# I'm being prompted to download Internet Explorer 7 -- Any reason not to? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 21, 2006, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063 "2006-12-21T14:50:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Plan\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/3ec8ea/32.png) [@Plan\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Plan_B)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 1:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/21 "2006-12-22T01:39:20Z")
I have it. No problems. ---
**Author:** ![Rysdad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7cd45c/32.png) [@Rysdad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rysdad)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 2:26am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/22 "2006-12-22T02:26:04Z")
It ate my McAfee antivirus program. I did nothing else but install IE7 and the whole McAfee thing got corrupted. Then, I couldn’t reinstall McAfee because it required me to _uninstall_ it first…which it wouldn’t allow me to do, either. :mad: After a bunch of hell, I managed to get everything working again. Suffice it to say that I’ll be using IE7 when the rest of the world is on IE23. ---
**Author:** ![Jodi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/7feea3/32.png) [@Jodi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jodi)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 4:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/23 "2006-12-22T04:40:02Z")
[QUOTE=Noelq] Secondly, if you have an HP printer/scanner which uses the HP director - the IE7 interface can horribly corrupt the program. I had to do a complete reformat on a laptop because IE7 and HP don’t work together. [/quote] :dubious: I have a HP printer/scanner. What do you mean by “uses the HP director”? Do you know, is this just a problem that you had or is this a reported problem? I’m not downloading anything that’s going to crash my printer, thankyewverymuch. ---
**Author:** ![chappachula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/d2c977/32.png) [@chappachula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chappachula)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/24 "2006-12-22T05:21:13Z")
I disabled the IE7 download, because I don’t fix something if it ain’t broke.And I don’t trust Microsoft to make something that isn’t vulnerable to a million viruses this site has a tool you can download …It’s a little program that blocks IE7 , but still allows you to install all other Windows updates > **[Remote Administration For Windows](http://www.intelliadmin.com/)** > > Remote Administration Software for Windows. Disable USB Drives, and automatically create Microsoft Outlook Accounts. (I posted it earlier in this [thread=396422]thread[/thread] ---
**Author:** ![Arnold\_Winkelried](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Arnold\_Winkelried](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Arnold_Winkelried)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 8:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/25 "2006-12-22T08:56:34Z")
I would keep both IE6 and IE7 at the same time for a while (e.g. see instructions here: [http://www.tech-recipes.com/internet\_explorer\_ie7\_tips1188.html](http://www.tech-recipes.com/internet_explorer_ie7_tips1188.html) ) until you are 100% sure that all your important websites (online banking, credit card statements, the SDMB of course) work with internet explorer 7. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 8:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/26 "2006-12-22T08:57:10Z")
I hid IE7 in Windows Update, but it came back again a couple of days later - I think it was given a different patch ID or whatever they’re called - so Windows Update treated it as a different entity. I hid it again, but now of course I get a big red warning shouting at me to restore hidden updates. I’ve always been a Microsoft-centric user, but I’m drifting away, I tell ya. I don’t think there’s any chance I’ll end up using Vista on any machine that belongs to me. ---
**Author:** ![Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/cc9497/32.png) [@Capt.Ridley\_s\_Shooting\_Party](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Capt.Ridley_s_Shooting_Party)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 11:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/27 "2006-12-22T11:07:38Z")
I’ve got it and love it. It’s far nicer to use than Firefox (what with the memory leaks and .parentlock problems) and IE6. ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 11:38am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/28 "2006-12-22T11:38:23Z")
[QUOTE=Dominic Mulligan] I’ve got it and love it. [/quote] In all honesty, you’re the first person I have seen saying this. For the most part, it seems people are grudgingly accepting it, sighing and saying “I suppose I’ll get used to it”, although this is quite common with humans exposed to change generally. > [@](#): > > It’s far nicer to use than Firefox (what with the memory leaks and .parentlock problems) and IE6. I’m not aware of either of these problems - I’ve heard of the memory leaks, although never suffered them - I think it might even be that they don’t happen on every installation, for some reason. But what was the .parentlock thing? Anyway, I’m not meaning to criticise your choice - If you like IE7, that’s great. ---
