Internet Explorer 7
Developer(s) | Microsoft |
---|---|
Initial release | October 18, 2006 |
Platform | IA-32, x64, and IA-64 |
Included with | Windows Vista, Windows Server 2008, Windows Embedded POSReady 2009, Windows Embedded Compact 7, Windows Embedded Compact 2013 |
Predecessor | Internet Explorer 6 (2001) |
Successor | Internet Explorer 8 (2009) |
Type | Web browser Feed reader FTP client |
License | Proprietary, requires Windows license |
Website | technet |
Windows Internet Explorer 7 (IE7) (codenamed Rincon) is a web browser for Windows. It has been retired on all Windows versions except Windows Embedded Compact 2013. It was released by Microsoft on October 18, 2006, as the seventh version of Internet Explorer and the successor to Internet Explorer 6. Internet Explorer 7 is part of a long line of versions of Internet Explorer and was the first major update to the browser since 2001. It was the default browser in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (later default was Internet Explorer 9), as well as Windows Embedded POSReady 2009 (later default was Internet Explorer 8), and can replace Internet Explorer 6 on Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, but unlike version 6, this version does not support Windows 2000, Windows ME, or earlier versions of Windows. It also does not support Windows 7, Windows Server 2008 R2 or later Windows Versions.
Internet Explorer 7 requires Windows XP SP2 or Windows Server 2003 SP1 at the minimum. It is the last version of Internet Explorer that supports Windows XP x64 Edition RTM and Windows Server 2003 SP1; as the following version, Internet Explorer 8, only supports Windows XP x64 Edition SP2 and Windows Server 2003 SP2. Some portions of the underlying architecture, including the rendering engine and security framework, have been improved. New features include tabbed browsing, page zooming, an integrated search box, a feed reader, better internationalization, and improved support for web standards, although it does not pass the Acid2 or Acid3 tests. Security enhancements include a phishing filter, stronger encryption on Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (256-bit from 128-bit in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003), and a "Delete browsing history" button to easily clear private data. It is also the first version of Internet Explorer which is branded and marketed under the name 'Windows', instead of 'Microsoft'. IE7 shipped as the default browser in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and was offered as a replacement for Internet Explorer 6 for Windows Server 2003 and Windows XP. IE7 was superseded by Internet Explorer 8 in March 2009.
Support for Internet Explorer 7 will end on October 10, 2023 alongside the end of support for Windows Embedded Compact 2013. Support for Internet Explorer 7 on other Windows versions ended on January 12, 2016 when Microsoft began requiring customers to use the latest version of Internet Explorer available for each Windows version.
History
In August 2001, Microsoft released Internet Explorer 6 as an update to Windows NT 4.0 with Service Pack 6a, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows ME from previous Internet Explorer versions, such as Internet Explorer 5 and included it by default in Windows XP and Windows Server 2003. With the release of IE6 Service Pack 1 in 2002, Microsoft announced that future upgrades to Internet Explorer would come only through future upgrades to Windows, stating that "further improvements to IE will require enhancements to the underlying OS."
On February 15, 2005 at the RSA Conference in San Francisco, Microsoft Chairman Bill Gates announced that Microsoft was planning a new version of Internet Explorer that would run on Windows XP. Both he and Dean Hachamovitch, General Manager of the Internet Explorer team, cited needed security improvements as the primary reason for the new version.
The first beta of IE7 was released on July 27, 2005 for technical testing, and a first public preview version of Internet Explorer 7 (Beta 2 preview: Pre-Beta 2 version) was released on January 31, 2006.
The final public version was released on October 18, 2006. On the same day, Yahoo! provided a post-beta version of Internet Explorer 7 bundled with Yahoo! Toolbar and other Yahoo!-specific customizations.
In late 2007 Microsoft announced that IE7 would not be included as part of Windows XP SP3, with both Internet Explorer 6 and 7 receiving updates. Most PC manufacturers, however, have pre-installed Internet Explorer 7 (as well as 8) on new XP PC's, especially netbooks.
On October 8, 2007, Microsoft removed the Windows Genuine Advantage component of IE7, allowing it to be downloaded and installed by those without a genuine copy of Windows.
Within a year after IE7's release (end of 2006 to end of 2007) support calls to Microsoft had decreased 10-20%.
On December 16, 2008, a security flaw was found in Internet Explorer 7 which can be exploited so that crackers can steal users' passwords. The following day, a patch was issued to fix the flaw, estimated to have affected around 10,000 websites.
As of May 2012[update], estimates of IE7's global market share were 1.5-5%.
Release history
Desktop Market Share- ^ Includes Maxthon, Tencent Traveler, and other Internet Explorer shells
- ^ This is the last update from NetMarketShare, as it will be retired in its current form.
Microsoft Edge excluded from the list.
- On January 31, 2006, Microsoft released a public preview build (Beta 2 preview: Pre-Beta 2 version) of Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP Service Pack 2 (not for Windows Server 2003 SP1) on their web site. It stated that more public preview builds (possibly Beta 2 in April) of Internet Explorer 7 will be released in first half of 2006, and final version will be released in second half of 2006. The pre beta build was refreshed on March 20, 2006 to build 7.0.5335.5. A real Beta 2 Build was released on April 24, 2006 to build 7.0.5346.5. In addition, at the MIX'06 conference, Bill Gates said that Microsoft is already working on the next two versions of IE after version 7.
- On June 29, 2006, Microsoft released Beta 3 (Build 7.0.5450.4) of Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP SP2, Windows XP x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 SP1. It features minor UI cleanups, re-ordering of tabs by drag and drop, as well as noticeable performance improvements.
