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Internet Explorer 7 Beta Goes Gold

By Ed Oswald, BetaNews

July 27, 2005, 4:15 PM

Along with the release of Beta 1 of Windows Vista, Microsoft quietly released the first beta of Internet Explorer 7 for Vista and Windows XP SP2. According to Microsoft, IE 7 will be made "available to IT administrators, developers and enthusiasts for testing and evaluation through the Technical Beta Program and MSDN."

Microsoft created a stir in February when it announced that IE7 would only be made available to XP SP2 users, but it had acknowledged that its browser had become a security risk.

"Why? Because we listened to customers, analysts, and business partners. We heard a clear message: 'Yes, XP SP2 makes the situation better. We want more, sooner. We want security on top of the compatibility and extensibility IE gives us, and we want it on XP. Microsoft, show us your commitment,'" wrote IE team head Dean Hachamovitch in the IE Web log on February 15.

Key among the new features in the next version of IE is tabbed browsing, which has been a popular feature of upstart browser Firefox. Microsoft added support for the feature into Internet Explorer 6 through its MSN Toolbar application in early June.

Also new in IE7 Beta 1 is a toolbar search box that would not only allow searching from MSN Search as within previous versions of Internet Explorer, but also AOL Search, Ask Jeeves, Google, and Yahoo! Search as well.

IE 7 users will gain support for RSS feeds within the browser, a feature that will allow users to subscribe to Web logs and personalized information services to have them delivered within the browser interface.

Microsoft said that Beta 2 of the browser would build on security enhancements with anti-phishing measures similar to what is already available in AOL's Netscape 8 browser. Also, a "protected mode" will be added allowing for browsing of the Web but prevent the modification of user settings or data.

While users would have to upgrade to Vista for the full set of new features, "many of these new browser features will also be available to users of Windows XP through Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP Service Pack 2," Microsoft said.

The company would not say when it expects to issue a final or public release of IE7, which is currently restricted to testers and TechNet subscribers.

"Our timeline is driven by the quality of the browser. When we feel the product has effectively incorporated the customer feedback we receive, we will release the final version," a company spokesperson told BetaNews. "At this point we do not have a specific date to share."

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By billmaro97

edited Sep 27, 2006 - 4:46 PM

alright. i had recently downloaded the internet explorer 7 update from the web. It looks really cool with all it's tabs and the way it is reconfigured, but stay farrrrr away from this udate! I have a 2003 compaq notebook with a 2.8Ghz processor and 1024mb of ram and a 64 mb graphics card and this update slowed my computer WAY down. Usually it's as quick as a whip, but this update made it seem like time was standing still. No way would i recommend this update for anyone who is wondering if their system can handle it.
I have 3 ideas of why it slowed my computer to a crawl. first, the new ie7 is designed to run on windows Vista not XP, and XP might not be able to handle it as well.
2nd, I am accessing the internet through a wirless card and when I connected to the internet through ethernet it sped up a bit, but i dont know if it got back to normal.
3rd, My processor might not be able to handle it, yes it is a 2.8ghz processor, but maybe it just needs a faster one, or maybe it is geared for the new dual core processors.
And to give you a good conclusion, It crashed my computer. Yup, i got the blue screen and everything. It basically prompt me to undo whatever i did (installed ie7). So, to uninstall, just go to the add/remove programs and find internet explorer 7 and uninstall it. I assumed it would uninstall the whole ie program, but to my wonderful surprise, it just uninstalled the ie7 update, and left my ie6 in tact. Now i access internet explorer and it runs as fast as i remember. whew, dodged that bullet. I thought it was going to be perminently slow as a snail. Hope this helps any of you guys. Good luck if your considering downloading it. you may need it. or just a faster computer.

Score: 0

By mike1111

edited Jul 2, 2006 - 5:38 PM

the whole interenet explorer 7 beta 3 crashed my whole computer. Same thing with office 2007. To all people DO NOT download anything that has beta because its just a test. They dont know if it crashes your computer. Thats why its called beta at the end. Do Not download windows vista and office 2007 because it crashed my computer. And I had to delete everything. Everything. Do not download it until the full-versions come out.

Score: 0

By Monoreplicante

posted Jun 2, 2006 - 6:02 PM

Since I got IE7.... my Pc Is like a car without whells ! Now I can´t go back to Explorer 6.............With version 7 I'm slow...

