14 DAY TRIAL // Windows Vista comes with a version of Internet Explorer 7 built in. As it is traditional of the Windows platform, there is a marriage between Vista and the latest variant of Microsoft's browser. However, this marriage is strongly safeguarded from divorce. Internet Explorer 7 is an integer part of Vista's structure and cannot be removed. But what do you do when Microsoft itself tells you that you should use a previous version of the browser with Windows Vista?
Just take a look at the screenshot towards the bottom of this article. As you can see, the Microsoft Security Assessment Tool 3.0 (Beta) is not just your average risk-assessment application. Sure it is "designed to provide information and recommendations about best practices for security within an information technology (IT) infrastructure" but just take a look at the system requirements.
The Supported operating systems are Windows 2000 Professional Edition, