James Delahunty
20 Feb 2010 7:29
In compliance with a legal agreement made between Microsoft Corp. and the European Commission, Microsoft's Windows Update service will begin sending out a "browser choice" update for Internet Explorer users in Europe. The update will be delivered to users of Windows XP, Windows Vista and Windows 7. It gives the user an option to install, or get more information about, a different browser than Internet Explorer.
Microsoft made a legally binding commitment that PC manufacturers and users will continue to be able to install any browser on the Windows operating system, and to use any browser as the default browser. It also pledged to keep it possible to turn access off to Internet Explorer. As part of Microsoft's commitments, which resolve a number of competition law issues in Europe, Microsoft offered to provide users with an opportunity to install a different web browser like Firefox or Safari.
External testing of the browser choice screen will begin in the United Kingdom, France and Belgium next week, so any users from those countries can download the browser selection screen from Windows Update then. A phased roll-out of the update across the European Union will begin on March 1. For most users, the update will install via Automatic Updates. The update will display two different screens...
When the first screen displays, it will also install a shortcut to the Desktop in case the user would prefer to check it later. In Windows 7, it automatically unpins Internet Explorer from the taskbar. If the user selects any other browser, or even opts to stay with Internet Explorer, then it will have to be pinned to the taskbar manually again. This is done easily by locating an Internet Explorer shortcut in the Start Menu or Desktop, right-clicking on it and clicking "pin this program to taskbar".
The second screen provides the user with a selection of web browsers to choose from. In accordance with the agreement between Microsoft and the European Commission, the browsers will appear in random order. Additional browsers can be viewed by scrolling to the right. The screen provides three options; "Install" to install the selected browser, "Tell Me More" to get more information about a specific browser (provided by the vendor of the browser) and "Select Later" to make a decision at a later time.
For XP or Vista users that receive the screen who might want to stay with Internet Explorer, Microsoft urges updating to the latest version of the browser from this screen if the update hasn't already been made.