IE8 Blocker Toolkit Available Today!
We believe IE8 helps make browsing the web faster, easier, safer and more reliable. To help our users be more secure and up-to-date, we will distribute IE8 via Automatic Update (AU) and the Windows Update (WU) and Microsoft Update (MU) sites much like we did for IE7. We know that in a corporate environment, the IT organization will often want to delay the introduction of a new browser until they have tested compatibility with internal applications and sites. We’ve done a lot of work in IE8 to maintain compatibility with sites designed for Internet Explorer 7, for example compatibility view and the compatibility meta tag. However we know many IT organizations will still want to test the browser before it is deployed. To help prevent users from installing IE8 through Automatic Update before compatibility testing has been completed, we are providing the IE8 Blocker Toolkit. This toolkit has no expiration date and can be configured either by running the registry file on the client machines or via Group Policy in domain joined environments. The Blocker Toolkit is available today from the Microsoft Download Center.
IE8 will be available for users on the following platforms:
- Windows Vista 32bit and 64bit,
- Windows XP SP2 and above,
- Windows Server 2008 and Windows Server 2003 SP2 and above
The IE8 update will be released as the highest priority update for each operating system. For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, it will be listed as Important. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the update will be listed as High Priority. Delivery of IE8 via AU will begin after we make IE8 available from the Microsoft Download Center. Of course, users can always decline to install IE8 through AU when it is offered. More information for IT Professionals about IE8 delivery via AU is available here.
If you previously used the IE7 Blocker toolkit to block IE7 from being offered as a high-priority update, you will need to run the IE8 version of the Blocker Toolkit to block IE8 from being offered via AU. There are different registry keys used to block or unblock automatic delivery of IE7 and IE8. If you configure the IE8 Blocker Toolkit setting to prevent users from installing IE8 via WU/AU, IE8 will not appear in the list of available high priority or important updates. We believe this approach strikes a good balance by helping customers become more secure and letting organizations control when they are ready to deploy IE8 to their users. Note: The IE8 Blocker toolkit will not block the final version of IE8 being offered to users who already have pre-released versions of IE8 installed on their machine. Also, the IE8 Blocker toolkit will not prevent users from manually installing IE8 from the Microsoft Download Center.
Organizations that use an update management solution such as Windows Server Update Services or Systems Management Server 2003 do not need to deploy the Blocker Toolkit. Windows Server Update Services and Systems Management Server 2003 allow organizations to fully manage deployment of updates released through WU and MU, including IE8. For more information about the IE8 Blocker Toolkit, check out this link.
For those who are interested, here is what the AU experience will look like for IE8.
How the AU delivery will work
For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 users
- AU will notify you when IE8 is ready to install. You will also be able to visit Windows Update or Microsoft Update sites and manually install IE8 update by performing an “Express” scan for high-priority updates.
- When Windows Update starts installing IE8, you will see the IE8 welcome screen as such:
To proceed with the installation, decide on whether or not you’d like to participate in our Customer Improvement Program and click Install. If you choose Ask me later, WU will re-offer IE8 to you during the next update scan. If you choose Don’t Install, WU will not offer IE8 to you again, and IE8 will appear as an optional item on Windows Update.
For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 Users
- AU will notify you when IE8 is ready to install. You can click on the bubble to launch IE8 installation. You can also install IE8 from Windows Update manually by typing Windows Update in the command prompt and checking for updates.
- When Windows Update starts installing IE8, you will see the IE8 welcome screen:
To proceed with the installation, click Install. If you choose Ask me later, WU will re-offer IE8 to you during the next update scan. If you choose Don’t Install, WU will not offer IE8 to you again, and IE8 will appear as an optional item on Windows Update.
Note: The IE8 Welcome screens are still in draft form and are subject to change by the time IE8 is distributed via WU/AU.
If you configure the IE8 Blocker Toolkit setting to prevent users from installing IE8 via WU/AU, IE8 will not appear in the list of available high priority or important updates. We believe this approach strikes a good balance by helping customers become more secure and letting organizations control when they are ready to deploy IE8 to their users.
