IE7 To Be Sent As Automatic Update

Now that Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) is now officially out, and Microsoft is trying to position it as a viable replacement for Mozilla Firefox -- but there are already some security issues with the new browser.

One way Microsoft may be trying to "bigfoot" Firefox is by making IE7 an automatic update. Starting in November, computers with Windows XP Service Pack 2, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, or Windows Server 2003 will automatically receive IE7. (Source: pcmag.com)

From a distance, it appears that Microsoft is essentially forcing its newest browser onto an unsuspecting public. Thankfully, though, that's not the case. As stated previously by Infopackets writer Stefania Spagnuolo, "IE7 will not become the default browser; further, it will not even ask the user if he/she wants to switch."

If you're unhappy with IE7, you can return to the previous version through the Control Panel Add/Remove section in Windows. (Source: pcmag.com)

But if you're not interested in obtaining Internet Explorer 7 at all, there is already a toolkit available directly from the company that will disable the automatic delivery of the new browser. However, the software is only available to "customers running genuine Microsoft Windows." If your computer contains a counterfeit copy of Windows, it appears that you're out of luck. (Source: microsoft.com)

Yep, the whole Windows Genuine Advantage (WGA) controversy is back in the news. According to Bit Tech, a website based in the UK, anyone can download IE7, but it won't install on a copy of Windows that isn't WGA-authenticated. "Presumably," the site quipped, "all the pirates will be sticking with Firefox." (Source: bit-tech.net)

You can take a look at Microsoft's official Internet Explorer 7 website here:

http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/default.mspx

Microsoft's toolkit to disable the automatic download of IE7 can be found here. And for step-by-step instructions on how to remove IE7 and return to IE6, information can be found on Microsoft's official IE7 FAQ.