Microsoft has released the latest beta version of its Internet Explorer 7

[Itsme]

Microsoft has released the latest beta version of its Internet Explorer 7 software, giving developers working on its XP operating system an additional preview of the browser's new features.

Dubbed as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2, the company is making the test version of the application available for download from its Web site while confirming that a final release of Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP will arrive as expected sometime during the second half of 2006.

Click here to read eWEEK Labs' review of IE7. http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,1895,1917222,00.asp

Company officials said the latest iteration of the beta is meant specifically as a final preview for third-party developers building Web sites or applications that run on Windows XP, and that a second beta version of IE 7 for Windows Vista, the firm's next-generation operating system, will also arrive sometime during the first half of this year. Vista is scheduled to debut sometime before the end of 2006.

Microsoft is encouraging Web and application developers to install the beta to test compatibility and provide it with any related feedback. The company is asking consumers to wait until the IE 7 Vista beta arrives.

[_=DeltaForce=_]

I was installing Internet Explorer 7 beta but I got a Zone Alarm Popup Saying " Windows internet explorer 7 beta 2 preview setup utility is trying to communicate with C:\\programfiles\mozilla firefox\firefox.exe by using DDE "

Screenshot >> http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8748/wtfms7ti.jpg (Warning High Resolution screen shot 1920x1200! )

Why is it doing that?? lol

[Itsme]

I was installing Internet Explorer 7 beta but I got a Zone Alarm Popup Saying " Windows internet explorer 7 beta 2 preview setup utility is trying to communicate with C:\\programfiles\mozilla firefox\firefox.exe by using DDE "

Screenshot >> http://img100.imageshack.us/img100/8748/wtfms7ti.jpg (Warning High Resolution screen shot 1920x1200! )

Why is it doing that?? lol

Not sure. Right after I posted the news item I decided I needed to check it out and downloaded IE7 to my desktop. I've been using it all evening with no problems. I know other browsers have had tabs all along, but for me now having the tabs with IE has been very nice.

I've had no problems using it.

[ShawnLee]

Microsoft is encouraging Web and application developers to install the beta to test compatibility and provide it with any related feedback. The company is asking consumers to wait until the IE 7 Vista beta arrives.But I want one too! Waaaah!

[Itsme]

But I want one too! Waaaah!

Anyone can download the Beta2 version, not just developers....they don't ask for any info, etc.

[zero2dash]

Dubbed as Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview for Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 2

Whoa...that's a mouthful. That's almost as bad as "King Kong: The Official Game of the Movie" (or whatever it's called). :heh:

I'll be sure to check out that review even though I'm really digging Opera already. :) Thanks for the link.

[Itsme]

Well, my IE7 experiment is over. I've been using it for the past couple of days and like the tabs. However, I have run into some bugs so decided to go back to IE6. I sure like the Windows feature that enables me to go back to the config of a few days ago...made it a breeze to go back.

Maybe I'll give Firefox or Opera a try...guess I'm getting daring in my old age. :)

[Jenny]

Scott said it was nice except for the constant errors. heh But he did say that if they fix them, it should be very nice.

[Itsme]

IE 7 bugs abound
By Joris Evers
Staff Writer, CNET News.com

Published: February 1, 2006, 2:22 PM PST

People didn't lose any time in finding bugs in the latest preview release of Internet Explorer 7.

It's been but a day since Microsoft publicly released a test version of Internet Explorer 7, but Internet news groups and blogs are already teeming with bug reports. Also, one security researcher claims he found a security vulnerability in the new Web browser.

Issues reported several times include compatibility problems with McAfee security software and trouble installing the browser due to unnamed anti-spyware and antivirus tools. Some testers also said using certain features or surfing to specific Web sites caused the browser to hang or crash.

Microsoft made a preview version of IE 7 beta 2 publicly available on Tuesday, but the product is not fully baked, the company has said. The release is meant to give developers and IT professionals a chance to test-drive the software and give feedback to Microsoft so that the final version, expected later this year, and upcoming test releases, will have no, or at least fewer, issues.

The public preview release of IE 7 includes many of the features Microsoft has been touting for months. Among them are new security and privacy protection capabilities such as mechanisms designed to combat phishing attacks, spyware and other threats.

But browser testers may already be at risk, according to security researcher Tom Ferris. Late Tuesday, Ferris released details of a potential security flaw in IE 7. An attacker could exploit the flaw by crafting a special Web page that could be used to crash the browser or gain complete control of a vulnerable system, Ferris said in an advisory on his Web site. Microsoft had no immediate comment on Ferris' alert.

Also, the preview version of IE 7 clashes with some security software. Users reported that after they had downloaded and installed the beta, McAfee security software failed to display any text or graphics in their Windows when opened. Reinstalling the applications had no effect, according to the user reports.

"I have McAfee Internet Security Suite on my system, and when IE 7 is loaded, neither work," one tester wrote in Microsoft's news groups. "Surely...getting the system to work with an industry leader is a small price to pay."

Microsoft acknowledged the compatibility issues with the McAfee software in a response on the IE team blog. "The McAfee issue is known, and we'll work on this for a future build," a Microsoft representative wrote on the blog.

McAfee also said it is working to fix the problem with IE 7. "While the issue affects the way in which users view the McAfee interface, McAfee's automated protection is still running and protecting the user's systems," a company representative said in an e-mailed statement.

Other people had trouble installing IE 7 altogether, reporting an error during installation that stated a file called "msfeeds.dll" could not be found. This problem stems from compatibility issues with unnamed security applications, a Microsoft representative wrote in a blog post.

"Some anti-spyware and antivirus software is known to interfere with IE 7's ability to install," a Microsoft representative wrote. The software maker offers a work-around and otherwise recommends users wait until a future IE 7 release that it hopes will address the problem.