Internet
Explorer 7 Download
Article Published By Marc Liron - Microsoft MVP
Find Out Why You Should Be Using
Internet Explorer 7 TODAY!
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On the 18th October 2006 Microsoft released the
first major update, in a long while, to their popular Internet
Explorer software...
This document is
available as a PDF for download here:
Internet Explorer 7
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One thing that really puzzled me a few years ago
was when Microsoft disbanded the Internet Explorer team. We then saw
the Firefox browser appear on the scene and still no challenge from
Microsoft in terms of updating its browser, apart from the service
pack 1 update (IE6 SP1).
BUT now that has changed....
Due to the security flaws in Internet Explorer 6
I had pretty much stopped using it in Favour of the Firefox browser,
but now I am changing back to Internet Explorer with the release of
version 7.
Even with the release of the latest version of
Firefox 2.0 (which is good), in my opinion Internet Explorer 7 is
now the top Internet browser. Microsoft have now raised the
bar... (and about time too!)
Here's why I really like Internet Explorer 7:
Easier Online
Navigation
Internet Explorer 7 takes much of the work out of navigating the
Internet, allowing users to do more online. The browser has been
redesigned with a new look and enhanced capabilities that that make
everyday tasks — such as searching, browsing multiple sites and
printing — simple and fast. Internet Explorer 7 includes the
following key features designed to enhance the end user’s
experience:
• New look. The Internet Explorer 7 window frame is
reorganized to make it more streamlined and less cluttered by
eliminating items not commonly used. This maximizes the screen real
estate devoted to Web pages that users want to view and helps make
it easier to perform browsing tasks.
• Streamlined controls. The redesigned navigation bar
consolidates common tasks into collapsible onscreen menus,
considerably reducing the size of the navigation bar and emphasizing
the activities that users perform most online. Common tasks, such as
adding Web sites to the Favourites menu, can be performed with a
single click.
• Tabbed browsing. With tabbed browsing users can view
multiple sites in a single browser window and easily switch from one
site to another via tabs at the top of the window frame. Users also
can easily reorder their tabs by dragging them to the left or right.
• Quick Tabs. The Quick Tabs feature is designed to make tab
selection and navigation fast and easy. After opening multiple tabs,
users can view and manage them with an at-a-glance thumbnail view in
a single window.
• Tab Groups. This feature allows tabs to be grouped and
saved in logical categories. Further, users can open all pages
within a group with a single click, saving them time in opening
pages they visit regularly. Users can even set a tab group to open
automatically every time they launch Internet Explorer 7 from the
Start menu, so the pages they want open are retrieved as soon as
they open the browser.
• Instant Search. Users can now enter their Web queries
directly in a search box within the Internet Explorer frame. They
can also choose their favourite search provider from a drop-down
list or easily add more.
• Really Simple Syndication (RSS). Integrated support for RSS
allows users to automatically receive the latest headlines, travel
discounts, sports scores and other timely content from their
favourite Web sites and blogs.
• Advanced printing. A shrink-to-fit printing feature
automatically resizes all the text on a Web page to create the
proper width for printing. Internet Explorer 7 also includes a
multipage print preview feature with live margins, the ability to
resize text to avoid document clipping, and an option for printing
only selected text — all of which make it easier for users to print
exactly what they want.
• Favourites Center. A newly designed panel offers Internet
Explorer 7 users fast, easy access to Favourites, Tab Groups,
Browsing History and RSS feed subscriptions. The Favourites Center
expands out as needed or can be pinned in place for easier access.
• Page Zoom. With this feature, users can enlarge or zoom in
on individual Web pages, including text and graphics, to focus on
specific content or make content more accessible to those with
vision disabilities. For added convenience the feature also allows
horizontal scrolling while zooming.
Dynamic Security Technologies and
Privacy Protection
To help instill more confidence in customers’ browsing experiences,
Internet Explorer 7 incorporates dynamic security technologies,
including a robust architecture and new security features to better
protect end users against online threats. In addition to the
significantly increased level of protection against malware,
Internet Explorer 7 also has been strengthened in terms of personal
data safeguards, with features that help protect users against
“social attacks” such as Phishing and help prevent fraudulent Web
sites from stealing users’ personal data. Specific security
enhancements include these:
• Phishing Filter. Microsoft’s new Phishing Filter provides
better protection against malicious Web site operators and helps
prevent users from becoming the victims of online fraud. The
Phishing Filter warns users about suspicious sites and blocks access
to confirmed Phishing sites. The opt-in feature analyzes pages in
real time, and the confirmed Phishing sites list is updated several
times every hour using the latest security information from
Microsoft and industry partners. This helps ensure that users are
safer from the moment new Phishing sites first appear on the Web.
