Microsoft is retiring Internet Explorer. Will this affect online services of TS3?

Rsanda · May 2021

As far as I know, all in game online services of TS3 still use Internet Explorer in the background. Things like Store content downloads, online login etc all use IE. The most I am worried about here is Store downloads. So I am curious, will this affect TS3? I apologize if this information is wrong, and forum admins, feel free to delete this discussion if necessary. Thank you!

Relevant article about this on Windows website:

https://blogs.windows.com/windowsexperience/2021/05/19/the-future-of-internet-explorer-on-windows-10-is-in-microsoft-edge/

Rflong7 · May 2021

Hi

I hope they respond. It would be nice to know if our Store Stuff will be ... gone. Plus a whole expansion based on Simporting.

Nikkei_Simmer · May 2021

I use Google Chrome or Firefox to log into TS3 and the Store. All IE is is a web-browser. It shouldn't affect any "internet access".

GraceyManor · May 2021

Nikkei_Simmer wrote: »

I use Google Chrome or Firefox to log into TS3 and the Store. All IE is is a web-browser. It shouldn't affect any "internet access".

It does effect the launcher though.The launcher requires IE.That's the first thing that is
recommended to clear when the launcher acts up, is IE.

igazor · May 2021

IE is more than a web browser, it is a set of (coughs) technologies that run under the hood and that other applications use, borrow, steal, or whatever the correct terminology is. The browser part is just one facet of it that we can see, and I believe that is the portion that is being retired. The game doesn't actually call the browser up, but it does utilize some of its executables and the like. That is why clearing IE cookies and cache is always the Go To recommendation for when Launcher and in-game logins stop working.

To give it an analogy, although this may resonate better with Mac users than Windows, think of QuickTime. Even if you never used QT's own picture and movie viewers, the technology was always there for other applications that may have required it to use. Am not saying the game uses QT, again this is just an analogy and maybe not a very good one but the first one that came to mind.

candyboot · May 2021

I am very worried.

MorgaineWitch · May 2021

I very recently downloaded Sims 3 onto my laptop through Origin.
My laptop never came with Internet Explorer on it only Microsoft Edge.
My launcher and the store work through that.

logion · May 2021

MorgaineWitch wrote: »

I very recently downloaded Sims 3 onto my laptop through Origin.
My laptop never came with Internet Explorer on it only Microsoft Edge.
My launcher and the store work through that.

Check if you have iexplore.exe by going to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer, if you have that program then you have Internet Explorer on your computer.

InfraGreen · May 2021

Getting rid of the browser on the surface: whatever (their desperation to get people to Edge shall never cease huh)

Getting rid of this:

Absolute nightmare. Maybe.

mw1525 · May 2021

TS3 isn't the only launcher type game which uses IE technology. I belong to several 'game clubs' which also require IE technology to manage and launch their games both on and offline. When moving forward, I would think it to be irresponsible for Microsoft not to provide some type of bridge for existing legacy applications to continue to be able to function on (for a while at least).

According to Microsoft's information concerning 'Edge', they have already stated Edge has IE mode built into it.

"Not only is Microsoft Edge a faster, more secure and more modern browsing experience than Internet Explorer, but it is also able to address a key concern: compatibility for older, legacy websites and applications. Microsoft Edge has Internet Explorer mode (“IE mode”) built in, so you can access those legacy Internet Explorer-based websites and applications straight from Microsoft Edge."

At least one responder here says they use Edge with no issue.

DarkLady2788 · May 2021

I run mine on chrome never internet explorer and I have no issues 😊

igazor · May 2021

As far as I know, there are currently no installations of Windows 10 (or other versions) that do not have Internet Explorer present behind the scenes. Players may be using Edge, Chrome, Firefox, or other browsers to interact with the store, but the game is still using IE assets even though they are hidden. It's all currently baked into the operating system. We don't "run our games" on these other browsers, we actually have no choice what the Launcher and the game itself uses.

I think @mw1525 has the right idea. The behind the scenes technology of IE is not going away, it is shifting to IE mode under the cover of MS Edge. And only on Win 10, as some players might still be on Win 7 or 8.1 and not necessarily have MS Edge installed even though it is available to them.

Rsanda · May 2021

If the game uses IE in some background way, instead of Edge, in the future versions in Win 10, clearing IE caches might be a problem. I am hoping it will use Edge instead so that we can use Edge's interface to do that.

Even if it causes problems, I am pretty sure they can update and insert some version of chromium into the game to make it work again.

The most recent insider preview build has IE removed. If anyone exists on this forum that are in the insider program, this can be tested right now:

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/05/21/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-21387/

Sharonia · May 2021

I'm sure everything will be fine.

logion · May 2021

InfraGreen wrote: »

Getting rid of the browser on the surface: whatever (their desperation to get people to Edge shall never cease huh)

Getting rid of this:

Absolute nightmare. Maybe.

You can get to those options from the Control Panel-->Internet Options so hopefully that will still work when IE will be retired.

elleskyheart · May 2021

I don't know if this will be helpful for anyone, but it seems mw1525 is likely right.

https://wired.com/story/internet-explorer-browser-dead/

Rflong7 · May 2021

I still have to go into IE to remove all the cookies (even though I don't use it) so the launcher will work and install the store stuff. It happens almost every 6 months.
The only time I run IE is to clear the cache files.

Okblondee7 · May 2021

logion wrote: »

MorgaineWitch wrote: »

I very recently downloaded Sims 3 onto my laptop through Origin.
My laptop never came with Internet Explorer on it only Microsoft Edge.
My launcher and the store work through that.

Check if you have iexplore.exe by going to C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer, if you have that program then you have Internet Explorer on your computer.

Thank you, logion. Good to know if I install Sims3 on my laptop.

lisasc360 · May 2021

Here is an article that just came out today (5-25-2021) that talks about IE and Edge stating that Edge is capable of accessing IE-based apps and sites and how long IE will be supported through Edge.
https://www.computerworld.com/article/3619615/microsoft-sets-ies-date-with-death-kind-of.amp.html

simmerLella · June 2021

Rsanda wrote: »

If the game uses IE in some background way, instead of Edge, in the future versions in Win 10, clearing IE caches might be a problem. I am hoping it will use Edge instead so that we can use Edge's interface to do that.

Even if it causes problems, I am pretty sure they can update and insert some version of chromium into the game to make it work again.

The most recent insider preview build has IE removed. If anyone exists on this forum that are in the insider program, this can be tested right now:

https://blogs.windows.com/windows-insider/2021/05/21/announcing-windows-10-insider-preview-build-21387/

Yes, I once uninstalled IE and and played TS3 fine for weeks or months, then finally encountered the launcher issue that requires clearing IE cache, so I had to re-install it back then and I've kept it for only that, lolol.

That was, however, a bit before Microsoft started massively pushing Edge, so hopefully we'll have a workaround sometime.

simmerLella · June 2021

Rflong7 wrote: »

I still have to go into IE to remove all the cookies (even though I don't use it) so the launcher will work and install the store stuff. It happens almost every 6 months.
The only time I run IE is to clear the cache files.

Tehehe, all the 0 cookies!! (Same here, all 0 of them?

)

igazor · June 2021

@simmerLella - You can't have uninstalled IE. It is (was) part of the operating system. The only thing removing it from Windows Features does (did) was remove convenient access to it by way of shortcuts.

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Microsoft is retiring Internet Explorer. Will this affect online services of TS3?

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