Just as it was the case with Internet Explorer 7, Microsoft is enabling the customization of Internet Explorer 8 via the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8 Beta. In this context, just as IE8 is designed to replace IE7, the Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8 Beta is the successor of IEAK7. Users will need the Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 bits and the IEAK8 Beta in order to customize the browser.

 

“The Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 8 Beta simplifies the creation, deployment and management of customized Windows Internet Explorer 8 packages. IEAK 8 can be used to configure the out-of-box Internet Explorer 8 experience for your users to manage user settings after you deploy Internet Explorer 8. IEAK 8 is now simpler, more intuitive, and more efficient than IEAK7,” reads a fragment from Microsoft's description of the kit.

 

The Redmond giant informed that IEAK8 Beta would not work with either IE7 or IE8 Beta 1; the tool is designed to integrate exclusively with IE8 Beta 2. In this context, the kit is capable of personalizing a set of the browser's features that simply weren't present in IE7 or in IE8 Beta 1. Accelerators, Web Slices, First Run Wizard and Welcome Page options, Compatibility View, Search Enhancements, InPrivate, Developer, Delete Browsing History, etc. can all be tweaked and fine-tuned according to personalized settings via IEAK8 Beta. The kit supports both the 32-bit and 64-bit editions of Windows XP SP2 and SP3, Windows Vista RTM and SP1, Windows Server 2003 and Windows Server 2008.

 

“Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK) 8 Beta programs and tools make it easy for you to deploy Internet Explorer 8 and manage custom browser software packages,” Microsoft indicated enumerating the components of the kit: “the IEAK Toolkit contains helpful tools, programs, and sample files, such as bitmaps and a sample sign-up. The Internet Explorer Customization Wizard browser guides you through the process of creating custom browser packages. IEAK 8 supports creating an MSI wrapper for your custom Internet Explorer 8 packages to make enterprise deployment via Active directory possible.”

 

Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 (IE8 Beta 2) is available for download via this link.

 

Internet Explorer Administration Kit 8.0 Beta can be downloaded from here.