Jaa


IE Setup Experience, just the facts (and the screenshots)

This post walks through the IE setup experience and the choices it offers users. There have been a bunch of web postings recently that have described aspects of IE setup and first run, not entirely accurately.  We hope this information clarifies some of your questions about upgrading to IE8 on Windows Vista or Windows XP machines.  (While the scenario where IE8 gets installed as part of Windows 7 is essentially the same, this post is focused on the upgrade scenarios that most users will encounter today.)

In case you missed it Jane, Eric and the Microsoft Update team have provided some great blog posts about how IE8 is offered to users via Automatic Updates and Windows Updates.  I’m not going into more details about the installation process in this post but I do want to emphasize that IE8 is not installed unless the user chooses to do so.  

After the user chooses to install IE8 on XP or Vista, the first time the user runs IE8, they are presented with a settings wizard which contains options for customizing their browsing experience.  The goal of the IE setup experience is to put IE users in control of their settings and respect existing defaults. 

Though the setup wizard, users can customize the following options:

  • Default browser (Note that the user is only asked about this if IE is not already the default provider.  If IE7 was the default browser, this question is not asked.)
  • Default search provider
  • Default Accelerators
  • SmartScreen Filter
  • Compatibility View updates
  • Suggested Sites
  • Search Provider Updates

IE shows the setup wizard the first time IE8 is launched after it is installed.  This first-run experience is consistent, regardless how the user received IE8 (manual download, or AU/WU).  In the event that the user chooses not to make their selections when the wizard is presented (for example by closing the wizard or hitting the “Ask me Later” option) the wizard will return 24 hours later and ask again.  The user can continue deferring their selections.  The wizard will continue to return until the user clicks the "next" button.  (If the user never launches IE8, they will never be presented with the first-run wizard, and their existing defaults and settings would remain unchanged.)

Until the user has made their selections, existing settings are respected; any defaults which were migrated remain as the default and features which the user has not yet enabled remain disabled.  Your Search and Accelerator default  providers remain available to you; however, SmartScreen, Suggested Sites and Compatibility View updates remain off until you choose your settings. 

IE will never become the default browser without your explicit consent.  If setup detects another browser is the default, that browser remains the default.  If you close the settings wizard without choosing your settings, your existing default browser will remain the default.  Consistent with industry practices for installing a new browser, both the Express and Custom options offer the user the ability to change the default browser if it’s not IE. The user must make an explicit choice here; neither option is pre-selected for the user.

Here are the first three screens in the wizard:

Screen 1: Welcome

IE Settings wizard first screen - Welcome to Internet Explorer 8

Screen 2: Suggested sites

IE Settings wizard second screen - Turn on Suggested Sites

Screen 3: Express setup or Custom setup

IE Settings wizard third screen - Choose your settings (Express or custom)

At this point, if the user selects express, then the options listed under Express are confirmed and the user is done with the wizard.  (Note that if the user had another search provider as their default, that is what would have appeared in the screen shot shown above in place of "Live Search.") If the user chooses custom, then each question is presented individually as seen below.

Screen 4: Default Search provider

IE Settings wizard fourth screen - Choose a default search provider

Note that the default search provider is migrated from the users’ IE7 default provider.  If you had Google as your default provider in IE7 that is what you would be offered in this settings wizard. Also note that neither check box is selected by default, so the user is in control.

Screen 5: Search Provider Updates

IE Settings wizard fifth screen - Search Provider Updates

Screen 6: Default Accelerators

IE Settings wizard sixth screen - Choose your Accelerators

Screen 7: SmartScreen Filter

IE Settings wizard seventh screen - Turn on SmartScreen Filter

Screen 8: Default Browser

IE Settings wizard eigth screen - Change your defautl browser

Screen 9: Compatibility View Updates

IE Settings wizard ninth screen - Compatibility Settings

In creating the settings wizard, we tried to strike a balance between getting users up and running as quickly as possible and providing the right level of customization.  Regardless of what options are chosen, we want all users to be in control of their settings.