**Author:** ![delphica](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e9a140/32.png) [@delphica](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/delphica)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 1:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/29 "2006-12-22T13:33:49Z")
At home or at work? My work is currently telling me that they have not finished testing all of the bazillion web-based applications that we use to see if there are any issues with IE7. You might check if your job’s IT is making any recommendations. For no real reason other than it keeps my life simple, I try to keep my office and home computers roughly at the same pace in terms of updates. ---
**Author:** ![Liberal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/848f3c/32.png) [@Liberal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Liberal)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/30 "2006-12-22T14:17:16Z")
I installed it and use it with no problems. (Sorry, Mangetout.) I haven’t encountered anything that won’t work with it. I did turn off the phishing filter, though. ---
**Author:** ![Noelq](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/noelq/32/16438_2.png) [@Noelq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Noelq)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/31 "2006-12-22T17:11:32Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] :dubious: I have a HP printer/scanner. What do you mean by “uses the HP director”? Do you know, is this just a problem that you had or is this a reported problem? I’m not downloading anything that’s going to crash my printer, thankyewverymuch. [/QUOTE] If you go to the HP site, and do a search on HP Director and IE7, you can see the results. To quote from the website “In October 2006, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7. The HP Director software that shipped with some HP products introduced between 2002 and 2004 may not be compatible with Internet Explorer 7. The HP Solution Center software, which replaced HP Director software, does not exhibit this issue with Internet Explorer 7”. Basically, when you try to start the HP director, you only see the set-up icon and Image icon. You don’t have the other 7 icons that, you know, DO STUFF! I.E. the button to scan documents, the button to print pictures, etc. ---
**Author:** ![Stout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/f0a364/32.png) [@Stout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stout)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/32 "2006-12-22T17:54:48Z")
Holy crap…thanks Noelq…Indeed I can’t even get the Hp director to open, and I’ve spent more time trying to work around the problem than I care to admit. I can survive without the director, but one thing I like to do, which is make different sized photocopies, is no longer possible. Now I have to scan my document in, select the output size, and pray to every major diety in the world that I actually get what I want… Maybe i should actually start reading that spam I get from HP every month. And the phishing filter slows my computer down too ? Ok, further up the page I was bitching about how IE7 seemed slower, so maybe that’s it. I’m not about to run afoul of any phishing scam, seeing as how I’m paranoid about using my credit card online. In four years I’ve only ever used it twice, and when I buy a full membership here, on the mighty SDMB, it’ll be the third. ---
**Author:** ![user\_hostile](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/user_hostile/32/474_2.png) [@user\_hostile](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/user_hostile)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/33 "2006-12-22T18:50:22Z")
[QUOTE=Rysdad] It ate my McAfee antivirus program. I did nothing else but install IE7 and the whole McAfee thing got corrupted. Then, I couldn’t reinstall McAfee because it required me to _uninstall_ it first…which it wouldn’t allow me to do, either. :mad: After a bunch of hell, I managed to get everything working again. Suffice it to say that I’ll be using IE7 when the rest of the world is on IE23. [/QUOTE] Mixing McAfee and IE7 is like pouring water into an acid, except it left my wife and I spitting mad. The computer would lock up (XP). Cable modem transmogrified into a 300 baud dial-up. I had to reload the configuration from a month ago to reinstall IE6. I hope the developers get a lump a coal in their stocking as a Xmas bonus. :mad: ---
**Author:** ![Doctor\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/doctor_jackson/32/32_2.png) [@Doctor\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Doctor_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/34 "2006-12-22T18:50:50Z")
I use Firefox at home, but work is an MS shop. I was the guinea pig for IE7 at work. I used it for a month or so and everything was copacetic, so I upgraded all the other PC’s as well. Not only have we run into no real problems (we have seen the Quickbooks message that **hajario** mentioned, but so far no evidence of a real conflict), but the printing capability of IE7 blows every other browser out of the water. Since we are moving to internet based database software, printing reports was a major issue. No more right hand margins cut off - Woo Hoo! ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 22, 2006, 7:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/35 "2006-12-22T19:27:27Z")
