Microsoft explains the issue the following way:

When you upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7, the upgrade process does not check the current version of Internet Explorer. Windows then installs Internet Explorer 8 from the Windows 7 installation source.

Microsoft acknowledges the issue in a Knowledge Base article on Microsoft.com but does not offer a solution for the problem. The resolution they do offer in the support article is to install Internet Explorer 9 Beta after the upgrade to Windows 7.

It is not likely that many Windows users are affected by the issue considering that Internet Explorer 9 is only compatible with Windows Vista SP2 and Windows 7. And those that are affected by the issue do not lose any data in the process. Favorites and settings should still be there and the re-installation of Internet Explorer 9 should fix the problem once and for all.

Still, if you are running Windows Vista Service Pack 2 and plan to test Internet Explorer 9 and upgrade to Windows 7 you should start with the upgrade of the operating system first before installing Internet Explorer 9.

UniBrows may be a solution for those companies, considering that newer versions of Internet Explorer offer improved web compatibilities and security as well as faster speeds.

The browser plugin works similar to IETab add-ons that are available for Firefox and Google Chrome, with the difference that it adds Internet Explorer 6 compatibility to Internet Explorer 8.

UniBrows can be configured with rules. It is for instance possible to configure urls to open as if they were opened in Internet Explorer 6. That’s great for companies who do not want to update their applications or operating systems because of compatibility issues.

UniBrows is an IE8 add-on that allows your business to finally make the move to modern technologies. Sign up for the Beta program today to enjoy:

• Application Compatibility with your existing IE6 applications
• Easy deployment and management unlike virtualization solutions
• Simple Migration without changing a single line of code
• Greater security and ease of use for the end user

The plugin “provides full IE6 functionality and behaviors, including ActiveX controls support, rendering, and JavaScript functionality”. The plugin is currently available only to beta testers, but anyone can sign up to test it before it is released.

Our Repair Internet Explorer troubleshooting guide dealt with many problems that Internet Explorer users may need to resolve.

The recent release of SF IE Restorator, a troubleshooting tool for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8, adds another weapon to the arsenal.

The program supports troubleshooting 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Internet Explorer 8. It is likely that the developer will add support for Internet Explorer 9 in the future as well. Some repair functionality may even be compatible with the new browser, but users who are not running IE8 should probably try every other option before they make use of this program to repair the Internet browser.

The program requires the Microsoft .net Framework 3.5, but has no other dependencies. Users need to run it as an administrator. This is best done by right-clicking the file in Windows Explorer and selecting the Run As Administrator option from the context menu.

repair troubleshoot internet explorer

It displays an interface on startup that starts the following repairs:

• Flush / Review DNS IP:This is probably the option that is the least used in this software. It will simply empty the DNS cache which can be helpful if a bad our outdated DNS has been stored in the cache by Internet Explorer.
• Re-register IE: The three buttons available can be used to re-register relevant dlls for 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Internet Explorer in Windows 7. This may also work in other operating systems.
• Reset IE: This resets all Internet Explorer settings and add-ons to their default values.

Reset Winsock: Resetting Winsock can solve problems related to connectivity problems in the browser. This often happens after new driver installations or software installations that are manipulating network data.

We recommend to use this program as a last resort, if the standard troubleshooting options to do not resolve the issues.

SF IE Restorator is available for download at the Seven Forums forum thread.

Many rules in the Group Policy center around restricting features of the operating system, or programs running on it. There are for instance more than 1000 rules available to regulate Microsoft’s Internet Explorer.

While those rules are all displayed with an extensive description in the Group Policy editor, system administrators might want to have a reference at hand that lists all available options.

Microsoft for this purpose has released the Group Policy Settings Reference for Windows Internet Explorer 8 which lists all available rules for Internet Explorer 8 in an Excel document.

This spreadsheet lists the policy settings for computer and user configurations included in the administrative template files (admx/adml) delivered with Windows Internet Explorer 8. These files are used to expose policy settings when you edit Group Policy objects (GPOs) using Group Policy Object Editor (GPEdit).