Score: 0

By marwandajani

edited Apr 19, 2006 - 5:27 AM

ever since i installed explorer 7 beta, i cannot use a lot of facilities which were available with explorer 6, please can you tell me how i can go back to explorer 6, every time i try to download it i get the reply that i have a newer vergion

Score: 0

By davethehawk

posted Jun 4, 2006 - 8:09 AM

I had the same prob. , when I wanted to uninstall it I recieved the same message, well to solve my prob. I went into my comp. and opened up the " C " drive and changed everything to list , I then opened my downloaded programs , and when I found explorer or windows prog. I clicked on explorer 7 , then deleted it this way , when I did go to add & remove I had a prob. but this way I found that it was a very easy way and it left NO trace on my hard drive.
Good luck and hope this helps you out a bit , P.S. I use it and I have yet to have any prob. but know I will keep my fingers crossed and hope I dont ,

Score: 0

By devil_inside

edited Aug 15, 2005 - 11:51 PM

i made a mistake by downloading this crap, is there a way to uninstall it from my pc without having to format everything.....

Score: 0

By Some_Person

edited Oct 13, 2005 - 1:42 PM

Download Link: http://files.9down.com:8...7-WindowsXP-x86-enu.rar

Score: 0

By No1_1000

edited Aug 19, 2005 - 10:02 PM

My opinion of IE7 [Beta 1]: Good additions in the way of UI [Tabs, etc., though I certainly hope it's a little more 'flexible' in the future], better additions in the way of security.. I like the fact that it is XP+ only.. Not that I don't want older OSes to have the option, but backward compatibility can only go so far without making major comprimises. And, moreover, I like that it is even more standards-compliant than IE 6 with XHTML, CSS, and DOM.. Great news for those web developers who actually know what web standards are. =] [sadly many don't..]

Score: 0

By sparky4ever59

edited Aug 19, 2005 - 3:38 PM

I have been a beta tester for several years for microsoft and would like a copy of the explorer 7 beta

Score: 0

By qwertyu

posted Aug 16, 2005 - 6:27 PM

good info about windows vista is here http://www.windows-vista.host.sk

Score: 0

By iwilliston

edited Aug 16, 2005 - 8:32 AM

i would love to help test the new OS

Score: 0

By magdiwang

posted Aug 3, 2005 - 9:50 PM

i think they must improve the search bar and the hanging Favorites menu. also provide more plugins support. lastly, full css2 compliance for the sake of developers.

hope to see this fixed in the final release.

Score: 0

By sun_ray2005

edited Aug 3, 2005 - 7:33 AM

thanx for this software

Score: 0

By NewsGiver

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 2:23 PM

Also if any of you are saying that it sux cause its slow. its only slow the first time u use it cause it applying all the security settings. next time u restart ur comp it will work fine again

Score: 0

By NewsGiver

edited Aug 1, 2005 - 1:15 PM

By the way if some of you who have the beta are still looking for the refresh button, its to the right of the adress bar (to the left of the search box) and it only appears when a page is done loading, it looks like two arrows going in a circle. The have made the stop, go and refresh button only one button. when u type in a URL it turns into the go button, when a pages is loading it turns into the stop button, and when its done loading it turns into refresh button. And once again here is the download link for the latest beta http://www.9down.com/mod...le=article&sid=5259

Score: 0

By PhoenixPath

edited Jul 31, 2005 - 10:05 PM

Where the hell'd they put my damn "Reload" button?!?!?

A'ight... no biggie, I can live without that...and I'm sure the clunkyness of the UI will go away once the "Final" goes gold. (wth?)

I don't see anything revolutionary...am I missing something? Tabs....Got 'em. RSS....Got 'em. Anti-phishing...amusing and, I think, unique?

Security fixes, eh? We'll see, but here's hoping. Hackers will be jumping all over this like there's no tomorrow.

*shrug* I just can't seem to be impressed or get excited over this. Maybe I need to see it in it's 'natural habitat' (Windows Vista)...At least they're trying. Better late than never and all that jazz.

Score: 0

By FataL

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 10:52 AM

"Key among the new features in the next version of IE is tabbed browsing, which has been a popular feature of upstart browser Firefox."
Again?! Opera was THE FIRST browser with tabs! Opera = tabs, tabs = Opera - it's simple. Firefox just copied this tabbed browsing ability after more than 5 year Opera it implement.

Score: 0

By khronnuz

edited Jul 30, 2005 - 10:34 AM

Maybe Opera was the first, but Firefox was the one who make it popular! I like Opera too. I use both Opera and Firefox...