I have Firefox and Internet Explorer. I see no big difference. I use Internet Explorer both at work and at home. I’d use Firefox only if Internet Explorer completely crashed. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2006, 12:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/36 "2006-12-23T00:52:40Z")
I’m trying out both IE7 and Firefox 2.0 right now and haven’t encountered any problems yet, though Firefox seems to just a tad faster. I use[this anti-phishing filter](http://toolbar.netcraft.com/) , because it works with both browsers and doesn’t seem to slow the system down at all. ---
**Author:** ![jdc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/919ad9/32.png) [@jdc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jdc)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2006, 2:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/37 "2006-12-23T02:04:21Z")
I am resisting the upgrade because IE does not work well with Citrix and it is very difficult to uninstall IE7 to get back to IE6. This document outlines several issues and their known workarounds that users of Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7 must be aware of in conjunction with the following Citrix products: Citrix Presentation Server 4.0 Citrix Password Manager 4.1 Service Pack 1 Citrix is committed to ensuring the best possible compatibility with the latest Microsoft products. Citrix will supply best efforts support for Internet Explorer 7 in Presentation Server versions currently in mainstream maintenance. What that means is that Citrix will offer feasible workarounds for reported issues for Internet Explorer® 7 in Presentation Server versions currently in mainstream maintenance and for issues that do not have feasible workarounds we will apply best effort to supply hotfixes to address those issues. Full Support for Internet Explorer 7 is planned to be provided in a Presentation Server maintenance release scheduled for mid-2007. This document will be updated as new information becomes available. ---
**Author:** ![Waverly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/57b2e6/32.png) [@Waverly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Waverly)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2006, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/38 "2006-12-23T04:09:14Z")
I hate responses like this, but I’m going to give one: No. You want Opera or Firefox. However many holes that have been fixed, more will be found. Your computer is more secure without it. Also, does it necessitate Windows Genuine Advantage? My computer has been prompting me to download, but I’m glad I didn’t. Apparently even with a perfectly legal copy of Windows, like mine, you stand a chance of failing the validation check and ending up with a Windows Genuine Headache. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2006, 4:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/39 "2006-12-23T16:15:17Z")
[QUOTE=Jodi] Any reason not to? [/QUOTE] Yes. It’s Internet Explorer. ---
**Author:** ![Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e480ec/32.png) [@Least\_Original\_User\_Name\_Ever](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Least_Original_User_Name_Ever)\ **Post date:** [December 23, 2006, 4:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063/40 "2006-12-23T16:34:37Z")
[QUOTE=jdc] I am resisting the upgrade because IE does not work well with Citrix and it is very difficult to uninstall IE7 to get back to IE6. This document outlines several issues and their known workarounds that users of Microsoft® Internet Explorer® 7 must be aware of in conjunction with the following Citrix products: Citrix Presentation Server 4.0 Citrix Password Manager 4.1 Service Pack 1 Citrix is committed to ensuring the best possible compatibility with the latest Microsoft products. Citrix will supply best efforts support for Internet Explorer 7 in Presentation Server versions currently in mainstream maintenance. What that means is that Citrix will offer feasible workarounds for reported issues for Internet Explorer® 7 in Presentation Server versions currently in mainstream maintenance and for issues that do not have feasible workarounds we will apply best effort to supply hotfixes to address those issues. Full Support for Internet Explorer 7 is planned to be provided in a Presentation Server maintenance release scheduled for mid-2007. This document will be updated as new information becomes available. [/QUOTE] Ah, Citrix. How I hate thee. I hadn’t heard about this problem and at work we run Citrix and support people that use it as well. It’s good to know there might be something that’s laying and waiting like this. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/im-being-prompted-to-download-internet-explorer-7-any-reason-not-to/385063.md?page=3)