You can use the filtering capabilities included in this spreadsheet to view a specific subset of data based on one value or a combination of values that are available in one or more of the columns. In addition, you can click Custom in the drop-down list of any of the column headings to add additional filtering criteria within that column.

To view a specific subset of data, click the drop-down arrow in the column heading of cells that contain the value or combination of values on which you want to filter, and then click the desired value in the drop-down list. For example, to view a subset of policy settings that are available for Windows Internet Explorer 7 in the “Internet Explorer” worksheet, click the drop-down arrow next to Requirements, and then click At least Internet Explorer 7.0.

group policy internet explorer

The Excel document lists all Group Policy settings related to Internet Explorer. Each setting is listed with its name, policy path, Registry information, requirements and explanation. Excel’s search capabilities can be used to find specific settings, a feature that the Group Policy Editor does not offer. (via Into Windows)

PC users who work with Internet Explorer might experience a situation where they need to repair Internet Explorer. The browser might feel sluggish, display error messages, crash outright or may not start at all.

The following tips may help users who want to repair Internet Explorer. The article concentrates on Internet Explorer 8 but most tips are also valid for previous versions of the web browser.

The first thing you want to do is to take note of the problem. Is the browser starting up? Is it crashing? Does it display an error message? Is it slow?

Malicious Software

You may want to start with a thorough scan of the computer system for malicious software. Suggested security software for this job are Dr. Web, Avast or AVG.

Make sure you perform a full system scan and clean any viruses, trojans and other malicious software from the system. Improperly configured security programs may slow down Internet Explorer, block it from accessing web contents or may be the cause for error messages that are displayed to the user. You may want to do something that is usually not suggested: Turn off the security software and test Internet Explorer afterwards. If the problems go away it is the software that is the culprit. You then need to configure the software to make it compatible with IE.

Internet Explorer toolbars and add-ons.

If you can open Internet Explorer you might want to check the installed add-ons and toolbars. Microsoft found out that Internet Explorer users run five to six add-ons on average. This can be attributed to software installations who often offer to install toolbars and browser plugins.

To manage the Internet Explorer add-ons open Tools > Manage Add-ons in Internet Explorer. This displays a new program window that lists all the installed add-ons in the browser.

The add-ons are categorized by type in the left sidebar. Toolbars and extensions is the category that is displayed by default. Take a look at the add-ons in the list. You can disable add-ons by right-clicking on them and selecting disable from the context menu or selecting them and clicking on the Disable button in the lower right corner of the screen.

You may want to start to disable add-ons that you do not recognize. A direct approach would be to disable all add-ons and see if that helped solve the problem. If it did you may return to that window and gradually activate add-ons again one by one until you find out which add-ons have been responsible for the issues.

You can also start Internet Explorer with all add-ons disabled:

Click the Start button Picture of the Start button, click All Programs, click Accessories, click System Tools, and then click Internet Explorer (No Add-ons).

Update Internet Explorer

Chance is you may be running an old version of Internet Explorer. If you are running Internet Explorer 6 or Internet Explorer 7 you may consider upgrading to Internet Explorer 8 to see if this resolves the issues. Internet Explorer 8 can be downloaded directly from Microsoft.

Reset Internet Explorer settings

Resetting Internet Explorer’s settings may work to fix the issue as well. You do not need IE open for this. In Windows 7 open the Control Panel by clicking on the start orb in the lower left corner and selecting Control Panel in the start menu. Now click on Network and Internet and then Internet Options to open them. This menu can also be used to manage the browser add-ons of Internet Explorer.

Clicking on Internet Options opens a new window. Switch to the Advanced tab and press the Reset button at the bottom of the screen to reset all Internet Explorer settings to their default condition.

Microsoft Support Links

If the tips above did not solve the issue you are having with Internet Explorer you may want to follow the links below to Microsoft support pages that contain further information on how to repair Internet Explorer to resolve issues one has with the web browser.