Score: 0

By smith288

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 9:10 AM

Holy moley this user interface is trash. I hope they build in more customizable toolbars because as it stands right now, the tabs are butt ugly and the URL bar being mandatory on top...ick.

Score: 0

By smith288

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 10:56 AM

After looking around more, I found out this interface is tightly woven into the OS of its intended home (Vista).

This browser looks much better using a style like the tablet pc Energy Blue style. Using the standard XP style makes this thing look bad.

Score: 0

By sethadam1

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 7:52 AM

How exactly does a beta go gold? This implies that the beta version was declared the final release version, which is clearly not right.

Score: 0

By dezzo

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 11:25 PM

Betas don't "go gold", final versions go gold.

Gold is a final release, which clearly a beta is not.

Score: 0

By Wolffberg

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 11:04 PM

richwise, or dizzy_davidh Hi where did you get the Beta Version from i would like to check it out

Score: 0

By dizzy_davidh

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 12:52 PM

It was an optional app to test as part of the recent invites that Ms mailed out.

Score: 0

By richwise

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 10:04 PM

I've been using IE7 for a couple of hours and my initial impression - nothing spectacular. It's basically IE6 with an alternate toolbar placement, tabbed browsing, and RSS discovery.

This could have easily been IE 6.1

Score: 0

By sysadmin

posted Jul 31, 2005 - 7:38 AM

i Want to download IE7, can anyone help me..

Score: 0

By NewsGiver

posted Aug 1, 2005 - 1:09 PM

Here alot of you are asking for a download of the new beta for ie7, so i searched for a link and i finally digged one up, go to http://www.9down.com/mod...le=article&sid=5259 and look at the bottom of the article the link is right there, and it is legit, its where i downloaded it and it works fine.

Score: 0

By PhoenixPath

posted Jul 31, 2005 - 9:53 PM

usenet

Score: 0

By normangerman

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 9:06 AM

Idiot, this is a Beta!

Score: 0

By Thogek

edited Jul 28, 2005 - 12:58 PM

Note that, generally and historically, "beta" software is software that is functionally complete (or close to being so), semi-debugged to a point of "reasonable" stability, and released to (some subset of) the public for an open testing phase -- sort of a public QA -- wherein it can be tested on more hardware/OS/software configurations that any manufacturer could likely ever test in-house.

Alpha releases are actually very similar to betas, in that is it fairly feature complete, but hasn't yet undergone much debugging, may not be at all stable, and is very much an at-your-own-risk experience.

See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Development_stage for more about software development stages such as these.

Either way, if the product is in a beta (or even an alpha) release phase (as is IE 7), it is expected that bugs will exist that will be fixed before final release, but that the product's feature set is (very close to) complete and not expected to grow or change much before final release.

Unless, of course, Microsoft is attempting to define the usage of the term "beta"...

Score: 0

By gukid

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 9:54 PM

Wow, I really don't see what all the crazy discussion is about. Microsoft is just trying to implement all the features that their customers want into a browser they can offer with their operating system. If you really don't like it, use it to download firefox and be done with it. I mean... you guys are arguing about a "Web Browser"... right?

Score: 0

By Firef0x

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 9:30 PM

Anyone got hold of a beta copy?

Score: 0

By ArabianNight

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 9:27 PM

LOL Nightops and GimmieGimmieGimmie would make a good Mr. & Mrs. Smith

Score: 0

By nightops

edited Aug 2, 2005 - 10:16 AM

*bows to notion* Though that would end up being Mr. & Mr. Smith...but I don't believe either of us *swing* in that direction...
That was a sweet movie :-) It probably drew 10x more attention than IE7 and Windows XP Starter Edition did combined ;-)

[Edit] Gimie, again...it's not worth the effort ;-) [/Edit]

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 9:27 AM

Now, here's someone who can truely can f**k off and "play with the traffic".

Eat s**t and die Arabian.

Score: 0

By dizzy_davidh

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 9:26 PM

I've just loaded it and can't say I'm a big fan of the new toolbar layout. (address bar is unmoveable at the top of the screen with all other bars moveable beneath except the 'tabbed browsing button')

10mb file, installed fine, needed a reboot and working great. The RSS feeds and other new features seem to work ok too.

I would have to say for me personally the biggest improvement seems to be it's speed. Page load time (non-cached) pages seems much faster that any other browser I've used.

