After a wave of complaints from customers, Microsoft has dropped a controversial online ad for its Internet Explorer web browser that featured a vomiting woman.

The spot, which hit the internet earlier this week, had received a mixed reception from web users.

In the minute-long advert, Dean Cain - the actor best known for playing Superman in the 1990s TV series - fronts a spoof public information film highlighting the features of the new software.

The scene shows a woman who discovers an offensive website on her husband's browser, the contents of which cause her to vomit three times. Cain suggests Internet Explorer's privacy options mean that users will never have to suffer from what he calls OMGIGP - "Oh My God, I'm Gonna Puke" syndrome - ever again.

But after widespread disgust at the graphic nature of the ad, Microsoft has pulled the advertisement.

In a statement, the US software corporation called the spot "tongue-in-cheek", but said that it had decided to drop it after complaints from those who found it offensive.

"While much of the feedback to this particular piece of creative was positive, some of our customers found it offensive, so we have removed it," the company said. "We make a point of listening to our customers".

It is a blow for Microsoft, which has been trying to reposition itself with an advertising blitz, and for the American agency which created the series, Bradley & Montgomery. However, the edgy nature of the ads appears to have been part of the appeal for Microsoft: last month director Bobcat Goldthwait - a veteran of the Police Academy movies - told BrandWeek that some of the adverts in the series were "more nutty in tone".

Although the ad has now been pulled from Microsoft's website, it is still available on YouTube (warning: obviously this features material that some might find offensive):