• You receive a “Microsoft Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close (Pdm.dll)” error message [link]
• Fix Runtime Errors in Internet Explorer [link]
• You receive an error message in Internet Explorer: “Internet Explorer cannot display the webpage” [link]
• Why is my Internet connection so slow? [link]
• Internet Explorer stops responding, stops working, or restarts [link]
• You cannot view, access, or load some Web pages when you use Internet Explorer 8 [link]
• You cannot view a secure Web site in Internet Explorer 8 [link]
• When you use Internet Explorer 8, you cannot access your Webmail [link]
• Video freezes or crashes in Internet Explorer or Windows programs [link]
• Internet Explorer freezes or crashes [link]

Are you currently experiencing problems when working with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer? Or have you experienced problems in the past and managed to resolve them? Let us know in the comments.

This means that even though you think that you are not using Internet Explorer you might still be using it in those third party applications. This outlines why it is of utmost importance to keep Internet Explorer up to date to avoid attacks against the web browser in those third party applications.

The first step to find out if Internet Explorer can be updated is to find out which version is installed on your computer system. Vista and Windows 7 users can click on the start orb in the left lower corner and type Internet Explorer into the run form to launch Internet Explorer from the results. Windows XP users might find the Internet Explorer entry in their start menu as well.

Press Alt-H once the web browser opens and select About Internet Explorer from the menu. A window will be displayed that lists the version of the installed Internet Explorer browser.

There are basically three possibilities here: Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8. If you run Internet Explorer 6 or 7 you can update to version 8 of the browser which is recommended. Internet Explorer 8 users are running the latest version of the browser. It can still be that they are missing security updates that have been released by Microsoft.

Users who are not running Internet Explorer 8 can visit the IE download site to download the latest version of the web browser. The installation will update Internet Explorer to version 8 regardless of the previous version installed on the system.

The second step – which initial Internet Explorer 8 users have to perform as well – is to check for security updates for the web browser. This is best done via Windows Update. Microsoft will automatically scan the installed software programs and display all patches that are available for the configuration.

Please note that you might not be able to update Internet Explorer if you are working in a business environment.

The second half of the video then discusses the InPrivate of Internet Explorer 8 which is a private browsing mode allowing Internet Explorer users to access the web without leaving traces on the local computer system.

Take a look at the video below:

The comparison is problematic in several ways. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 uses an address bar and search bar to distinguish between the two while Google’s Chrome browser uses one toolbar for both searches and addresses that are typed in.

The point LePage is trying to make is that the Chrome browser sends all keystrokes to Google which is correct for the default settings. The keystrokes are send to Google Search for the suggest functionality. If the Chrome user changes the search provider the keystrokes are send to that provider and not Google. The same principle is valid for the Internet Explorer 8 search form as well. LePage is right that keystrokes are send out but it does not necessarily have to be Google who is receiving them.

A user who is changing Google Search to Bing in the Chrome browser will send all those keystrokes to Microsoft instead.

It is furthermore possible to turn that feature off in the web browser settings in the Under the hood tab. Unchecking “Use a suggestion service to help complete searches and URLs typed in the address bar” disables the feature in the Chrome browser.

The second half of the video discusses the InPrivate feature that allows Internet Explorer users to access the Internet without leaving tracks behind in the local computer system once the session is closed. Many commenters have criticized that part because LePage is not mentioning that Google Chrome offers a similar feature.

Some viewers might come to the conclusion that Google Chrome does not have a similar feature. Then again, the video’s intention was not to compare Google Chrome and Internet Explorer 8 but to showcase some of the privacy features of Internet Explorer.

The main part of the browser analyzes the general issues starting with web browser add-ons and toolbars that can be a reason for a low performance. Every Internet Explorer 8 user has between 5 and 6 add-ons installed which can drop the performance of the web browser.

The whitepaper lists the top 20 add-ons that are installed. Included are popular add-ons like the Google Toolbar, Windows live Sign-In Helper, Adobe Acrobat Reader, Windows Live Toolbar and Yahoo Toolbar but also lesser known add-ons like the Kingsoft Browser Shield, Baidu Toolbar or the Adware Stickypops.

Add-ons attribute to more than 70% of all Internet Explorer 8 crashes, a figure that seems incredibly high. Microsoft explains the different ways add-ons are installed in Internet Explorer (for instance through software installations) and details how add-ons can be removed to speed up the web browser.