Thanks,
Jane Maliouta
Program Manager
Comments
Anonymous
January 06, 2009
"JScript errors may occur when you upgrade from Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP or on Windows Server 2003 Do not upgrade from Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 to Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 on a system that is running Windows XP or Windows Server 2003. A rare installation issue may occur in which Internet Explorer may exhibit false JScript errors and an inability to add Favorites or Web Slices. To work around this issue, uninstall Window Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2, install Internet Explorer 7, and then upgrade to Window Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2." Will this be fixed in public RC release and the final release or we still have to go through the rigmarole of installing IE7 and then installing IE8 on XP SP3?Anonymous
January 06, 2009
The wording of the article is not very clear. The title talks about IE8 Blocker Toolkit. Then the rest of the article discusses "IE8 update", which, I believe, refers to IE8 final version, once it's released. Do I understand it correctly?Anonymous
January 06, 2009
Just curious what the currently planned release date is?Anonymous
January 06, 2009
oh snap... So millions of idiots will continue to use IE6...Anonymous
January 06, 2009
Why not learn to capture screeshots with ALT-PrntScrn? The borders are ugly!Anonymous
January 06, 2009
Really bad as many of them won't switch to the latest version.In other words,MS is allowing users to have older IE versions.Anonymous
January 06, 2009
Again quite useless "news". Who cares about IE8? IE8 is slow, with ugly UI and in fact it breaks the web. MS has lost the browser war already. FF and Chrome are choices for the intelligent user. Sure, the dumb ones still think that the blue "e" is synonymous on the internet, but this crowd is hopeless anyway. I wonder why on earth MS management hasn't fired Dean Hachamovitch and Chris Wilson. They both lost a contact with users and the reality long ago. According to Mozilla people Mr. Hachamovitch has downlpayed the importance of javascript speed. With that attitude you cannot win.Anonymous
January 06, 2009
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January 06, 2009
hAl: then first upgrade these applications, then upgrade the browsers. It's more troublesome when some of these applications are not controlled by the company, though. I think most companies just think it's more cost-effective to keep their 10-year old apps rather than spending time and money to update the whole thing...Anonymous
January 06, 2009
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January 06, 2009
> Those applications shouldn't have been IE only anyway. Just force the upgrade on all users and let all those apps break. It's not like people don't know they shouldn't make an app depend on IE6-only behaviour. Time for them to suffer the consequences of their stupidity. And if there was no other possibilities ? You're discrediting yourself by saying something like that. IE is not the best browser, but it still have many advantages for the developpers. Nowadays, the usage of the web is quite changing, but the old projects must still continue to work, and IE also need to be read for the next version of webapp, and the IETeam has started working on it (but it's clear that IE8 will not be sufficient for that)Anonymous
January 06, 2009
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January 07, 2009
I'd really appreciate if you mention what about us, the Beta users? I guess we shall uninstall the Beta and then install the RTW in the normal way, or there will be supported upgrade path by the standard installer?Anonymous
January 07, 2009
We believe IE8 helps make browsing the web faster, easier, safer and more reliable. To help our usersAnonymous
January 07, 2009
Impedire l'installazione di Internet Explorer 8Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Wieder ist ein Jahr vergangen und ein neues hat gerade begonnen. Es ist also wieder Zeit für eine kleine Bilanz und den Ausblick darauf, was das neue Jahr voraussichtlich bringen wird. Als Erstes ein erneutes, großes und fettes Danke für das VertrauenAnonymous
January 07, 2009
What happens if a PC (XP or Vista) is setup for "automatic updates?" Will IE 8 magically show up one day?Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Internet Explorer 8 sarà rilasciato attraverso il servizio Windows Update e sarà segnalato come importanteAnonymous
January 07, 2009
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January 07, 2009
