IE 7 Available for Update Download, Supports Pirated Software

Posted on January 30, 2008 at 6:37 am

Microsoft announced that on February 12, 2008, they will be releasing Windows Internet Explorer 7 (or IE 7) Installation and Availability Update, and they wanted to be clear that it will affect all users via the Windows Update (for average users) and the Windows Server Update Services (or WSUS). IE 7, alone, is a complete installation of the latest version of the people’s endearing explorer.

Here are the changes that you could expect from the IE 7 download, as seen in the Description of the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update:

1. Windows Genuine Advantage validation check is disabled.
Seemingly a gift for the pirates of our beloved Windows, IE 7 is available for them to download. This risk is taken by Microsoft with one set goal in mind: IE 7 needs to overtake IE 6 in popularity, since the latter seems to top surveys based from web traffic. Removing the checking for genuine versions of Windows is an easy guarantee that more and more people will try IE 7 out, since it is basically free.

2. The menu bar now appears by default.
As what the update title tells you, your IE 7 menu bar appears every time the browser is opened.

3. First Run Experience runs for new users.
Much like a tutorial for first-timers, the first page appearing as you open your IE 7 involves a completion process of your installation. It will prompt you to define your new browser’s settings, like the default search provider, chosen phishing filter, and others. Also, it will showcase (or boast, rather,) some top-level features of your new IE 7.

It may be shocking for IE 6 fanatics, but there’s really no need to worry, as there will be prompts for the average users to change to IE 7 via Windows Update. It’s not a forced installation. Well, it could be, if you are using WSUS to manage updates for your own network.

To know if you will be affected by the auto-update rollout mentioned above, check if these conditions apply to you (based from Microsoft’s article for IE 7):

You use WSUS to manage updates in your organization.
You have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computers or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based computers that have Internet Explorer 6 installed.
You do not want to upgrade Internet Explorer 6 machines to Windows Internet Explorer 7 at this time.
You have configured WSUS to auto-approve Update Rollups for installation.

So to the well versed in IT, you might want to review what IE7 has in store for you, as it might not be compatible with your settings that run IE 6 compatibly.

Moving along, you can also control the deployment of IE 7 by the guidelines found in Microsoft’s article for IE 7.

But to those who already use Windows Vista, IE 7 comes with the package already so there’s no need to install it. Anyway, be sure that to understand everything about IE7 and its rollup before February 12 (if you aren’t currently using IE 7, that is), or you might end up wondering what happened to your IE 6. And to the pirates out there, seems like Microsoft is reluctantly on your side this time. Loki

<p align=”left”>[tags]internet explorer 7, internet explorer 6, microsoft, windows[/tags]</p>

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