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Microsoft commits to a new preview test build of IE10 for Windows 7 in November

Summary: Internet Explorer 10 for Windows 7 is still alive, Microsoft officials confirmed. And another test build is coming in November.

Mary Jo Foley

By for All About Microsoft |

It's been almost a year and a half since Microsoft released a test build of Internet Explorer (IE) 10 for Windows 7. Since that time, Microsoft officials have refused to comment as to why there were no further builds or when a final version of IE10 for Windows 7 would be available.

On October 17, there was finally a ray of hope for those IE10 loyalists wanting Microsoft's latest browser on Windows 7. In an IEBlog post, Microsoft officials said a new preview of IE10 for Windows 7 would be out some time in November 2012.

Microsoft delivered its most recent preview of IE10 for Windows 7 in June 2011.

There's no updated word as to when the final IE10 for Windows 7 will be out. But at least there's finally official confirmation the product is still alive.

A leaked Microsoft roadmap from late last year led some of us to believe Microsoft was planning to deliver IE10 for Windows 7 at the same time as IE10 for Windows 8 was released to manufacturing. But that turned out not to be the case.

IE10 for Windows 8 will be generally available on October 26, as it is built into Windows 8.

Update: This just in from my ZDNet colleague Ed Bott: The coming November preview is a full browser with the UI. This isn't just another developer preview, according to Microsoft officials.

Topics: Browser, Microsoft

About

Mary Jo has covered the tech industry for more than 25 years for a variety of publications and Web sites, and is a frequent guest on radio, TV and podcasts, speaking about all things Microsoft-related. She is the author of Microsoft 2.0: How Microsoft plans to stay relevant in the post-Gates era (John Wiley & Sons, 2008).

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26 comments
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  • Well it's better than hearing nothing...

    Though I seriously wish that'd they'd had said that they were GA-ing rather that releasing another preview. If they seriously want to regain the share they've been losing with IE9 and back, they need IE10 on Windows 7. It's a great improvement over IE9 that bring's IE back into the modern browser fray.

    Now if only they could improve their crap build in dev tools....
    Alleycat5
    Reply Vote

    • Will there be a AdsBlock and a FlashBlock?

      I don't understand the IE team. These are two instant popular features for any browser, more popular than the "do-not-track" stuff, and yet IE team never bothers to address them.

      A spell-checker would not hurt either.
      LBiege
      Reply Vote

  • IE 10

    Be nice to have IE 10 on Windows 7 since I have no desire to get Windows 8.
    rdw551
    Reply 2 Votes

  • What I want in IE10:

    It would be great if IE 10 could sync with my Microsoft Account (Live, Hotmail, Outlook) similar to how Chrome syncs with my Google account. If that feature were available, I would leave Chrome in a heartbeat!
    kjb434
    Reply Vote

    • Windows 8 has syncing capabilities

      I've been using Windows 8 on multiple computers and my IE10 history has automatically synced between my computers. Rebuild your computer? It's all back again. It's pretty slick.

      I'm not sure you'll get this with IE10 on Win7 as I think that are using a framework exposed in Win8 and I doubt they are planning a port.
      MisinformedDNA
      Reply Vote

    • Windows 8 sync

      With Windows 8 you can login to your machine using your Windows Live ID. When you do everything syncs quite nicely among machines. I don't know how that would work on a Windows 7 machine. As inexpensive as it is to upgrade to Windows 8, it's almost a no-brainer to do so. I have the RTM version and after a week or two to get used to it I can't imagine going back.
      doug@...
      Reply Vote

  • Trepidation

    I've seen a general trend in Microsoft Metro-izing it's new releases. Will IE10 be reduced to two-color icons without 3D beveling? Will we, who plan to stick with Windows 7, end up with the work of art which Microsoft took so many years to create end up with a metro-ized hybrid of Windows 7 and metro 2D application upgrades? Personally I have upgraded most of my applications whenever a new version came out whether I needed to or not. Now, I will no longer upgrade unless it is necessary or extremely compelling if it means that I am going to uglify my system. I know this sounds silly to many, but I spend a lot of hours in front of Windows and the aesthetics impact me. If there are any other human beings out who respond to external stimuli like I do, them Microsoft will not be the only company to see reduced sales when it comes to selling their marginal upgrades.
    Astringent
    Reply 3 Votes