Thanks,
Sharon Cohen
Program Manager

Comments

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    PingBack from http://microsoft-sharepoint.simplynetdev.com/ie-setup-experience-just-the-facts-and-the-screenshots/

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    From most of the postings I've read covering the subject, the issue a lot of people have is that they don't use IE, but since it's so tied into the operating system, you should still update it to make sure you have the latest security patches.  Since most of these users do not use IE, they don't want to go through the entire setup process to set up the browser, so they just choose Express install to get it over with; not really reading what the Express install does.  So, next time they click a link in an e-mail or twitter post, IE 8 launches, instead of Firefox, Chrome, Safari, etc.  It's kind of the fault of both the user and Microsoft.  The user for not paying attention to what the Express install does, and Microsoft for not honoring the users current default browser choice.

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    I think the default browser option  should be separate from the other options. It should be a checkbox on the screen where you select custom or express. It's a pain to have to select custom setup only to stop IE from becoming default browser. And why do you even modify the default browser setting - you have a separate dialog for asking users to change that already, so where's the need for this sneaky behavior?

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    i setup it on my vista laptop & the suggested add-ons link is missing

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    Where are the Group Policy .adm or .admx files for IE8?

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    Why am I shown this annoying dialog when updating to IE8 / on first run? Please, let me browse, not answer questions. Why do I have to choose custom and go through lots of steps just to prevent IE from hijacking my default browser? I did not in any way indicate that I would like to switch to IE. I just upgraded it to keep my Windows secure. Why is SmartScreen enabled in step 3 without telling my what I loose? Only if I select cutsom I am told that by enabling SmartScreen, I loose my privacy. Why do you make a security feature which sacrifice privacy? Other browser vendors can do both.

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    SmartScreen is no worse than any other browser filter av provided or bultin

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/04/20/customization-in-ie8.aspx Would you PLEASE tell me how to

  1. hide the Browsing history Star
  2. hide the Add to Fav Star (while being able to keep the fav bar enabled) And can I ever get the fav bar on the same row as address bar and save some real estate? This version of IE has exceeded my expectation and hope you continue to value user inputs.
  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    I keep looking and it seems like there is not a clear date.  Can anyone tell me the release schedule (or point me to a post with info) for IE 8 to XP as part of the automatic updates? Thanks in advance.

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    @AdamC: They've said that the automatic update rollout to XP & Vista has started already, but it's trickled out to avoid overwhelming the download servers.   @imonie8: The tweaks you're asking for are not available in IE8; they have some unsupported registry tweaks but even those won't do everything you want. @Jesper: You didn't see ANY of these questions when installing IE8. The SmartScreen filter page says exactly what's its going to do, so its silly to complain that the user will "loose" something.  In terms of privacy, any submitted URLs are sent over HTTPS, and no one gets to look at the data or associate it with you (read their privacy statement).  In terms of effectiveness, it's been shown that the SmartScreen filter is MUCH more effective than their competitors' offerings. If you truly didn't want to use IE, why did you even start it to begin with?  Even if that was an accident, if you truly didn't want to configure it, why didn't you just close out of the first run wizard? I think the reality is that you just like to complain.  Which is fine, but please find something legitimate to complain about before wasting everyone's time. @fmerletti: Your "Express Setup" remark is incorrect and misleading. The actual fact remains that IE is the ONLY browser that doesn't try to set itself the default by default at install time.  In contrast, all of its rivals do try to do this during setup; IE won't even ASK to become the default unless you actually start IE. Of course, this whole argument is pretty stupid, since if the user mistakenly configures IE to be the default, they need only start whatever other browser they prefer and that browser will offer to take over the default again. But, as we've all seen, some people just like to complain.