• ActiveX Opt-In. This malware protection feature disables
nearly all pre-installed ActiveX Controls, and helps prevent
potentially vulnerable controls from being exposed to attack. Users
can easily enable or disable ActiveX Controls as needed through the
Information Bar and the Add-on Manager.
• Fix My Settings. To help prevent users from browsing with
unsafe settings, Internet Explorer 7 alerts users with an
Information Bar when current security settings may put them at risk.
Within the security settings window, users will see settings
highlighted in red when they modify certain critical items. Dialog
alerts warn the user about potentially unsafe settings, and the user
will be reminded by the Information Bar as long as the settings
remain in that condition. With one click, users can instantly reset
the security settings to the Medium-High default level by clicking
on the Fix My Settings option in the Information Bar.
• Extended Validation Certificates. Microsoft has worked with
the industry to develop a new, stricter standard for issuing
certificates, called Extended Validation Certificates. To help
further reduce identity theft and increase user confidence in Web
transactions, the Internet Explorer 7 Address Bar will display the
usual SSL padlock with a green highlight when visiting a site with
an Extended Validation Certificate.
• Cross-domain Script Barriers. This feature restricts Web
page script from interacting with content from other domains or
windows to help users keep their personal information out of
potentially malicious hands. This new safeguard further helps
protect users against malware by limiting the potential for
malicious Web sites to manipulate flaws in other Web sites or cause
users to download undesired content or software onto their PCs.
• Delete Browsing History. The Delete Browsing History option
extends enhanced protection to user privacy and passwords.
Especially valuable on shared or public computers, this feature
enables users to instantly clean up cached pages, erase any
passwords, form data and cookies, and clear their browsing history —
all with a single click.
• International Domain Name Anti-Spoofing. In addition to
adding native support for International Domain Names in URLs,
Internet Explorer 7 also notifies the user when similar characters
in the URL are not expressed in the same language — even when the
characters look similar across several languages — thus helping
protect the user against spoof sites that would otherwise appear as
a known trustworthy site.
Improvements for Developers and
Administrators
In Internet Explorer 7, the browser architecture has been
re-engineered to address compatibility and manageability as well as
to support a variety of rich end-user experiences. With Internet
Explorer 7, Microsoft is delivering a broad set of platform
improvements for the Windows XP operating system to provide a
browser that is more standards-compliant and facilitate innovative
Web and application development. To allow administrators to continue
to easily manage the browser, Internet Explorer 7 will also be
centrally managed via Group Policy. Platform improvements in
Internet Explorer 7 include the following:
• CSS improvements. Cascading style sheet (CSS) specification
is a widely used standard for creating Web pages. Internet Explorer
7 addresses some of the significant inconsistencies that can cause
problems for Web developers who are trying to produce rich,
interactive Web pages. Enhanced support for CSS 2.1 includes
selectors and fixed positioning to allow Web developers to create
more powerful effects without the use of script.
• OpenSearch extensions. Microsoft submitted an updated
version of the OpenSearch standard, which was released under the
Creative Commons license, to the search and RSS communities. This
standard enables search engine providers to easily make their
service accessible to users.
• Improved AJAX support. Internet Explorer 7 improves the
implementation of the XMLHTTP Request as a native JavaScript object
for rich Asynchronous JavaScript and XML (AJAX)-style applications.
Internet Explorer 7 processes XMLHTTP natively, improving end-to-end
compatibility across different browsers and allowing clients to
configure and customize a security policy of their choice without
compromising how AJAX-based Web applications work.
• Windows RSS platform. The Windows RSS Platform is now part
of Internet Explorer 7, in Windows Vista™ and Windows XP. This
platform provides rich functionality for downloading, storing and
accessing RSS feeds across the entire operating system and will
enable more users to take advantage of RSS-related innovation.
Support for the Windows RSS platform means that once a user
subscribes to a feed in one application, that subscription and all
the associated content will be made available across the operating
system to any application available to make use of it.