What on earth do you think this blog is going to be about? Don't go to a site about chewing gum news if you don't want to hear about chewing gum.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Honestly, some of you have must not have worked in a corporate environment before (not as an insult). Not every company has dedicated developers to create internal applications, if they even have any. When they need an application they go out and buy from a vendor... I can't cite any statistics, but in my experience, many of the vendors we use don't care about "web standards" or "CSS validation", etc... They test with IE6 (which we all know is much more forgiving than other browsers), and they consider their testing complete. We could potentially be an isolated case, except for the fact that our company uses several different vendors all touting that they have "hundreds of thousands of subscriptions" (their words, not ours). And their application is absolute garbage... Anyways, all this to say, that cost aside, companies aren't guaranteed that they are getting the latest and greatest in "web standards compliant" applications when they upgrade. I've suggested it before, too bad it won't be considered - Make IE6 a standalone application (you could even market it as the IE for Corporate Applications) and start developing a browser from scratch...Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Actually they have been doing this for a while. They realize that most times the new browser breaks applications in business environments. I'm not planning on letting this rampant on my network without testing! >>>"Really bad as many of them won't switch to the latest version.In other words,MS is allowing users to have older IE versions."Anonymous
January 07, 2009
@ Doncho: The IE8 update will be available on WU for Beta users, so you don't have to manually uninstall Beta builds and install the latest IE8 from Microsoft Download Center. @ Bruce Lee: If you are opted into Automatic updates, IE8 will not get automatically installed, as the installer requires user interaction. The Welcome screen will appear and the installation won't proceed until the user agrees to install IE8.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Has there been any resolution to the problem discussed in this thread: http://groups.google.com/group/google-custom-search-cse-and-your-site/browse_thread/thread/52e96b60763136e/32f3be73f1436865?lnk=gst&q=Anonymous
January 07, 2009
We believe IE8 helps make browsing the web faster, easier, safer and more reliable. To help our users be more secure and up-to-dateAnonymous
January 07, 2009
IE6-8 is not Mac's friend... but, even if it were I wouldn't want to use it with all the issues and screaming I have heard from PC users using IE6. I say stop flexing and keep your nose to the grindstone and come up with the Ultimate X-IE... one that works!Anonymous
January 07, 2009
The top 20 IT mistakes to avoid
- Developing Web apps for IE only November 19, 2004 www.infoworld.com/article/04/11/19/47FEtop20_3.html Gérard
Anonymous
January 07, 2009
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January 07, 2009
WHEN is IE8 supposed to hit WU?Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Dumb move: more will get stuck on the poor excuse for a browser IE6 forever. We do not need IE8 if it doesn't wipe out IE6 and IE7 from active use.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
I've re-opened this bug closed on connect. https://connect.microsoft.com/IE/feedback/ViewFeedback.aspx?FeedbackID=333981 To wait 9 MONTHS to be told that this BUG is BY DESIGN IS ABSOLUTELY MIND-BOGGLING. I've updated it with a full test case (plus inline so users can download/view it) and I have a screenshot here: http://www.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/e89990c806.png For those with access to Connect, please add a verification and vote for this bug. Thanks.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
I wonder why the Vista welcome screen is different (no improvement program offer).Anonymous
January 07, 2009
I have a problem with wanting to install Internet Explorer 7 or 8 will not let me it seems the error lies in the Ime (KB932823) that is not compatible with Service Pack 3 for Windows XPAnonymous
January 07, 2009
Roman: For Windows Vista and later, the "Customer Experience Improvement Program" is an operating-system wide setting. In the control panel, you'll find the "Customer Experience Improvement Settings" option on the "Problem Reports and Solutions" screen.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
IE8 is great, when it randomly (and constantly with more than a few tabs) crashes a tab page it recovers it for you! IE7 doesn't seem to do this, then again I've ever had a tab page crash on it before.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
A date would have been nice and made a point to all this. Is this months away? Weeks away? Days away?Anonymous
January 07, 2009
