REDMOND, Wash. (AFX) - Microsoft Corp. is giving its Web browser software its first major upgrade in years, amid signs that Internet Explorer's market share is eroding.

The release late Wednesday brings Microsoft's browser more in line with competing products such as Opera Software ASA's Opera and Mozilla Corp.'s Firefox. Internet Explorer 7, or IE7, adds features such as tabbed browsing, which lets people open several Web pages without cluttering their desktop with multiple open browser windows.

Microsoft has been heavily testing the new browser, releasing five beta versions over 14 months, and has periodically offered security updates for IE6, first released in 2001.

Still, a lag of more than five years between official releases has cost the company. Web analysis company WebSideStory estimates that Internet Explorer's U.S. market share is about 86 percent, while Firefox commands about 11 percent of the market and smaller offerings account for the rest. Two years ago, IE had about a 93 percent share.

Dean Hachamovitch, Microsoft's general manager for Internet Explorer, acknowledged the company could have done more sooner, but he said the new version should address users' concerns.

'We did have active development,' he said. 'The question is whether it was enough.'

Matt Rosoff, analyst with independent researchers Directions on Microsoft, said Internet Explorer is important to Microsoft's business because most people believe an operating system should include a way to immediately access the Web.

Still, he said, Microsoft may not have seen much reason to spend a lot of money upgrading sooner since most people continued to use the older version.

Rosoff said the new product includes enough improvements to lure back some users.

But Colin Teubner, an analyst with Forrester Research, said people already using Firefox and rival products might not immediately come back. That's partly because those users have soured on Microsoft, he said, and partly because IE7 doesn't break much new ground.

'A year ago Firefox was head and shoulders above Microsoft's current offering, and I think even with IE7 it's mostly playing catch up,' Teubner said.

But he does recommend that IE6 users upgrade, and he believes Microsoft may surpass competitors with future improvements.

Besides tabbed browsing, Microsoft has improved security to help keep users from falling victim to things like malicious software attacks and phishing scams. Microsoft products are a near-constant target of Internet attackers, and some people have recommended switching browsers because a less high-profile product might be more secure.

The Redmond software maker also has added a box in the browser that lets people search the Internet without going to a separate Web page, much like competitors.

In a last-minute change, people who are upgrading from the previous version of the browser will now have a clearer way to choose whether they want to use Microsoft's search engine or a competing one from companies like Google Inc. or Yahoo Inc. The change announced Friday was one of several aimed at soothing antitrust worries in Europe, where Microsoft faces a longrunning regulatory battle.

IE7 will be available as a free download beginning Wednesday evening. Next month, the company also will begin delivering it to Windows XP users who have signed up to automatically receive security fixes. Hachamovitch said that's because the product makes major security improvements.

Such distribution also will provide a powerful tool in countering competition from rival browsers.

Security updates typically download with little or no user intervention, but with IE7 people will get an extra opportunity to elect not to upgrade. Also, even people using automatic updates will have to agree to let Microsoft check whether their copy of Windows is pirated before they can get IE7.

Microsoft expects that it will take months to gradually release IE7 automatically. The browser also will be an integral part of Microsoft's new operating system, Windows Vista, due out for big businesses in November and for consumers in January.

I've just downloaded IE7. It seems to have cured one or two of the irritating bugs from the Beta version.

Hi all,

For some reason on the SEO board I can only view the last four pages, all others before are blank. Any idea why? All other boards load at the last page viewed no problem.
Thanks Tony.

Balerboy: All looks OK on the SEO thread to me. I suggest closing and re-opening your browser -- it sounds like a cache problem to me.

looks like NTL have upped the download speed in my area to 20 Mb/s and the up is 718b/s,
i think they are testing,looks good here,

10/20/2006 GMT 16855 kb/s 718 kb/s 17 ms London

10/20/2006 GMT 16736 kb/s 718 kb/s 12 ms London

Your Connection
Speed Test Results

Downstream 19,058.1 Kbps ( = 18.6 Mbps )
Upstream 718.7 Kbps ( = 0.7 Mbps )

