IE8 Installation Do's, Don'ts and Resources

Unless you have not been online the past few days, you have already heard the Internet Explorer 8 Final Available Now announcement made at the MIX09 Conference. Internet Explorer 8 is available in 25 languages and is available in 32- and 64-bit versions for Windows Vista, Windows XP, and Windows Server

An updated IE8 will be available for Windows 7 Beta testers as part of the next Windows 7 milestone.

Before installing IE8, review the complete installation instructions and the known compatibility issues listed in the Release Notes. IE8 will be distributed via Automatic Update (AU), Windows Update (WU) and Microsoft Update (MU) sites. For information and screen copies of how AU will work, see IE8 Blocker Toolkit Available Today!

Problems reported at Calendar of Updates:

There is high CPU usage if you use SpyBot Search and Destroy with Immunization. The response by Eric Law, MSFT, was provided in following her report at Internet Explorer 8 Final Available Now:

"@Donna: We have determined that there is a problem with the SpyBot Search and Destroy "innoculate" feature which puts 10000 domains in the restricted sites list.

*** It's possible that this might be causing the performance problems on startup that some folks are reporting here. ***"

Similarly, IE8 will not load fast or it will hang if restricted sites exist in the IE Restricted Sites zone, e.g. using IE-SPYAD or Spyware Blaster.

IE8 Overview:

• Accelerators
• Enhanced Navigation
• Increased Performance
• Improved Favorites and History Management
• Instant Search
• Web Slices

IE 8 Beta Users:

Although the Release Notes do not specify that it is necessary to uninstall IE8 Beta or RC, it is generally advisable prior to updating to the released version, but not required. Following are the instructions provided by Ed Bott in How to uninstall IE8:

"Microsoft has made a confusing and inconsistent decision in the way it handles IE8 under XP/Server 2003 and Vista/Server 2008.

• In XP, open Add or Remove Programs from Control Panel, where you will find Windows Internet Explorer under the Currently Installed Programs list. Select its entry in the list and click Remove.
• In Vista, you won’t find IE8 in the Programs and Features list, because Vista considers IE8 an update. Instead, look for the View Installed Updates link in the navigation pane. (A similar link is available from Windows Update; look in the lower left corner for Installed Udpates.) You’ll find Windows Internet Explorer 8 under the Microsoft Windows category. Click its entry in the list and then click Uninstall.

If you want to remove an earlier IE8 beta or the release candidate, or if you need to install the released version and roll back to IE7 on your Vista machine, you should be able to do so pretty easily at this point.

Update: In the comments, Dan asks whether it’s necessary to uninstall the Release Candidate first. I checked the Release Notes and the IE8 Readiness Toolkit and the Internet Explorer TechCenter and found no indication that uninstalling the older version was required. It is a reasonable precaution, but probably not necessary."

IE8 Installation Instructions:

A. Make sure all necessary updates have been installed first:

1. Open Windows Update: Click the Start button > All Programs > Windows Update.
   
2. In the left pane, click Check for updates, and then wait while Windows looks for the latest updates for your computer.
   
3. If any updates are found, click Install updates. If you are prompted for an administrator password or confirmation, type the password or provide confirmation.
   
   • Note: Install all updates to ensure Internet Explorer has everything needed to install properly.
4. Restart your computer.

B. Create a System Restore point.

1. How to set a system restore point in Windows XP
2. Create a Restore Point for Windows Vista's System Restore :: the How-To Geek

C. Disable your antivirus scanner and any "real-time" protection.

D. Close all open any applications and do not run any other programs during the installation process.

E. If you use a "security suite" or other vendor firewall, disable the third party firewall and enable the Windows Firewall. Reverse the steps after the installation is complete.

1. How to configure the Windows Firewall feature in Windows XP Service Pack 2
2. Turn Windows Firewall on or off - Windows Vista Help

F. Download only the official version from the Microsoft site: Download IE8

1. Begin the process by clicking Run. Depending on your connection speed, the download may take up to a few minutes.
2. Follow the steps shown in the wizard to choose your settings. You will have to restart your PC once setup is complete.
3. The first time you open Internet Explorer 8, you’ll be asked to select a few more settings to personalize your browsing experience. Follow the onscreen steps or select Ask me Later to be prompted with these setup questions when you have more time. You’ll only be asked these questions once.
4. Restart the computer one more time.

No-charge support for Internet Explorer 8 installation, set-up and usage (only) is available via the phone based on your locale through 31 December 2009. Customers must be running Windows XP or Windows Vista in a non-domain environment.

1. US & CA Residents: 866-234-6020.
2. Other: https://support.microsoft.com/oas/default.a...&prid=13043

Microsoft IE8 Reference Sites

• Ask IE
  
• IEBlog
  
• Microsoft Fix it (IE Tags)
  
• Internet Explorer 8: Help and support
  
• Internet Explorer 8: Home page
  
• Internet Explorer HTML, CSS, Compatibility, and More
  
• Microsoft Knowledge Base articles regarding Internet Explorer 8
  
• Release Notes and Compatibility Issues for Internet Explorer 8
  
• Report a Webpage Problem Internet Explorer 8 Add-On
  

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