Steve, how many drop-downs does your site have on it? That seems like a very minor issue. That said, what are you trying to do? And btw, I am incredibly thankful for you guys fixing the button artwork stretch bug. The fix is even present in IE 7 standards mode ^_^. And how you've done this beta is awesome (the IE 7 mode). If something doesn't work (like Outlook Web Access) it can be made to work.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
What does "Highest Priority Update" mean? Will it be a critical update, a security update or just a regular update? That would be an important information for WSUS, because the Default Automatic Approval Rule approves all critical and security updates by default.Anonymous
January 07, 2009
nice blog.thnak you for giving all the details about ie8.i would like to discuss if i intsaled ie8 in windows98 is it properly working or not? or is it support to windows98 or not? vikram, http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/01/06/ie8-blocker-toolkit-available-today.aspxAnonymous
January 07, 2009
reg ADD "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftInternet ExplorerSetup7.0" /v DoNotAllowIE70 /d 1 /t REG_DWORD /f reg ADD "HKLMSOFTWAREMicrosoftInternet ExplorerSetup8.0" /v DoNotAllowIE80 /d 1 /t REG_DWORD /fAnonymous
January 08, 2009
"Not every company has dedicated developers to create internal applications, if they even have any. When they need an application they go out and buy from a vendor..." @HB and anyone else who has unsupported software. Yes, unsupported software is what you have if it does not support IE7 amd FF3. What idiot buys from such vendors? You guys need to change app software and ditch these vendors. Even the Luddite software works on IE7 and FF3 and will support IE8 when it comes out.Anonymous
January 08, 2009
I would like one comment about IE's restore session. Sometimes when I start IE I get a prompt with the options "Restore previous session" and "Goto homepage". Fine, but I also get this prompt if my previous session was only 1 tab with my homepage. If 'Restore previous session' and 'goto homepage' give the same result, IE does not have to prompt the user!Anonymous
January 08, 2009
@anonymous: I have lots of select lists, and inputs, and textareas, and other combination elements... all of them have a backbround color/image and border set. They all look great in all web browsers except IE8. In IE8 it looks like there was some sort of coding error by the site's developer when it is IE that is not rendering correctly. PS Can someone with Windows Vista verify if this bug occurs there too?Anonymous
January 08, 2009
What is the buildnumber of the IE8 version shipped in the Windows 7 beta 1 ? Will it be equal to the RC1 version ?Anonymous
January 08, 2009
Just a few example sites where IE8 takes the rendered view back 13 years to the Windows95 era: Hilton Hotel Reservations: www1.hilton.com/en_US/hi/index.do Budget Rent A Car: www.budget.com/budgetWeb/home/home.ex Discount Rent A Car: www.discountcar.com/English/ Priceline.com www.priceline.com/ Areoplan: www.aeroplan.com/use_your_miles/travel/car_rentals.do Key Bank, eBay, etc.Anonymous
January 08, 2009
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January 08, 2009
Any date when are available a final version?Anonymous
January 08, 2009
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January 08, 2009
Hi, it's clear that there are lots of effort made into IE8. Performance, rendering, standards, etc etc are being worked on. The question I have is are there any plans to 'port' these improvements to outlook, word and other microsoft app that render html? Right now, things look one way in IE, but look another way in outlook or word. It makes things very complicated and inconsistent.Anonymous
January 08, 2009
I agree. Alt+PrntScr. Or are you developing on a Mac? Haha.Anonymous
January 08, 2009
Alt+PrntScr merely takes a screenshot of the currently open window. I don't see any relationship or valuable contribution with that.Anonymous
January 08, 2009
A question: Why IE8 crash on Windows 7 Beta?Anonymous
January 08, 2009
Thank you ... I will be blocking IE8 after all the trouble I had when IE7 was launched ... I have a great disliking to IE altogether and will continue to use FF3 (http://en-us.www.mozilla.com/en-US/firefox/) ...Anonymous
January 08, 2009
@ Trebor Shadow id still upgrade to latest version of ie even though i don't use ie (ie is to intergrated and used in some form or another by other programs not to update) as far as going back to ie for my main browser would never happen microsoft could not pay me to use ieAnonymous
January 09, 2009
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January 09, 2009
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January 10, 2009
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January 10, 2009
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January 11, 2009
Background Windows Internet Explorer 8 will be distributed to end-users via Automatic Updates and theAnonymous
January 11, 2009
