Editing Openai/69420ff4-d7c4-8000-a448-17006bf16a9e (section)

=== Assistant: Short answer: It still won’t work. ===
Short answer: It still won’t work.
Long answer: Windows will explicitly block it at multiple layers, even if you “fix” everything.

Let’s break this down technically, because this is a good question — and the answer explains a lot about modern Windows internals.

==== What you’re proposing ====

You’re essentially asking:

: “What if I take the IE CAB from Windows 10, change its metadata so it says it’s for Windows 11, and re-sign it?”

That used to work in the Vista / Win7 era.
It cannot work on Windows 11.

==== Why it fails (even with perfect metadata) ====

===== 1. CBS does not trust CAB files =====

DISM does not trust the CAB itself.

CBS verifies against:
* Catalog (.cat) files
* Component identity
* Servicing stack policy
* OS applicability rules

Even if:
* You change the CAB version
* You change the manifest
* You re-sign the CAB

CBS never installs directly from the CAB.

It installs only from trusted catalog entries that already exist in the OS trust graph.

===== 2. You cannot generate a valid Microsoft catalog =====

To install, the package must be backed by:
* A Microsoft-signed catalog
* A certificate chained to Microsoft Windows Production PCA
* A catalog hash that matches every file byte-for-byte

You cannot recreate this, because:
* Microsoft’s private keys are not available
* Test-signing is not allowed for CBS packages
* Self-signed catalogs are explicitly rejected

Even kernel drivers allow test-signing — CBS does not.

===== 3. Applicability rules are hard-coded =====

IE packages contain applicability rules like:
* Minimum OS version
* Allowed SKUs
* Feature allowlist
* Feature blocklist

Windows 11 has a hard block for:

<syntaxhighlight>Browser.InternetExplorer

</syntaxhighlight>

This block lives in:
* Servicing Stack policy
* Feature manifest logic
* Internal disallowed-capability lists

Even a valid Microsoft-signed IE package would still be rejected on Windows 11.

===== 4. WinSxS hash chain will break =====

Windows component servicing is hash-addressed.

If you modify:
* Any file
* Any manifest
* Any metadata

Then:
* The WinSxS hash no longer matches
* The catalog hash no longer matches
* CBS aborts the transaction

This is why your log shows:

<syntaxhighlight>(null)
CBS HRESULT=0x8000ffff

</syntaxhighlight>

CBS never even gets to file staging — it aborts earlier.

===== 5. Secure Boot & Code Integrity stop you before reboot =====

Even if you somehow:
* Forced files into WinSxS
* Bypassed DISM
* Bypassed CBS

Windows would:
* Fail Code Integrity checks
* Fail Secure Boot verification
* Refuse to load IE binaries

At best: IE won’t start
At worst: Windows won’t boot

==== Could this work with Secure Boot off? ====

Still no.

Secure Boot protects boot-time code.
CBS & servicing protection works at runtime and does not care about Secure Boot state.

==== Could this work offline? ====

No.

Offline servicing still enforces:
* Catalog trust
* Applicability rules
* Servicing stack policy

The block is architectural, not online-only.

==== Why Microsoft did this (important) ====

Microsoft didn’t just “remove IE” — they invalidated its servicing identity.

This prevents:
* Enterprises re-enabling IE
* Attackers reviving vulnerable browsers
* Unsupported binaries being injected

This is intentional and permanent.

==== What does still work (and why) ====

| Thing              | Why it works                  |
| ------------------ | ----------------------------- |
| Edge IE Mode       | Uses MSHTML already trusted   |
| WebBrowser control | Still signed & supported      |
| Legacy apps        | Host the engine, not the UI   |
| Windows 10 VM      | IE still has a valid identity |

==== Final verdict ====

: Changing metadata and re-signing the CAB cannot bypass CBS, catalog trust, or applicability enforcement.

This is cryptographically and architecturally impossible on Windows 11.

==== If your goal is experimentation / learning ====

If you’re doing this for curiosity or reverse engineering, the only environment where this is realistic is:
* A Windows 10 VM
* Or a servicing-stack-disabled Windows image (lab only)

On a live Windows 11 system, this path is a dead end.

If you want, tell me why you’re trying to revive IE:
* Legacy intranet?
* ActiveX?
* Old software?
* Reverse engineering?
* Academic curiosity?

I’ll give you the closest achievable setup without fighting Windows itself.