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    i agree some builds like msn premium or yahoo do select the option but the official builds coming from ms dont do this

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    When I install Firefox, Opera, and Safari I never get asked any setup questions. It just installs and then I start browsing. But that's on a Mac. I guess the setup experience is more complete on a PC. Good for you guys for involving the user in the setup experience. It will be so much easier for novice users around the world to ponder and answer the question "Use Accelerators with text selected from a webpage to quickly map addresses, define words and more." I don't even have the option of answering that question on a Mac. All I get to do is start browsing. :-(

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 09, 2009
    I use IE8 everyday. But I am removing IE blog from my RSS feeds.  Too many screen dumps and not enough information.

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    @Matt, it's generally accepted that Mac users are happier with someone else deciding what they can do. In contrast to the flexibility of Windows, the "designer knows best" is a fundamental principle of the MacOS design.   On a Mac, when you install those other browsers, do they become the default automatically? @8675309, I'm not sure what you're talking about, but the Yahoo/MSN packages don't behave differently than the standalone package vis-a-vis default browser settings. @NotGood, most of us click a lot. It's pretty easy once you get the hang of it. You might want to practice with Solitaire-- it's there to help people get more skilled with the mouse. If you bothered to do any research at all, you'll know that Accelerators are one of the most popular features of IE8. I know lots of people that use them to get maps and definitions all the time. Of course, you clearly are just ranting. I wish there was an accelerator to remove senseless ranting comments. That would be neat. @Critic, goodbye. I can't say we'll miss you.

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    I still think the express settings should default to whatever browser the user currently has chosen (obviously). It's pretty clear that this first run wizard has been tweaked to favour IE being set as the default. Yes, it says plainly that it will set IE as the default browser, but c'mon IE Team, you know perfectly well that most users will click the first option and hit next without even thinking. Tsk tsk.

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    Stephen, the IE team also knows perfectly well that "most users" already use IE anyway...

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    is that IE 8 jumplist task finish or are you still adding?

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    Thanks very much for this. Wish we'd had it before IE8 was released to Windows Update in late April.

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    one thing to say is when i was visiting my grand parents house they asked me to do a little work to their 2 computers. so on the one computer(gandma dont use ff) somehow my grandfather corruped the registry so FF woulnt start or uninstall properly. so moral of the story is to accept the default & then if you want to change it later go ahead also i came across an app for setting multiple browser defaults(only works on a xp based computer/server) http://windowsxp.mvps.org/defaultbrowser.htm

  • Anonymous
    May 10, 2009
    HI NEED HELP INTERNET EXPLORER IS GONE NOW WANT BACK HOW IS BACK INTERNET EXPLORER ON AGAIN? THANK JANE

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    There are two FAILs in this install process that Microsoft is fully aware of and intentionally uses deceptive practices. 1.) Accelerators: In the screen where you can choose settings there are 3 options: a.) "keep my current" b.) "choose more" c.) "none" Option (a) is bogus - since I'm installing IE8 - I don't have ANY CURRENT accelerators (nice attempt at social engineering) - this is a 100% push of MSFT services Option (b) isn't properly disclosed as the "opposite" of (a). Option (c) is the only truthful one, but then again is likely the only option users wouldn't need. 2nd Fail - Compatibility settings: "helps make websites designed for older browsers" No, nice attempt at marketing spin.  This has nothing to do with supporting sites designed for Netscape 3, Mozilla 1, etc.  Compatibility View is ONLY to handle sites that were designed to handle OLD versions of IE that were horribly broken and hardly supported  any web standards. (e.g. IE6, & IE7) The correct copy for this dialog should read: "Compatibility View helps make websites designed for older versions of Internet Explorer look & function better in Internet Explorer 8. You can stop using Compatibility View updates at any time." Its a minor detail - but if you want the public to take you seriously on your new goals of web standards, openness, transparency and committing to not trying to "own" the public web you need to seriously examine every statement you make. evan

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    I find that the dotted lines over the selected button and pixelated grainy (e) icon add a touch of class. gg ms. raising that bar.