All you people slating IE6 and saying companies should upgrade miss the best feature of IE6... RUN AS, in IE6 you can RUN AS an administrator and perform any task required, to perform the same things with IE7 installed what do I have todo??? Log off and back on.Anonymous
January 12, 2009
@The Luddite Developer I doubt you'll see this, but I happened to come back by here and noticed what you said. It is really that simple? Is there a "web standards version" of every single application in the world? I highly doubt it. People forget that businesses are more interested in finding solutions to their needs than finding a vendor that validates with the W3C before they publish their software. I'd like to see you go to the CEO of Humongous Corp. LLC and tell him that he shouldn't purchase an application because it doesn't "use web standards" (like he'll even know or care what that means) - and then in turn tell him there aren't any other solutions out there for him to use. It's real easy to assume that all the companies in the world are "idiots" that have vendors that build IE6 applications, but I'd be willing to bet that they aren't. The real problem is that developers still test/target IE6 because of it's ease of development... if you want to label a group as "idiots", I'd start with them...Anonymous
January 12, 2009
As for the argument about using different browsers, other than IE in corporate environments, one word: SharePoint. Try FF or Chrome with SharePoint and see how far you get. Also, keep in mind that most corporations must use IE for external apps, such as banking and government services. Many corporate operations are heavily dependent on other corporate and government applications which have only been developed for use with IE. Would it be nice if all developers would or could take the time to develop in every browser on earth? Sure, but it will never happen and most organizations are simply forced to use IE. I have noticed however, that most applications that only work in IE6 do indeed, eventually, get updated to work with IE7. And many apps will work from IE6 to 7 without any updating.Anonymous
January 12, 2009
随着IE8正式版本发布的临近，我们推出了了IE8自动升级阻止工具供IT专业人士用于安排企业的升级节奏。请 跳转到IEBlog 查看详细下载和部署步骤。Anonymous
January 12, 2009
> I can't cite any statistics, but in my experience, many of the vendors we use don't care about "web standards" or "CSS validation", etc... They test with IE6 (which we all know is much more forgiving than other browsers), and they consider their testing complete. So ? It's time for them to get with the program or go out of business. How long do they intend to stay IE6 only ? Will their app be IE6-only in the year 2100 when there are possibly no computers left that can even run IE6 ? No ? So they will have to upgrade eventually, now is as good a time as any.Anonymous
January 13, 2009
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January 14, 2009
IE 6 still rocks IMHO, if only MS would stop updating software that is already working fine!Anonymous
March 19, 2009
Kurzbeschreibung: Finalversion des Windows Internet Explorer 8 (kurz: IE8) für Windows XP. Der IE8 ist die Internet Explorer-Version von Microsoft, welche bislang Web-Standards in der Voreinstellung am besten unterstützt. Dessen Installation ist somitAnonymous
March 19, 2009
It’s soooo excited that IE8 RTW is finally released and is available in 25 languages! Let’s see how itAnonymous
March 20, 2009
At the MIX 09 conference, Microsoft released the final build of Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) in 25 languages.Anonymous
March 23, 2009
Microsoft released uninstaller for Internet Explorer 8, if you are having problem using it. To uninstallAnonymous
April 03, 2009
Steven Chan, Oracle's Senior Director of Oracle Applications Technology, says that Oracle has not yet certified IE8 for the E-Business Suite. Steven says there are issues with launching forms, and further states that "it is imperative that your Apps userAnonymous
April 10, 2009
In January we blogged about our plan to distribute IE8 via Automatic Update/Windows Update (for simplicity,Anonymous
April 10, 2009
In January we blogged about our plan to distribute IE8 via Automatic Update/Windows Update (for simplicityAnonymous
April 11, 2009
If you're on a Windows PC and using Internet Explorer 6 or 7, you've got a decision to make soon. Microsoft, which finished and released Internet Explorer 8 last month, is about to start pushing the latest version of the...Anonymous
April 12, 2009
In January we blogged about our plan to distribute IE8 via Automatic Update/Windows Update (for simplicityAnonymous
April 12, 2009
n January we blogged about our plan to distribute IE8 via Automatic Update/Windows Update (for simplicityAnonymous
April 13, 2009
Подготовка к распространению IE8 через службу Automatic Updates В январе мы сообщали о планах по распространениюAnonymous
May 09, 2009
This post walks through the IE setup experience and the choices it offers users. There have been a bunch