• Smarter RSS feeds with Simple List Extensions 1.0.
Microsoft submitted the Simple List Extensions 1.0 specification to
the RSS community in June 2004, under a Creative Commons license.
This standard, now fully supported in Internet Explorer 7, enables
feed publishers to use RSS for lists of content — such as wish lists
or playlists — with interactive controls to make the feed more
useful for users.
• Transparent PNG support. Transparent Portable Network
Graphics (PNG) supports alpha channel transparency within the PNG
image format, popular among developers, resulting in rich and
exceptional-looking Web sites that are easy to build.
• Active Directory Group Policy. This allows all features to
be managed via Group Policy, including the Phishing Filter and all
browser add-ons, improving manageability of the browser and enabling
administrators to enforce compliance among users.
Internet Explorer is now available in English and will run on
Windows XP Service Pack 2, Microsoft Windows XP 64-bit Edition and
Microsoft Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1. Internet Explorer 7
will be made available to other Windows-supported languages over the
coming weeks. (see below for download link)
What About The
Automatic Update To Internet Explorer 7.0?
On or around the 1st November 2006 Microsoft
will start making Internet Explorer 7 available via Windows
Automatic Update service as a high priority update.
The reason is this: Internet Explorer 6 is not
safe enough for work online now we have Internet Explorer 7. (Even
Forrester Research are recommending you update straight away.)
However if you do not want to install IE7 (not
recommended) when the update downloads (if you have Automatic
Updates turned on) IE7 will not automatically install WITHOUT your
permission.
You will see an end user notification window
like the one below:
Fig 1.0 - IE7 End User Notification
If you are not wanting to install then simply
click the "Don't Install" button .
What If I Already Have A Beta
Version Of Internet Explorer Installed?
Internet Explorer should automatically install
if you have a previous beta installed.
What If I Do Not Have Windows XP
With Service Pack 2 Installed?
You will need to upgrade to Windows SP2 (Windows
XP and Windows XP SP1 are no longer supported by Microsoft)
Will The Install Lose My IE 6
Bookmarks, History etc?
No, they should all still be there when you
upgrade.
What Is The Internet Explorer
Blocker ToolKit?
The Blocker Toolkit will prevent machines from
receiving Internet Explorer 7 as a high-priority update via
Automatic Updates and the “Express” install option on the Windows
Update and Microsoft Update sites. The Blocker Toolkit will not
expire.
The Blocker Toolkit will not prevent users from manually installing
Internet Explorer 7 as a Recommended update from the Windows Update
or Microsoft Update sites, from the Microsoft Download Centre, or
from external media.
Organizations do not need to deploy the Blocker Toolkit in
environments managed with an update management solution such as
Windows Server Update Services or Systems Management Server 2003.
Organizations can use those products to fully manage deployment of
updates released through Windows Update and Microsoft Update,
including Internet Explorer 7, within their environment.
The toolkit contains two components:
An executable blocker script and a Group Policy Administrative
Template (.ADM file)
# Blocker Script
The script creates a registry key and sets the associated value to
block or unblock (depending on the command-line option used)
automatic delivery of Internet Explorer 7 on either the local
machine or a remote target machine.
# Group Policy Administrative Template (.ADM file)
The Group Policy Administrative Template (.ADM file) allows
administrators to import the new Group Policy settings to block or
unblock delivery of Internet Explorer 7 into their Group Policy
environment, and use Group Policy to centrally execute the action
across systems in their environment.
You can get the
blocker toolkit here.
Where Can I Download Internet Explorer 7?
You can visit the download site here:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/default.mspx
Related Articles:
Internet Explorer 7 Support Videos:
http://www.updatexp.com/ie7-issues.html
A Brief Timeline Of Internet
Explorer:
http://www.updatexp.com/internet-explorer-history.html
Internet Explorer 7.0 Q and A:
http://www.updatexp.com/internet-explorer-qna.html
How To Clean Out The IE 6 Temporary
History Folder:
http://www.updatexp.com/temporary-internet-folder.html
Download IE 6 As A Stand alone
Package:
http://www.updatexp.com/download-ie6.html
Internet Explorer Keyboard
Shortcuts:
http://www.updatexp.com/internet-explorer-keyboard-shortcuts.html
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Kind Regards
Marc Liron -
Bio
Microsoft Digital Media MVP
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