In November Microsoft released Internet Explorer 7 for Windows as a critical update. If you have wondered about upgrading, here is the dirt for you and your horse.

IE7 provides enhanced features for you to display your Web content and for users to view it. Improved security alone is reason enough to upgrade today! It is also critical to review your Web site in IE7 to be sure nothing has been broken with the new version.

So why allow the auto-upgrade?

·Simplified User Experience

The Internet Explorer 7 frame is reorganized to make it noticeably simpler, more streamlined, and less cluttered with unnecessary items. This maximizes the area of the screen devoted to the webpages that you want to see and makes performing the most common browsing tasks easy.

·Advanced Printing

Automatically scales a printed webpage so that it's not wider than the paper it will be printed on. Internet Explorer 7 also includes a multi-page print preview with live margins, resizing text to avoid document clipping, and an option to print only selected text.

·Instant Search Box

Web searches using your favorite search provider can now be entered into a search box within the toolbar, eliminating the clutter of separate toolbars. You can easily choose a provider from the dropdown list or add more providers.

·Favorites Center

Offers easy and fast access to Favorites, Tab Groups, Browsing History, and RSS Feed subscriptions. Expands when needed, and can be anchored in place for even easier access.

·RSS Feeds

Automatically detects RSS feeds on sites by illuminating an icon on the toolbar. A single click on the icon allows you to preview and optionally subscribe to the site's RSS feed, and then be automatically notified as content is updated. Read RSS feeds directly in the browser, scan for important stories, and filter your view with search terms or site-specific categories.

·Tabbed Browsing

View multiple sites in a single browser window. Easily switch from one site to another through tabs at the top of the browser frame.

·Quick Tabs

Provides easy tab selection and navigation by displaying thumbnails of all open tabs in a single window.

·Tab Groups

Tabs can be grouped and saved into logical categories, allowing you to open multiple tabs with a single click. A Tab Group can easily be set as the Home Page Group so the entire Tab Group opens every time Internet Explorer is launched from the Start menu.

·Page Zoom

Enlarge individual webpages, including both text and graphics, to either focus on specific content or to make content more accessible to those with vision limitations.

Dynamic security protection

Internet Explorer 7 provides security features that help defend against malicious software (also known as malware), and new ways to better protect against the theft of personal data from fraudulent websites.

·ActiveX Opt-in

Disables nearly all pre-installed ActiveX controls to prevent potentially vulnerable controls from being exposed to attack. You can easily enable or disable ActiveX controls as needed through the Information Bar and the Add-on Manager.

·Security Status Bar

Enhances awareness of website security and privacy settings by displaying color-coded notifications next to the address bar. Internet Explorer 7 changes the Address Bar to green for websites bearing new High Assurance certificates, indicating the site owner has completed extensive identity verification checks. Phishing Filter notifications, certificate names, and the gold padlock icon are now also adjacent to the address bar for better visibility. Certificate and privacy detail information can easily be displayed with a single click on the Security Status Bar.

·Phishing Filter

Proactively warns and helps protect you against potential or known fraudulent sites and blocks the site if appropriate. The opt-in filter is updated several times per hour using the latest security information from Microsoft and several industry partners.

·Cross-Domain Barriers

Limits script on webpages from interacting with content from other domains or windows. This enhanced safeguard will further protect against malware by limiting the potential for malicious websites to manipulate flaws in other websites or cause you to download undesired content or software.

·Delete Browsing History

Allows you to clean up cached pages, passwords, form data, cookies, and history, all from a single window.

·Address Bar Protection

Every window, whether it's a pop-up or standard window, will present an address bar to the user, helping to block malicious sites from emulating trusted sites.

·International Domain Name Anti-spoofing

In addition to adding support for International Domain Names in URLs, Internet Explorer also notifies you when visually similar characters in the URL are not expressed in the same language, thus protecting you against sites that could otherwise appear as known, trustworthy sites.

·URL Handling Security

Redesigned URL parsing ensures consistent processing and minimizes possible exploits. The new URL handler helps centralize critical data parsing and increases data consistency throughout the application.

·Fix My Settings

To help protect you from browsing with unsafe settings, Internet Explorer 7 warns you with an Information Bar when current security settings may put you at risk. Within the Internet Control Panel, you will see certain critical items highlighted in red when they are unsafely configured. In addition to alerts warning you about unsafe settings, you will be reminded by the Information Bar as long as the settings remain unsafe. You can instantly reset Internet security settings to the "Medium-High" default level by clicking the "Fix My Settings" option in the Information Bar.

·Add-ons Disabled Mode

To help troubleshoot difficulties launching Internet Explorer or reaching specific websites, you have the ability to start in "No Add-ons" mode, where only critical system Add-ons are enabled.

• Features Unique to Windows Vista
  The following features are available only with Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista:

·Protected Mode

Internet Explorer 7 in Windows Vista runs in isolation from other applications in the operating system. Exploits and malicious software are restricted from writing to any location beyond Temporary Internet Files without explicit user consent.

·Parental Controls

To help keep kids safer online, parents can control browsing behavior through the parental control settings built into Windows Vista. The child's safety level can be monitored and changed remotely. The safety level carries over to many PC activities, such as playing games or browsing the Internet. A child's browsing session can even be examined by a parent afterwards, and cannot be removed without the parent's permission.

IE7 Provides improved navigation through:

·         Simplified User Experience

Reorganized to make it noticeably simpler, more streamlined, and less cluttered with unnecessary items.

·         Advanced Printing

Automatically scales a printed Web page so that it’s not wider than the paper it will be printed on.

·         Instant Search Box

You can easily choose a provider from the dropdown list or add more providers.

·         Favorites Center

Offers easy and fast access to Favorites, Tab Groups, Browsing History, and RSS Feed subscriptions.

·         RSS Feeds

Automatically detects RSS feeds on sites by illuminating an icon on the toolbar.

·         Tabbed Browsing
View multiple sites in a single browser window.

·         Page Zoom
Enlarge individual Web pages, including both text and graphics.

Essentially you and your horse will be much safer and better served with IE7.

Tour the new features and download IE7 free at:

www.microsoft.com/ie