The next four issues that are addressed are:

• Check your computer for malware and spyware
• Verify the Restricted Sites list
• Make sure you have the latest add-ons and software updates
• Reset Internet Explorer 8’s settings

The advanced tips explain how to increase the connection limit of Internet Explorer to optimize the performance and to analyze the user agent.

The whitepaper can be downloaded for free at the Microsoft website.

The patch that Microsoft has released is however a cumulative update with patches that will fix Internet Explorer 8 security vulnerabilities as well.

The information posted by Microsoft reads:

MS10-018 resolves Security Advisory 981374, addressing a publicly disclosed vulnerability in Internet Explorer 6 and Internet Explorer 7. Internet Explorer 8 is unaffected by the vulnerability addressed in the advisory

MS10-018 is a cumulative update with the patch for Security Advisory 981374 being one of the patches included in the release. This basically means that Internet Explorer 8 is unaffected by that one vulnerability but affected by others that are included in the cumulative update as well. This is confirmed by the affected and unaffected software listing on the security bulletin page which lists the severity as critical for Internet Explorer 8 as well.

Windows users should install the update as soon as possible to protect their computer system from possible exploits. The update is also available at the Microsoft Download site.

Two of the most popular web browsers have been compromised on day one of the conference. Both Microsoft’s Internet Explorer and Mozilla’s Firefox web browser were compromised on that day meaning that security vulnerabilities exist that have not been patched in the latest versions of the web browsers.

No security researcher even tried to exploit the Google Chrome web browser which many attribute to its sandboxing. Apple’s Safari browser was exploited as well and the Opera web browser, was once again, not even included in the contest.

Video of Internet Explorer 8 being exploited:

Is it safe to say that Google Chrome is the most secure web browser currently? It probably is but that does not mean that there are no exploits for it or that it offers a completely secure environment as Chrome security vulnerabilities have been discovered in the past as well.

The impact of the vulnerability is a remote code execution that can be triggered by an invalid pointer reference that can be the cause for the remote code execution.

Microsoft is aware of targeted attacks. It is therefor recommended to update Internet Explorer to the latest version or ensure that Protected Mode in Internet Explorer is enabled.

Possible attack vectors are manipulated websites that are used to exploit the security vulnerability either directly or by third party code that is being displayed on the website or by attacking the email clients Microsoft Outlook or Windows Mail with HTML emails that exploit the vulnerability.

Interested users can visit the security advisory issued by Microsoft to get additional information about the security vulnerability.

Another possibility to protect the computer from the vulnerability would be to switch at least temporary to another Internet browser although this might not always be possible.

Any address that is not in that local list will be send to a Microsoft server where it will be compared against a database that contains unsafe and suspicious websites. Standard computer information and the SmartScreen Filter version number will also be transmitted in the process.

Information that may be associated with the address, such as search terms or data you entered in forms might be included. For example, if you visited the Microsoft.com search web site at http://search.microsoft.com and entered “Seattle” as the search term, the full address http://search.microsoft.com/results.aspx?q=Seattle&qsc0=0&FORM=QBMH1&mkt=en-US will be sent. Address strings might unintentionally contain personal information, but this information, like the other information sent, is not used to identify, contact or target advertising to you. In addition, Microsoft filters address strings to try to remove personal information where possible.

From time-to-time, information about your usage of SmartScreen Filter will also be sent to Microsoft such as the time and total number of websites browsed since an address was sent to Microsoft for analysis. Some information about files that you download from the web such as name and file path may also be sent to Microsoft. Some website addresses that are sent to Microsoft may be stored along with additional information including web browser version, operating system version, SmartScreen Filter version, the browser language, and information about whether Compatibility View was enabled for the website. A unique identifier generated by Internet Explorer is also sent. The unique identifier is a randomly generated number that does not contain any personal information and is not used to identify you. This information, along with the information described above, is only used to analyze performance and improve the quality of our products and services.

The SmartScreen Filter is a security addition to Internet Explorer that warns the user if known malicious or dangerous websites are visited. It is therefor usually recommended to keep the filter activated.

Some Internet Explorer users on the other hand might prefer to deactivate it. Either because they are using a security software that checks the websites for them, like Web of Trust for instance or a security software that integrates in the web browser and checks the accessed websites, or because they do not want to transmit information about the visited websites to Microsoft.