Score: 0

By jordenpro

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 7:05 PM

LOL. same 3 people posting on this lame thread. Please don't act like your busy, if so you wouldn't be coming back here looking to see who commented so you can voice your annoying opinion over and over. Also, if someone wants to say "M$" don't stereotype those poeple as an association of the script kiddies you speak of.

Point: Nobody cares about about your opinion on the word "M$" or your coming here thinking you'll get the leaked POS backdoored by the time you get it copy of this lame vista product off a torrent server. Be patiant MS zombies, your time for the vista will come, until then use the "1 bit of competition."

FACT: IE should be put to sleep.

Score: 0

By otero1

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:11 PM

It is out there that is for sure. They removed a link from neowin . I have no doubt in my mind that it is out there.

Score: 0

By mjm01010101

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 5:56 PM

Anyone find it strange that we are announcing beta products as "Gold" now? :)

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:11 PM

....very. It's kind of disturbing, but I understand all of the banner-waiving at Microsoft. They are proud of what they've done... However:
Windows: A 32-bit patch for a 16-bit GUI shell running on top of an 8-bit operating system written for a 4-bit processor by a 2-bit company who cannot stand 1 bit of competition.

Score: 0

By GoodThings2Life

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 6:34 PM

Oh please don't start quoting 10-year-old jokes. PLEASE!

Aside from your joke, I agree .. it's disturbing to refer to a BETA 1 as "GOLD"... come on BetaNews, get with it.

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:53 PM

lol.. I couldn't resist... There's quite a few of the younger ones out there that have probably never heard it before...so I thought I would entertain the masses :-)

Ed (Oswald), I'm glad you were being proactive on this issue...just watch the wording ;-) Great job, however! BetaNews will always be the b0mb :-)

Score: 0

By PhoenixPath

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 5:10 PM

I'm sure it's on the usenet already.

Score: 0

By ReMiNiSc3

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 4:49 PM

It will probably leak later on today, as well as Windows Vista.

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:11 PM

can anyone say ...bit torrent? www.mininova.org

Score: 0

By shadowdawgy

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 4:40 PM

I want it too.. leak!!! please

Score: 0

By Mike162005

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 4:35 PM

I want the Public beta now!!

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 4:37 PM

I'm not mindlessly m$ bashing here, but i doubt the new IE will be anything special, m$ are just too slow at their job and they have proven this over and over again.

Always "seemingly" behind in many technologies and only release what they have, only when it suits them and not when the consumer needs them.

They will only be improving a standard here, which i welcome, but i very much doubt it will be breaking new frontiers like i would expect to see happen from a company as big and as powerful as m$ continue to claim to be.

Score: 0

By DJInsomniac

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 5:15 PM

Please, don't say M$. Your not a child anymore, you don't need to fit in with the mindless kiddies and think it's cool to use M$.

Microsoft never stated they'd be breaking the barriers of how you surf the net here, it's just an upgrade to keep the majority of people happy with the common standards now. Like Tabbing, RSS, and a Search box spanning multiple engines.

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 6:37 PM

I see your point DJ, i thought the same as you when i first saw someone use "m$" but i thought it was kinder clever in a way, since the doller sign indicates Microsofts status / drive.

I use m$ because people (like yourself) know this is a short abbreviated word of Microsoft and i like most people in the world, time isn't on my side.

And about m$ not breaking the barriers, well they should bloody well be, considering how long it has taken them to release this update.

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:33 PM

Well...I don't know that I have the 'common sense' you speak of, but thanks :-) Most of his posts before have been pretty solid...I think we all need a little more respect (giving & receiving...) otherwise this is gonna be a pretty crappy place to live in..

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 6:51 PM

No problem,

Words are flawed, we only perceive what we want to perceive, it is a very primitive form of communication, thus is more open to misunderstanding and miss-directed attacks.

It's no big deal, but i do feel we run around in circles thanks to these misunderstandings, which is a shame.

/Last comment of the day :)

Score: 0

By GoodThings2Life

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:32 PM

The abbreviation is MS or MSFT .... not M$. M$ implies a very rich boss of James Bond, not a software company.

Your traffic statement is childish, so I believe that perhaps DJInsomniac was incorrect in identifying you as an adult.

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 6:36 PM

I corrected my last statement, it was childish, but boy it felt good :)

And a abbreviation of Microsoft can be anything people can understand and relate back to the original word.