    • Nope

      IE10 on Win8 has two version, Metro and Desktop. Metro hides all the chrome until you need it. It looks and feels like most other Metro apps. The Desktop app, however, looks exactly like IE9. So no uglification, it's the same browser, just faster and with more standards. I can't think of a reason not to upgrade to IE10.
      MisinformedDNA
      Reply Vote

      • Scrollbars

        Scrollbars and titlebars of windows were heavily uglified in Win8.
        (Overall Windows theme was broken, to be honest)
        Rikkrdo
        Reply 1 Vote

    • Desktop IE10 looks very much like IE9

      Not only do they look nearly identical, but IE10 has built-in spell check and better support for the latest technologies.
      doug@...
      Reply Vote

  • What would be nice about ie10, is to end ie9 update nags.

    I have windows 7/64 which was shipped with ie9. I am sick of various sites that tell me I must update to ie9 or later. Come on Balmer, whats the holdup.
    CrowdedCranium
    Reply Vote

    • ie9 want to upgrade to ie9?

      Is the browser showing wrong version numbers to site? If you already have ie9 why would sites tell you to upgrade to what you already have? Never had that issue with mine.
      lepoete73
      Reply 1 Vote

    • IE9 nags

      Check your compatibility view settings. It sounds like you may have your browser set to appear as if it's an earlier version. Click on Tools --> Compatibility View Settings. If the box is checked to display all websites in compatibility view, uncheck it. Also look at the list of sites you may have added manually to compatibility view. Most can probably be removed at this time as nearly all websites now work quite well with IE9.
      doug@...
      Reply Vote

    • There's a good chance ...

      ... that your IE9 is running in IE8 mode. Try:
      1) Hit F12
      2) Change your "browser mode" to IE9
      3) Close the developer tools window/pane.
      bitcrazed
      Reply 1 Vote

  • 7 - IE10

    My hope is that they have gotten over the infamous "Internet Explorer has stopped working. Microsoft is searching for a solution"!!! And, Chrome is faster!!!
    puppadave
    Reply Vote

    • ...

      The 'infamous "Internet Explorer has stopped working. Microsoft is searching for a solution"' is caused when IE add-ons crash. The worst culprit for this - by a LARGE margin - is Flash. Thankfully, the "metro" IE10 app doesn't allow add-ons and almost never presents this message.

      Oh ... and IE10 is now as fast or faster than Chrome for 99% of all real-world scenarios. Even [names of other ZDNet bloggers] have given up comparing perf' between browsers every month.
      bitcrazed
      Reply 1 Vote

  • IE

    I quit using IE about wi 98 se and used Firefox only till win xp which I liked till I found Linux and said to hell with M$ and have been a happy camper since.
    jedstewart1
    Reply Vote

    • lol

      Things aren't that happy in the Linux world.
      Rob.sharp
      Reply Vote

      • depends on your view

        I jumped to Linux during win98 - winme time.. Alot of advancement.. When i switched to newer hardware it was as simple as putting my hdd in to the new computer.. Booted then as time went upgraded kernel.. 32bit os showing and using 8gb of ram. Jumped to 64bit build.. Never ran into older software not running no more.. Once you learn the basics it all becomes easier..
        Anthony E
        Reply Vote

      • Well...

        ...*some* parts of the Linux world are not happy. In other parts things are quite happy indeed. Pretty much status quo all around it seems to me and I'm a GNU/Linux user. The thing to remember here is that the "world of Linux" (distributions) is rather wide and varied as compared to the world of Windows. Both it's greatest strength and it's greatest weakness in my opinion.

        IE10? Late to the party as usual with (almost) all the "new" features that other browsers have had for years. But then again, IE hasn't been just a stand alone browser for just as many years now has it?
        bandersnatch42vt
        Reply Vote
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