The SmartScreen Filter can be disabled in the Internet Options of Internet Explorer. Open the Internet Options by clicking on Tools > Internet Options and switch to the Security tab.

Select the Internet Zone and click on the Custom level button. This opens a new window with lots of configuration options. Scroll all the way down until the Use SmartScreen Filter setting which is Enabled by default. Selecting Disable instead and clicking on OK will disable the filter for general Internet usage.

You need to confirm the changes. This will disable the SmartScreen Filter in Internet Explorer 8 so that no visited websites and computer information will be submitted to Microsoft.

It is also possible to turn of the SmartScreen Filter by clicking on the Safety link in the Internet Explorer toolbar and selecting SmartScreen Filter > Turn Off SmartScreen Filter. This menu can also be used to check websites manually and report potentially dangerous websites. The last two options can be performed even if the SmartScreen Filter has been deactivated in Internet Explorer.

The Web Browser Comparative Test, a test that is conducted in every quarter of the year, came to the conclusion that Microsoft’s Internet Explorer 8 protects the best from socially engineered malware. Socially engineered malware is defined by the testers as a webpage link that leads directly to a malicious payload.

All web browsers in the test, except the Opera browser, managed to increase their effectiveness at blocking malware in the browser. Microsoft’s Internet Explorer scored best by successfully stopping 85% of all threats in the web browser followed by Firefox and Safari with 29%, Google Chrome with 17% and Opera with less than 1%.

Microsoft attributes the security increase in Internet Explorer 8 to a variety of security features including the SmartScreen Filter which is blocking more than 3 million urls per day.

The SmartScreen Filter uses a special URL Reputation Service (URS) with data centers hosted around the world and has evaluated over 250 billion URLs to help keep Internet Explorer 8 users safe! Every day, the SmartScreen Filter URS processes about 4.1 billion URLs looking for malicious websites and files; and since it was first introduced in Internet Explorer 7, the URS has processed over 5.7 trillion requests!

There have been reports in the past that Microsoft sponsored the studies conducted by NSS Labs. According to a post dating back to last year the company approached all browser developers and only Microsoft Research agreed to the sponsoring so that the study could be created.

The study can be downloaded in pdf format from the NSS Labs website.

Christian Adam has released an experimental add-on for Microsoft’s Internet Explorer that adds support for the video tag to the web browser.

The project is still highly experimental but it could become an option for Internet Explorer users who would like to (or have to) work with HTML5 video.

The screencast above explains how support for the HTML5 video tag can be added to Internet Explorer. The developer provides a setup on his website that needs to be executed. This file adds the support.

A demonstration video is linked from the blog post as well which can be used to test the support of the HTML5 video tag. It did not work for us in our Internet Explorer 8 browser.

It is likely that the developer will continue improve the Internet Explorer extension so that it becomes more stable and reliable.

Visit IE video tag – Take Two on Christan Adam’s weblog to access the original announcement and downloads.

The vulnerability has also been used in an attack earlier this month on several popular US companies that included Google and Adobe. The patch does not seem to have been made available via Windows Update yet. This is likely to happen in the next couple of hours.

Windows users are encouraged to download the patch from the appropriate support pages to close the vulnerability in their computer system.

• Internet Explorer 8 (Windows XP 64-bit, Windows XP 32-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit, Windows 7 32-bit, Windows 7 64-bit
• Internet Explorer 7 (Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit, Windows Vista 32-bit, Windows Vista 64-bit
• Cumulative Security Updates for Windows XP 32-bit, Windows XP 64-bit

Users with Internet Explorer 6, Windows Server 2003 or Windows Server 2008 can find the whole list of patches at Bink.nu. Internet Explorer 6 and IE 7 users should also consider updating their web browser to Internet Explorer 8 if possible.

System administrators can download the kit from the website which also provides access to an online help and other documentation to aid these administrators customize the Internet Explorer experience. To outline some of the customization that is possible with the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8:

Administrators can use it to install custom components, select the language, search provider, homepage and support urls, install favorites or feeds, configure connection settings, change privacy, security and proxy settings or customize other features of Internet Explorer.