It doesn't have to be "official"

Score: 0

By nightops

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 6:48 PM

'Can't we all just get along' :-) Such a famous saying...

At any rate, I think we all got your point. I've seen too much 'flaming' on forums...it gets pretty annoying after a little while... Not that anybody really cares...but here's a quick tip:
If you aren't part of the solution, chances are you are a part of the problem.
Basically...there is nothing wrong with correcting somebody or making a criticism, but we should try to do it in a manner that we feels reflects who we are as individuals. If you want to be considered an @$$, then retort and flame away. If you want to be considered professional...then maybe you should extend courtesy even to those who you would consider 'lesser beings'.

It takes a weak mind to act without thinking. It takes a strong mind to act in a manner beneficial to all.

[Edit] GimieGimieGimie: I am not calling you an @$$ at all, I think it was honorable of you to 'correct' your previous statement. I'm merely referring to those that would not be as kind. [/Edit]

Score: 0

By nightops

edited Jul 29, 2005 - 5:11 PM

WHOA!!! Calm down... Actually, James Bond's boss was Q, not M$. Any afficionado can tell you that. The traffic statement may have been a little on the far-reaching side...but making a retort such as "perhaps DJInsomniac was incorrect in identifying you as an adult." didn't do any better... Calm down guys...it's just words... sheesh

Score: 0

By GoodThings2Life

posted Jul 28, 2005 - 7:22 AM

I do believe my post was a more accurate reference than M$ being a software company... M with money... but OK, if you really want to be that specific. 8-)

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 29, 2005 - 5:11 PM

Hmm...I guess I'm lost ;-)
M$/MS/MSFT/M$FT/Micro$oft/etc... = Microsoft
M = James Bond's gadget designer
Q = James Bond's boss
MP = MoneyPenny (James Bond's Boss's secretary)

:-) Cheers to all!

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 6:46 PM

Heh, i try not to let things like this get to me (too much) anyway, if i did, i would of aged 50 years older then i should be by now.

But everyone must defend them selves.

I originally vented, i don't know why, instict is a funny thing.

Thanks for being a mediator anyway, much appreciated.

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:50 PM

Not a problem. I'm glad you have a 'cooler head'. It takes a real man/woman to own up to their actions and then take the proper steps they should have committed to in the first place ;-)

Score: 0

By GimieGimieGimie

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 7:03 PM

Hey nightops,

You think it's my alias?

I've got to admit, it is quite childish, and i created this alias when i was 12, and i've kept it for memorbilia purposes ever since, but it could be giving off "immature" signals that may of been warrented at the time, but not anymore.

What's your opinions?

If changing my alias stops any future miss-directed attacks, it would be more then worth it.

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 29, 2005 - 5:09 PM

Gimie...don't sweat it ;-) Anyone who judges solely based on an alias could *possibly* not be worth the time that the response to them would take. LOL...this might be sad, but I took it as a reflection of the social culture we live in today...basically poking fun at those that honestly feel that way ;-)

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:06 PM

Ouch!!!... I wouldn't consider saying M$ necessarily advocates that the individual is a "mindless kiddie". We know that Microsoft is trying to make a profit...as does EVERY business (excl. NFP/etc.). That's their whole purpose. I will admit, I use 'M$' on occasion, and I am far from a 'mindless kiddie'. Most of the people actually reading this site are moderately well-informed people somewhat savvy in the tech industry. A mindless kiddie would just randomly repeat that Linux is the best thing since 'sliced bread', but wouldn't have a clue what vi was, or the fact that Linux is also prone to problems/viruses/etc. They would probably also say that x is 'WAAAAAYYYY better than' y because of feature z...all the while not having a clue that they were being trolled. DJInsomniac, you've had many solid points (including your latest about wanting to keep just keep up with the rest of the browsing industry). You don't need to lower yourself to the level of retorting oddly to somebody based on a choice of lingo used ;-)

Score: 0

By Wolffberg

edited Jul 27, 2005 - 4:29 PM

When will IE7 be out for the normal public either in full form or beta

Score: 0

By GoodThings2Life

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:33 PM

I am guessing more along the lines of a "Public Preview" once they hit the RC1 (Release Candidate) stage and not sooner.

Score: 0

By nightops

posted Jul 27, 2005 - 6:08 PM

By the time Opera/Firefox rolls out with their next 'revolutionary' release ;-)

Actually, it should be within the next 2 months (if all goes well).

Score: 0

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