Nov 16, 2010 10:31 GMT  ·  By

Internet Explorer 9 gets downgraded to the previous version of Internet Explorer, its predecessor, IE8, in scenarios involving upgrades from Windows Vista to Windows 7.

Microsoft revealed that IE9 Beta, launched in mid-September 2010, passed the 10 million downloads mark, and it appears that some of the testers that installed the browser on Windows Vista SP2 and then upgraded to Windows 7 have been reverted back to IE8.

Windows Vista ships with Internet Explorer 7 by default. Neither SP1, nor SP2 for Vista are designed to bring to the table a new browser, specifically IE8.

When it released Windows 7, the software giant built in the latest version of IE, which at the time was IE8, also available as a standalone download for older versions of Windows.

IE9 Beta is supported only on Vista SP2 and Windows 7 due to the intimate connection with DirectX 11 APIs and DX11 capable hardware which is available only for these two Windows client versions.

Windows 7 is designed to upgrade all aspects of Vista, including the browser, and the process is not IE version sensitive.

Instead, Windows 7 simply assumes that its version of IE is the most recent, and replaces the IE browser in Vista SP2, even though IE9 supersedes IE8.

“When you upgrade from Windows Vista to Windows 7, the upgrade process does not check the current version of Internet Explorer. Windows then installs Internet Explorer 8 from the Windows 7 installation source,” Microsoft explained.

At this point in time, the software giant revealed that there is only one solution to this, and it involves downloading and installing IE9 Beta again in Windows 7. “To resolve this issue, install Internet Explorer 9 Beta after you upgrade to Windows 7,” the company’s advice reads.

Following the release of IE9 Beta, another Platform Preview of IE9 was also offered. Microsoft is even allowing testers to build an IE9 super-Beta by combining IE9 Beta and IE9 Platform Preview 6.

The company could deliver a new Platform Preview of IE9 in the future, but it will also make available for download a Release Candidate (RC) of the browser ahead of RTW.

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Build 9.0.7930.16406 is available for download here.

Internet Explorer 9 (IE9) Platform Preview 6 (PP6) is available for download here.