Internet Explorer 7 Will be Automatically Distributed

Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 has only been released and the company is not expecting to ship its final version until late 2006. But the plans for distribution are well underway.

An entry in the official Internet Explorer blog on Microsoft's MSDN site explains how the process will work.

Microsoft is planning to distribute IE7 as a high-priority update via Automatic Updates (AU) shortly after the final version is released for Windows XP, planned for the fourth quarter of this year.

According to the blog entry, to ensure users are prepared to upgrade, AU will notify users when IE7 is ready to install and show a welcome screen that presents key features and choices to �Install�, �Don�t Install�, or �Ask Me Later�.

Enterprise customers will have a "Blocker Toolkit" available, if they want to block automatic delivery of IE7 in their organizations. This blocker has no expiration date and enterprise customers can download the free Blocker Toolkit from the Microsoft Download Center now.

The installation will not be automatic though. Microsoft explains that users will be given the option without a default answer, so that users will have to select what action the update will take. Users will also be able to download IE7 as an stand alone package from the Microsoft Download Center.