Your Connection
Speed Test Results

Downstream 18,905.5 Kbps ( = 18.5 Mbps )
Upstream 719.5 Kbps ( = 0.7 Mbps )

why did they not tell us it's going to happen,
i have just gone back to BT on my phones lines and i was thinking of changing to ADSL,
but i think i will stay with NTL cable for internet now the speed is up,
as above from two speed test sites,

http://www.adslguide.org.uk/tools/speedtest.asp

http://www.speedtest.net

steve

just see this from the cable router

CABLE MODEM

Cable Modem Operation Configuration
Network Access : Allowed
Maximum Downstream Data Rate : 20480000
Maximum Upstream Data Rate : 768000
Maximum Upstream Channel Burst : 1600
Maximum Number of CPEs : 1
Modem Capability : Concatenation Enabled, Fragametation Enabled, PHS Disabled

Marketingweek, is reporting that ntl:Telewest is apparently plotting a major Valentines day re-launch under the Virgin name,
according to industry sources. An inside source of ntl and Telewest has apparently reported the ntl and Telewest brands will be scrapped and replaced with the brand name,

Virgin Media, on February 14th 2007.

Thanks Hilary, skg for your comments. I checked the originating IP addresses in the last 6 Delivery Failure notices... and found 6 different addresses. I guess that means I can't easily find out who's behind this. Things are looking up though: so far today - fingers crossed, touch wood - I've only had a couple of failure notices. Hopefully the spammer's moved on to some other poor sod...

Haystack, if you still have the problem, check in Tools/Internet Options/Connections in IE that 'Never dial a connection' is set.

TP, before doing all that you could try a better aerial on the router as well as the laptop. See http://www.solwiseforum.co.uk/downloads/files/wireless-around-the-home.pdf for some ideas.

Kayak,

As I already had a pair of the Devolo socket devices I decided to see if they worked and they worked a treat. So easy to configure.

From an earlier attempt, abandoned in the end, to get the WiFi to the far end of the apartment I'd also bought, but not used, a Belkin Wireless extender. That also worked with minimal fiddling around when attached to the remote end of the Devolo and I even worked out how to set the WEP.

Both bits of kit I'd already bought so the job has not involved in spending any more money. However, were I starting again I'd have bought the newer homeplug set-up where the receiver also has a WiFi transmitter inbuilt. One less component to install. And presumably one could buy extra receiver sockets and add WiFi to room after room.

TP

.

Kayak

That was already set. I think it is a spyware problem.

You have to do this

start
run
services.msc
stop (and start "disable") "Remote Access Auto Connection Manager Service


It runs a process called 'rasautou.exe' which is the MS remote access dialler, but it gets highjacked as spyware sometimes.

It seems fine now.

Here's a weird problem for Office/Outlook experts. I am running Outlook 2003 XP and can't send emails. Basically the send button along with other standard buttons like save and print don't work. Similarly commands off the file menu and some corresponding keyboard shortcuts. Other commands work fine. For a while the send button didn't work but if I saved it as a draft then opened the draft then the send button would work. This was inconvenient but at least I could send messages. Now this doesn't work either. In the past reinstalling the software solved the problem but not this time. Done a quick search of the internet and can't find anyone with this problem so might have to stump and pay for Microsoft support.......please somebody help before I reach those depths....

Isaacs, if your "Send" button is disabled, then a possible solution might lie here

Send Button Disabled in Outlook

Thanks for that klal. I actually found that one this afternoon and still doesn't work. I did at least get send to work in safe mode for a while but now that has packed up as well.

Could be time to switch back to Mozilla. Just got to sort out Pocket Outlook sync.

Isaacs, try a system restore, take it back to a day when it was working properly.

I have set up my various e-mail accounts on my new PC through Outlook Express and have a problem in my setup somewhere that I can't spot.

When I first load OE, it times out on each account. Once I've been through that loop, it allows me access without a problem.

So, something in the opening sequence is wrong.

Any ideas?

Presumably you're not trying to use OE before your wireless connection is up Alan? It normally takes a few seconds after booting to get going.

Kayak - On a land-based broadband service now.. :-)

No, timing doesn't make a difference..

Alan

The best web site I know for OE knowledge is:-

http://www.insideoutlookexpress.com/problems/