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How Does Internet Explorer 7 Affect Me?

On-campus

The upgrade from Internet Explorer 6 to IE7 will affect all on-campus Windows users in the coming months.  Since Internet Explorer 7 will come as an automatic update from Microsoft, all computers on-campus will be switched over from IE6 as soon as the update is made available.  Microsoft has not announced a specific date for the automatic release of IE7, but estimates place the release date in November, 2006.  Once IE7 is installed on campus workstations and ITCs, there will not be an option to use the previous version of Internet Explorer, IE6.  IE7 boasts a variety of new features, a list of which can found on the features page.

Personal Computers

Users working at their personal computers running Windows will have the option to install or not install IE7.  You can get the latest version of Internet Explorer and install it now or wait until the upgrade comes in an Automatic Update.  Once installed, users can decide if they want to keep IE7 or rollback to IE6.  Users can rollback IE7 by using Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel. Rolling back will not be an option if you use Windows Vista, since IE6 will not be installed on the coming upgrade to Windows XP.

Users that don’t want to install IE7 automatically have a few options to avoid upgrading to Internet Explorer 7.

1. Download and install the IE7 Block Toolkit

This will prevent Windows Automatic Updates from installing IE7.  So if you want to get IE7 at a later date, then you will need to download it separately from Windows Updates.

2. When doing your Windows Updates from Microsoft’s webpage, don’t choose Express Update and select only the items you want to install manually

If you choose Express Update when updating Windows from the Microsoft website, then IE7 will download and prompt for installation once IE7 is released.

3. If you have Windows Automatic Updates installed on your computer, then change your Automatic Updates settings in the Control Panel from ‘Automatic’ to ‘Notify me but don’t automatically download or install them

Unless the Automatic Updates properties are changing in the Windows Control Panel, Windows will download and install IE7 without prompting for the user’s acceptance.

4. If you do accidentally download IE7, you can choose not to install the Internet Explorer upgrade

However, if IE7 has already been downloading, then you may be prompted by Windows until IE7 has been installed.

Return to Internet Explorer 7 Support Center

Last Updated: 12/10/2008