Windows 7 IE 11 update

I've got several Win7 machines here, 32 and 64 bit. On some of them
IE 11 is listed as an optional update, on others it's listed as an
important update.

Anyone know why the difference? Or is Microsoft just pushing it on
some inattentive Win7 users to see if the install breaks?

George

 

I don't know but it seems to be implied on my PC and at
<http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/windows-vista/install-windows-updates>
that it relates to whether automatic updating is on or off /or/
to whether non-automatic Windows Update presents the update
as checked to install, or not checked.

On my Win 7-64 laptop, automatic update is off, and Internet Explorer 11
appeared in the "Important" category, but unchecked, as far as I remember.
At the same time there was at least one update for IE 10, checked.
I assume that you wouldn't need both.

Apparently IE 11 will be promoted to be installed automatically by
default - on PCs that are configured to do that - in the near future,
unless you install a special "blocker" utility released by Microsoft,
first.

Aside from the nuisance of doing it, and whether it works with
particular software or web sites that you use, I don't know how
to decide whether to install IE 11. I expect that IE 10 will
live on for a while - certainly in Windows 8.0.

http://social.microsoft.com/Forums/...indows-7-is-not-genuine?forum=genuinewindows7

apparently describes the updates that a non-authenticated Windows 7
isn't entitled to get as "optional".

<http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=824684>, "Description of
the standard terminology that is used to describe Microsoft
software updates" doesn't include either of those terms.
It includes "Security" and "Critical". "Critical" means that
Windows is broken but not in a security-related way, although
this terminology is just the sort of thing that gets changed
around from one Windows release version to another.

Wikipedia says "Microsoft has indicated that they will continue to
deliver critical security updates through their Automatic Updates
service as well as via the Microsoft Download Center, so that
all systems, including those that fail to pass validation, will
still continue to receive critical security updates."
There doesn't seem to be a cited origin for this statement and
I wonder if the person who wrote it was as unclear as I am,
since it either implies that unvalidated systems get critical
updates /and/ security updates, or that they get security updates
(which are updates that are critical) but not critical updates
(which are critical updates that are not security updates).

 

Hmm ... it is unchecked on all of my systems.

I have five Win7 computers here: various CPUs, a pair of 32-bit and
three 64-bit, all running Home Premium. Update is configured the same
on all of them: notify only, check Microsoft products, check for
optional software.

Two of the 64-bitters and one of the 32-bitters say IE11 is
"important". The rest say it is "optional".

I thought it might have to do with having Office and/or VisualStudio
being installed, but I have machines taking opposite positions on
this.

All of these machines are legal - they all see optional updates. For
the most part, modulo the CPU differences, they all receive
corresponding updates.

I suppose I eventually will install IE11 unless I hear screams of
anguish from other Win7 users. At the moment I have no compelling
reason to upgrade.

Weird!
George

 

<http://technet.microsoft.com/en-us/ie/dn449235>
mentions other variables - whether the user is a
local administrator (without which you won't see it
at all), and whether Internet Explorer 11 was
already installed and then removed - then it's
optional. And that may include any preview edition.

In the European Union, there's also the
"Browser Choice" factor, so that you are prompted
to choose for your default web browser to be
Internet Explorer or some other product.
That /might/ do this. In fact, changing default
browser might do it outside the EU, too.

And if you install IE 11, it may automatically
appoint itself default again - I think all the
others do...

Conversely, installing or updating Adobe Flash
(manually) is liable to put Google Chrome on
as default browser - or threatens to, but I
haven't allowed it. But you could do /that/
accidentally.