There's an icon for that near the right end of the address bar, it probably looks like a page.
Ouch, I was afraid that would happen. Try using Maxthon, http://portableapps.com/apps/internet/maxthon_portable it has the IE engine, so it might work for those sites.

I can't stand IE, but some sites don't work properly with other browsers.

Don't panic. IE is finicky and probably just got angry at something.

If you uninstalled 11 and the machine did not hang - they hang often when rolling back Explorer, it's a pain in the neck - then the first step would be to go back in to Add/Remove Programs, select the option that lets you view updates, as you did before, and then make sure that IE 11 has not crept back on the list. If it is there, remove it again. Be sure to reboot after a browser uninstall, even if the machine restarted during the uninstall process.

If there's no change, go to the Microsoft web site and download Internet Explorer 10. It will be on there somewhere (you can even use 9 if you like, that was fairly stable). It will want you to Run the install program from the site when you find it, but try to Save it instead - put it on your desktop. Then install 10.

I don't know what other things you might have done along the way, but in case it's relevant: if you tried to uninstall IE entirely, that is, not an update version but an entire uninstall of the browser, you may have damaged core files that will make it very difficult to run IE at all without reinstalling the whole system. This sucks, but so it goes. Depending on what version of Windows you're using, removing IE in one step may damage system files (what you have to do is roll back down to IE version 6, and THEN uninstall).

I know you are running Vista or above, because otherwise you could not have gone above IE 8, and maybe this is not true of the new systems; I know it was true in XP machines. Anyway, just mentioning this in case it is relevant, ignore it if it doesn't apply.

Microsoft managed to break something AGAIN? How many critical things does that make just last few months?

How did you uninstall it in the end? What has been said here by others is correct in that you use the Programs & Features item from the Control Panel and choose the Installed Updates option. From there you can view all the updates that you've installed and find the Internet Explorer item. For me, as I'm on Vista, it is Windows Internet Explorer 9. When you select it you can then click the Uninstall option and it will remove that update reverting it back to the previous IE version.

In the past I have had issues with getting IE9 and IE10 (on a Windows 7 machine) to install, and the solution was to download some Microsoft Windows platform updater before attempting to update Internet Explorer.

If you are on Windows 7, try rolling IE back to IE9 and then apply the IE10 installation (after rebooting for each IE version change that is).

Well, after trying several things, nothing of which worked, I did a system restore to where I uninstalled the IE 11 update above. One restart later, and at least things are back to where I started when I started this thread. Plus I know I can use the F12 thing to access the sites I couldn't before, so there is that.

All in all I think I would've preferred rolling back to 10, but for whatever reason that screwed things up so badly that not only would 10 not work, but 11 wouldn't either when I updated to 11. But the system restore did the trick, and thanks (once again) to the good folks here at GoG I can now use F12 to access sites I couldn't.

Thanks again. Very grateful for the help here, but at the same time very frustrated over the experience with IE. It's my fault of course, I don't think it's Microsoft. I'd bet if it was one of you guys, you would've figured out the problem when I reverted back to 10, but I couldn't. That's what's so frustrating, I'm addicted this damn machine but just not smart enough to get past problems when I encounter them. Wish I'd gone back to college and taken a few computer classes but that's no longer an option now (I don't get around so well anymore).

Oh well, as long as I can stay in the good graces of you good folks here, at least I know I can usually get help when I need it.

Thank web developers for still using IE6-8 crap on IE9+ browsers. But anyways, see if you have a torn / broken page in the address bar when accessing those sites. If you do, click it, might help you with compatibility.

i gave up on IE a loooooooooong time ago, nothing but trouble with that browser. How can they keep making that one worse? It is a mystery to me.

They are not making it worse. Developers are intentionally using stupid code meant for IE6 even on newer versions. Try IE11, its the best thing ever since sliced bread with Nutella (damn I'm hungry).

I wish it could be that simple :) The fact is it's the client who requires the website too look exactly the same on every supported web browsers. You wouldn't like to hear our css/javascript guys swearing when the list includes even IE7 :)