Detailed information about the various options are provided on the What Internet Explorer Administration Kit Can Do For You page on the Microsoft website. Microsoft has also released documentation and a IEAK 8 deployment guide to get administrators and technicians started.

The Fix IE Utility has been designed fix problems that user might encounter when running Internet Explorer. This includes startup problems and especially problems related to dll or ocx files that are needed to run Internet Explorer and its functions.

The software program will automatically register 89 different dll and ocx files that are required to run Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8. This tool could be helpful if dll or ocx errors are displayed during Internet Explorer start or while working in the web browser.

All instances of Internet Explorer need to be closed before executing the command to run the repair of Internet Explorer. Everything else should be pretty self-explanatory. The portable program will display a simple two button interface upon startup. A click on the Run Utility button will register the dll and ocx files.

Microsoft’s solution to repair Internet Explorer 7 or 8 is to download (IE7 or IE8) the web browser again.

The Fix IE Utility has been designed for The Windows Club from where it can be downloaded.

There are various options to test a website in different versions of Internet Explorer. Some, like IETester, make it possible to install multiple versions of Internet Explorer on the same computer system. Others, like Browsershots, are online tools that can test a website in various web browsers as well.

A third possibility is now offered by Microsoft directly in the form of virtual PC images. Internet Explorer 6, Internet Explorer 7 and Internet Explorer 8 are provided as virtual PC images. It is possible to download a virtual PC image for each web browser running under Windows XP or Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8 images running under Windows Vista.

The Windows XP images have a size of around 600 Megabytes each while the Windows Vista images triple that size. The only limitation is an expiration date for the virtual PC images. The Windows XP images will expire in January 2010 while the Vista images will expire 120 days after their first execution. These expiration dates make the virtual PC images a less than favorable solution but its probably better than not testing the various editions of Internet Explorer at all.

Users who are interested in the virtual PC images can download them directly from the Microsoft website.

The test analyzed the web browser’s phishing protection. Both Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 (that is Firefox 3.0.11 and not Firefox 3.5) managed to score an average block rate of 83% and 80% during the 14 days of testing. Opera 10 managed to block 54%, Google Chrome 26% and Safari a whopping 2%.

The average phishing URL catch rate for browsers over the entire 14 day test period ranged from 2% for Safari 4 to 83% for Windows Internet Explorer 8. Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 were the most consistent in the high level of protection they offered. Statistically, Internet Explorer 8 and Firefox 3 had a two-way tie for first, given the margin of error of 3.96%. Opera 10 beta came in third due to inconsistent protection during the test. Chrome 2 was consistent, albeit at a much lower rate of protection, and Safari offered minimal overall protection.

The test analyzed the average response time to phishing attacks. Internet Explorer 8 finished first with an average response time of about 5 hours closely followed by Firefox and Google Chrome. It took Opera about double the time and Safari more than 10 times to protect against emerging phishing attacks.

Many users will criticize the test because it has been sponsored by Microsoft. This alone should not be reason to dismiss the findings as inaccurate. There have however been accusations of manipulated reports by NSS Labs in the past which are for example mentioned in a blog post at the Opera website. Some of the points of criticism like mixing beta and final versions or limiting test urls to a very low number are also valid points in the new report.

Even critics have to admit on the other hand that Microsoft has made progress with Internet Explorer 8. The web browser might still not be as fast as the others but it is definitely a solid web browser which could be the most secure web browser when it comes to protecting users from phishing attacks. It has to be noted that the test is only considering the automated protection.

Microsoft not only lists the installed toolbars, plugins and add-ons but also their loading time. This loading time is added on top of the normal tab loading time in Internet Explorer. It is now easy with the tools at hand to analyze the toolbars and plugins that increase the tab and window loading time in Internet Explorer the most and find ways to deal with the situation.

A right-click on any toolbar or plugin in the add-on’s menu provides the option to disable it right away. Internet Explorer 8 will automatically search for related add-ons giving the user the choice to disable them as well. The loading time of some plugins and toolbars is not displayed in the manager. Disabling these can also have a positive effect on the tab and window loading times in Internet Explorer.