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    @Jeffrey: These pictures have been compressed so you're not forced to download hi-res images when you view the page. That causes the image to look lower quality. Next time, try being a little less snotty.

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    @Dan Installing browsers on a Mac entails dragging and dropping the application from the downloaded disk image to the desired directory (usually /Applications), and you're done. The browser doesn't automatically take over as the default, nor does it prompt you until you launch it for the first time (and these prompts are identical to the prompts you'd see in Windows if a non-default browser was launched). From there, you can use a standard system-wide shortcut to access the application's preference pane (Cmd+,) if you want to change the application's settings, behavior, or appearance. As a Mac user at home and a PC user at work, I would argue that the Mac philosophy is "stay out of the user's way" rather than "designer knows best". There's a lot of customization that can be done on the Mac platform in virtually every app, but you're not forced to sit through setup wizards and configuration panels before being allowed to actually use the application you just launched.

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    @Alahmnat then that install expirience is identical to IE8 - minus the dragging.  It does not ask you any questions during INSTALL, or try to change any settings - it simply installs.  When you open it for the first time, you are asked these question - just like Firefox.

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    Wizards are always a bad choice. Ugh.

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    I instaled IE8 and did not let custom installation take over. I used the fast and dirty choice, since I was afraid I would not know what choices to mske. My first impression was that I had gotten into something that I was afraid would take me some time to learn it's possible complexities, and would it be compatable with my AVG antivirus and other programs so I used "Go Back" to remove it and have been looking at sites and and other internet chatter to decide if I would try it again. Perhaps it's better to leave IE-7 in place until any remaining bugs and compatability issues have  been resolved for semi knowlegable users like me. I now get a warning every time I use Windows update to restore the update that I have hidden, or my computer will be comprimised by my falure to protect it with the latest security .......

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    @TheTwoLies: You need to learn what the term "Social Engineering" means.  Users WILL have accelerators if they've ever installed a beta.  You'd complain just as much if upgrading to the final version and it blew away your choices.   As for your compatibility rant, I think you're pretty much missing the point; most of the standards-compliance bugs in older versions of IE were matching standards-compliance bugs from older versions of competitive browsers (ever use Netscape 4-6?)

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    Very important documentation. It is very helpful and has lots of good tips! Thanks!

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    one thing i hated about macs are that they relie on keyboard shortcuts & not menus which can be confusing yes some things are to good to be true. what i meant about other ie builds is something like maxthon for example

  • Anonymous
    May 11, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2009
    recap: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2009/02/16/just-the-facts-recap-of-compatibility-view.aspx "When installing, users can choose to use the Compatibility View list (and thus opt-out of IE8’s standards-by-default configuration). Users have to choose to use the Compatibility View list, and receive updates for it – it’s not on by default." And now that IE8 ships, this is the 'default': Compatibility view: Use updates I was afraid that this would happen, even predicted it. I hope this compatibility mode nonsense will disappear quickly, but I'm afraid we (and Microsoft) will be stuck with it for a long time...

  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2009
    how can i re run the wizard if ive run it before?

  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2009
    @Tino: Use of the Compatibility View List remains off-by-default, as noted previously.   It is true that users may elect to opt-in to the Compatibility List on using Express settings, but unless they opt-in to Express settings or turn it on manually, it remains off. We too look forward to a time when the Compatibility View list is no longer needed.

  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2009
    The comment has been removed

  • Anonymous
    May 12, 2009
    ##typo correction## popup blocking is defacto.. why has the IE team dropped the ball on privacy and not integated adblocking into the setup experience? inPrivate "learning" falls short as it's leaky at best

  • Anonymous
    May 13, 2009
    Couldn't you just pack the custom settings setup path options to one scrollable window with a tree menu, comparable to Office 2007? Wanting to go through the options but being aware of it being too many screens simply triggers the 'Ask me later' in this implementation. The great thing is that with a Laptop, a home and an office machine 'custom' users are up to triple trouble. Thank you very much.

