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Does installing AOL edition of Firefox make Firefox the internal browser used by AOL instead of IE or is it just a customised stand alone version of Firefox?

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  • Last reply by gandalfg8

gandalfg8
gandalfg8
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I have an AOL account and access this via AOL's software front end for email and account management etc. The AOL software either includes an embedded version of Internet Explorer, or links into the installed version of IE on the PC, never have been quite sure which but, whichever, it does integrate with the AOL software. However, Firefox is my standalone browser of choice and a pop up has just offered me an "AOL version" of Firefox. It's not made clear though whether this would actually replace IE as AOL's "internal" browser, which would be great, or just add the AOL tool bar etc to my normal standalone version of Firefox, which I wouldn't want anyway. I was always under the impression that IE was embedded in AOL and I was stuck with it, at least internally to AOL's own software, but I guess there's no harm in hoping:-)

I have an AOL account and access this via AOL's software front end for email and account management etc. The AOL software either includes an embedded version of Internet Explorer, or links into the installed version of IE on the PC, never have been quite sure which but, whichever, it does integrate with the AOL software. However, Firefox is my standalone browser of choice and a pop up has just offered me an "AOL version" of Firefox. It's not made clear though whether this would actually replace IE as AOL's "internal" browser, which would be great, or just add the AOL tool bar etc to my normal standalone version of Firefox, which I wouldn't want anyway. I was always under the impression that IE was embedded in AOL and I was stuck with it, at least internally to AOL's own software, but I guess there's no harm in hoping:-)

Chosen solution

It looks like you just get the AOL toolbar. I got this message saying I already had Firefox and I could add the AOL toolbar to it. Also the Firefox download from the AOL site has a check box listing these extra options, "the AOL homepage, AOL Toolbar, & AOL as the default browser search engine" So that's would make the search default to AOL but not make Firefox AOL's default browser. I can't tell any more without installing AOL.

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Michael Verdi
Michael Verdi
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Chosen Solution

It looks like you just get the AOL toolbar. I got this message saying I already had Firefox and I could add the AOL toolbar to it. Also the Firefox download from the AOL site has a check box listing these extra options, "the AOL homepage, AOL Toolbar, & AOL as the default browser search engine" So that's would make the search default to AOL but not make Firefox AOL's default browser. I can't tell any more without installing AOL.

gandalfg8
gandalfg8 Question owner
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Many thanks for the reply, I came to very much the same conclusion, even though it didn't make much sense to me to be offered an AOL "version" of Firefox that would default to the "normal" version I'd already got if I deselected the AOL toolbar etc.

I should probably just try it for myself, but I wasn't sure how old the AOL version was and I've already had problems recently with IE hijacking some Firefox functions so was more inclined to leave well alone.

I think I'll just stick with that and quit while I'm ahead:-)