- On August 24, 2006, the Release Candidate 1 (RC1) of Internet Explorer 7 (Build 7.0.5700.6) was released for Windows XP SP2, Windows XP x64 Edition and Windows Server 2003 SP1. This was the last pre-release version of IE7 before the final release.
- On September 28, 2006, 3Sharp, a privately held technical services firm, published the results of a study, commissioned by Microsoft, evaluating eight anti-phishing solutions in which Internet Explorer 7 (Beta 3) came out on top. The study evaluated the ability to block phish, to warn about phish, and to allow good sites.
- On October 18, 2006, the first finished version was released on microsoft.com, and was distributed as a high-priority update via Automatic Updates (AU) on November 1. AU notifies users when IE7 is ready to install and shows a welcome screen that presents key features and choices to "Install", "Don't Install", or "Ask Me Later".
- On November 8, 2006, a version of Internet Explorer 7 was released for Windows Vista only (7.0.6000.16386).
- On November 11, 2006, another version for Windows XP was made available (7.0.5730.11IC).
- On September 24, 2007, Windows Server 2008 RC0 was released with version 7.0.6001.16659.
- On October 4, 2007, the latest version for Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 (7.0.5730.13) was made available.
- On February 4, 2008, a version of Internet Explorer 7 was released for Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 only (7.0.6001.18000).
- On May 26, 2009, the latest version for Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 (7.0.6002.18005) was made available.
Version | Release date | Significant changes | Shipped with |
---|---|---|---|
7.0 Beta 1 | July 27, 2005 | Support of PNG alpha channel. CSS bug fixes. Tabbed browsing. | Windows Vista Beta 1 |
7.0 Beta 2 Preview | January 31, 2006 | More CSS fixes. RSS platform integration. New UI. Quick Tabs. | |
7.0 Beta 2 | April 24, 2006 | Feature complete. More CSS fixes. Application compatibility fixes. | |
7.0 Beta 3 | June 29, 2006 | Fixes most rendering issues for CSS. | |
7.0 RC 1 | August 24, 2006 | Improvements in performance, stability, security, application compatibility and final CSS adjustments. | |
7.0 | October 18, 2006 | Final release. Last version to support Windows XP x64 Edition RTM and Windows Server 2003 SP1. | Windows Vista |
7.0 SP1 | February 4, 2008 | Vulnerability patch. | Windows Vista SP1 and Windows Server 2008 |
7.0 SP2 | May 26, 2009 | Latest updates included with Vista SP2 and Server 2008 SP2. | Windows Vista SP2 and Windows Server 2008 SP2 |
Features
IE7 Nears its Peak Market Share in 2008 — NetApplications.com, September 2008 | ||
Internet Explorer 4 | 0.01% | |
Internet Explorer 5 | 0.06% | |
Internet Explorer 5.5 | 0.06% | |
Internet Explorer 6 | 24.67% | |
Internet Explorer 7 | 46.35% | |
Internet Explorer 8 | 0.37% | |
All versions | 71.52% | |
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Internet Explorer versions:
Privacy and security
Microsoft has addressed security issues in two distinct ways within Windows Vista: User Account Control, which forces a user to confirm any action that could affect the stability or security of the system even when logged in as an administrator, and "Protected-mode IE", which runs the web browser process with much lower permissions than the user. The first vulnerability exclusive to Internet Explorer 7 was posted after 6 days. Internet Explorer 7 is a component of Windows Embedded Compact 7 and Windows Embedded Compact 2013 and follows the same lifecycle, thus it will continue to be supported until October 10, 2023. Phishing filterSome users have criticised the phishing filter for being too easy to circumvent. One successful method of bypassing Internet Explorer's Phishing Filter has been reported by redirecting a blacklisted web page to another, non-blacklisted page, using a server-side redirect. Until the new page is blocked as well, the attack can remain active. This flaw means that phishers can keep links from previous emails functioning by simply moving to a new server when their original web page is blacklisted and adding a redirect. This has been criticised as doubly serious as the presence of a phishing filter may lull users into a false sense of security when the filter can be bypassed. Phishing filter went on to be developed into and renamed Safety Filter and then SmartScreen by Microsoft, during the development of Internet Explorer 8. Standards supportInternet Explorer 7 adds support for per-pixel alpha transparency in PNG, as well as minor improvements to HTML, CSS and DOM support. Microsoft's stated goal with version 7 was to fix the most significant bugs and areas which caused the most trouble for developers, however full compatibility with standards was postponed. Internet Explorer 7 additionally features an update to the WinInet API. The new version has better support for IPv6, and handles hexadecimal literals in the IPv6 address. It also includes better support for Gzip and deflate compression, so that communication with a web server can be compressed and thus will require less data to be transferred. Internet Explorer Protected Mode support in WinInet is exclusive to Windows Vista. Although Internet Explorer 7 is more compliant than previous versions, according to all figures it remains the least standards-compliant compared to other major browsers of the period. It does not pass the Acid2 or the Acid3 tests, two test cases designed by the Web Standards Project to verify CSS compliance. In a 2008 MSNBC article, Tim Berners-Lee said that lack of support in Internet Explorer was responsible for holding back the widespread adoption by webmasters of several new open technology standards, specifically scalable vector graphics (SVG), supported elsewhere since 2001, but only available in Internet Explorer using a 3rd party plugin (until the release of Internet Explorer 9). System requirementsIE7 requires at least:
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