  • Anonymous
    May 13, 2009
    Edit - also not to forget the search providers and accelerators websites a 'custom' user would have to set with each IE8 installation. All in all, this is totally unnecessary and could be reasonably packed together.

  • Anonymous
    May 13, 2009
    "helps make websites designed for older browsers" No, nice attempt at marketing spin.  This has nothing to do with supporting sites designed for Netscape 3, Mozilla 1, etc.  Compatibility View is ONLY to handle sites that were designed to handle OLD versions of IE that were horribly broken and hardly supported  any web standards. (e.g. IE6, & IE7) Couldn't agree more.  I'm sick of hearing MS trumpet how great standards are in 8, while ignoring what they did in the past.  I can only hope the broken pages will send more people to other browsers and finally push IE under 50%.  It would serve MS right for declaring victory and closing the IE shop like they did.

  • Anonymous
    May 13, 2009
    search providers can be backed up by regedit so theres no problem deploying the same search settings

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    I'm sorry, but this "wizard" dialog represents everything I dislike about your software (and I actually like your software): Screen 1: Useless. Screen 2: Unclear, seems like you're trying to spam me. Screen 3: Why "express" instead "default"? Too many details and this should be the first screen. Screen 4: Just show me a list of providers with the default selected. Screen 5: Even if someone knew what that meant, why would she not download those updates? Just download them automatically on startup or put it on screen 4 with the list. Screen 6: I have absolutely no idea what that's about. Neither will my mom. Screen 7: Why "SmartScreen Filter" and not "Security Filter" or "Phishing Filter"? To make it more obscure? Screen 8: This should be a checkbox on the last screen or a pop-up when the browser starts (people are used to that.) Screen 9: Same as Screen 6. And why in the world does it have nine screens? Who's got that kind of time? Limit the number of pages to three, otherwise people will just close it as quickly as they can. Perhaps you should try downloading and installing other browsers, particularily Chrome. One thing programmers have trouble understanding, is that adding more text makes a dialog less useful. More information isn't always better. More design elements is usually worse.

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    A word of advice, you should never ask users questions they are likely not to understand, if only because it makes them feel bad about themselves. If you want to present a feature like "Suggested Sites", just enable it by default and provide users with an easy way to disable it. Don't ask them if they want to use something they haven't tried yet. At the very least you should show a preview. And if you need a simple rule to follow, just limit the amount of text to 160 chars per page, and hire a good technical copywriter.

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    jestempies, you're right, of course... but only sorta. it's blatently obvious that EVERYTHING about those screens was designed by lawyers.   Given the fact that the EU is stuffing their pockets with Microsoft and Intel's earnings as fast as they can, it's understandable that Microsofts lawyers made the ie team ask all of these questions.

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    Even if they positively have to ask all those questions, they can still limit themselves to three screens and work on the language. I also think that popping up a 'Do you want IE to be your default browser' dialog like virtually all the other browsers is less likely to get EU all huffed up. The way they're doing it now is likely to be misleading.

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    jestempies, you should probably leave the lawyering to the lawyers.  

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    Certainly, as long as they leave interface design to interface designers.

  • Anonymous
    May 18, 2009
    really they should design it like what wmc's oobe wizard looks like

  • Anonymous
    May 21, 2009
    I'm sick of the popup on opening IE8 that tells me my security settings are 'bad'...who are they to decide what settings I want. let me decide that, not Microsoft...got a dam cheek and it is sure annoying and slows everthing down....back to firefox I think

  • Anonymous
    May 21, 2009
    @KG: IE's security settings check only shows the warning on startup if you've set your settings so loosely that a remote web page can take over your computer with no prompt.  It is simply not safe to browse the web in such a configuration.