,e he'd make it worse. He should be kept away. Take the 'fu' out of 'doofus' and you have what we call people like him in ZA - a doos.

I think the portable apps route sounds the best option. I may be able to explain how to do that.

[ChickenHouse]

Go for Command line and use FTP, which is always present. And shoot the butthead trying to delete IE from a Windows machine. There are two choices, you either do only deletion of icons, which is bad, but not dangerous, or you really delete IE completely and will suffer from voodoo behavior of the OS once in a while, as the deletion might have got rid of library things needed for something else ...

[finncapt]

I was trying to fix a laptop and managed to make IE unviewable.

I fixed it by going to tools, internet options, advanced and ticked/unticked (whichever it was) the "use software rendering ......" box (first line in my advanced settings).

This may not be your problem.

Reread the thread - what about a system restore to a previous time.

Will repairing windows help - can't rmember how to access repair options as I, almost wholly, use Linux now.

You got me interested and I gooogled "download a browser without a browser".

There are several pages and the simplest, to my mind, was "how to geek" using the command line - scroll down the page till you get to "ftp ftp.mozilla.org" and follow the instructions.

[KelvinD]

I would still try the CMD line fix referred to above. Basically, you end up downloading the Firefox bundle via ftp.
As mentioned above too, deleting IE may have got rid of all manner of common dll files etc and it is possible they will need to be downloaded again.
By the way, are you in Capetown? I lived in Kalk Bay & Muizenberg many monns ago.

[Keef]

There is a "switch" in some versions of Win 7 to turn IE on and off. I came across it yesterday when cleaning out the new second hand laptop. It wasn't in an obvious place, and I wasn't looking for it at the time so don't remember where it was.

Otherwise, either FTP the Firefox installer, or put the whole Firefox on a memory stick and post it to him.

[Flagon]

Control Panel\All Control Panel Items\Programs and Features

Turn Windows features on and off

Simples!

[jimjim1]

FTP is a fine idea.

However.

As I recall, it is necessary to have special 'internet router'/'firewall' configurations to get ftp to work.

It is about 6 years since I was involved with this so please be gentle if I have erred.

If you are on a corporate network that allows ftp then there will be no problem (except possibly with a windows client- see later). If you are on a home network then there may well be additional difficulties.

The problem is that when it does a file transfer the ftp server, by default, has to initiate a connection back to the client through which to send the data. To get this to work you need to have the appropriate NAT port mapping configured back through the router AND to have the router's firewall configured to allow incoming connections.

If you don't have this you can login, do directory listings, etc., but the actual transfer will fail.

The ftp people of course thought of this and most ftp clients allow the selection of "passive mode". This stops the server trying to "actively" connect back to the client and depends on the client initiating connections to the server, as is usual on pretty much all other internet protocols.

GUESS WHAT?

The windows built-in ftp client (at least Win 7 and earlier) does not have any provision to select "passive mode ftp".

THEN:-

You will need to sort out the windows firewall on your PC.

Good luck - I suspect that you will need it.

My advice is to download on another computer and then use CD/DVD/USB-stick/Windows-file-sharing (in order of increasing possible security issues) to transfer the file.

Don't blame the ftp people, they invented it before NAT or firewalls or pretty much any network security were even thought of.

Happy New Year when it comes.

PS
Well it seems that I may be incorrect about passive mode support in windows - after 15 years of cursing. It appears that someone on the internet claims that it is only undocumented.

https://myonecent.wordpress.com/2010/11/14/how-to-use-windows-command-line-ftp-exe-to-use-passive-mode-data-transfer/

The (undocumented or not well documented in ftp help) QUOTE command is the key here. QUOTE PASV command will set the FTP client to work in passive mode. Below is an example:

ftp>open
userid:
password:
ftp>quote pasv
ftp>binary
ftp>put
ftp>quit

I have no inclination to try to test this today so good luck:-)
Easy enough to try.

[Bushfiva]

Jimjim1, "quote pasv" will certainly send the command. However, the command-line FTP client doesn't support passive connections. You need a third-party FTP client for that. Or, indeed, IE which supports passive ftp just fine. Unless, of course, you've deleted/hidden/mislaid IE on your machine...

[Loose rivets]

Is/are the original backup disc/discs not available? I have a feeling I need not ask ;) but mine did a sterling job on a friend's laptop running Vista, so perhaps someone else's?

I had spent 10 hours rescuing photos with Ubuntu before daring to try but when I did the computer was fine after going down the repair Windows route - even though these discs were for a different Windows Key.

[Lancman]

The Windows key is unique to the hardware that you installed the OS on and Microsoft monitors that in order to ensure that the same key isn't used on a different machine. The disks are actually universal within their version of Windows.

[obgraham]

What about a system restore?

[Keef]

A system restore is fine if there's a very recent system backup. Otherwise, it gets to be a right pain, rivalled only by a wipe and reinstall (which I've done a few times as very much the last resort).

I still think the USB memory stick, mailed to the person with the problem PC, is the easy solution.

[Blues&twos]

I'd have thought a System Restore would be the easiest option to look at first. Running it up and seeing if there are any recent restore points (prior to "the tampering") should only take a minute. If there are restore points available, you could give it a try. If not, you're no worse off.


I'm no expert (!), and I'm aware that it's not a magic fix-all, but it's got my PC back running on several occasions. I'd have thought that this sort of minor problem would be easily sorted by System Restore.


If any IT gurus think it isn't a good idea, and I know a few IT people at work who don't like it, I'd be genuinely interested in any explanations (knowledge is power!)

[Capetonian]

Thanks for the suggestions but, only the very simplest solution will work. This person hardly knows how to turn his computer and off, so it would be impossible to explain to him by phone how to do any of this. We need the simplest possible 'plug and play' option. His 20 year old daughter has refused to even discuss it with him as she knows it will end in tears!

I think downloading FF onto a stick and posting it is the best option.

[Flagon]

Surely post 10 would not be too taxing? If so, should he have a computer?

[jimjim1]

@Bushfiva

Re:- "quote pasv"

Thanks.

I think I only ever used the "quote" command (i.e. send this to the server with any local processing at all) once and I cannot recall why. I can't even think of an application for it.

[belfrybat]

On the off-chance that only the icons were deleted. On Win7 click on Start/Run, type in "iexplore.exe" (without the quotes) and hit Enter. On Win8 hit the Windows key and R at the same time, the Run prompt pops up.