Internet Explorer 8 Beta 1 gets no love from Microsoft. The first taste of the successor of Internet Explorer 7 certainly still has a long way to go, and the Redmond company offers proof in this context. Now in the most early stages of the cooking process, IE8 Beta 1 is yet to be on par with its predecessor in terms of the focus delivered by Microsoft itself. In this context, it seems that IE8 Beta 1 has problems playing well with additional resources from the Redmond company. The first beta of the next iteration of Internet Explorer fails to integrate with Windows Update, the official Microsoft source of updates for the Windows platform.

As you can see from the adjacent screenshots, trying to access Windows Update via IE8 Beta 1 running on a copy of Windows XP SP2 will not allow users to get their hands on any WU items. The website fails to recognize IE8 Beta 1 as a browser of the Internet Explorer family. Of course, this scenario is catalyzed only by the lack of support for Beta 1 of IE8.

"Thank you for your interest in obtaining updates from our site. To use this site, you must be running Microsoft Internet Explorer 5 or later. To upgrade to the latest version of the browser, go to the Internet Explorer Downloads website. If you prefer to use a different web browser, you can obtain updates from the Microsoft Download Center or you can stay up to date with the latest critical and security updates by using Automatic Updates," reads the message presented by the browser when visiting Windows Update.

Still, judging by the popularity of IE, in regard to the market share of Microsoft's proprietary browser, and the fact that Beta 1 is available as a public download, the Redmond company needs to provide end users a smooth experience and WU support has to be on the list. Judging strictly by the succession of IE products, IE8 Beta 1 is the "the latest version of the browser" Microsoft is advising users to install. But there is simple workaround available for accessing Windows Update even from IE8. Just hit the IE7 emulate button, and Windows Update will open right up.

Internet Explorer 8 (IE8) Beta 1 is available for download here.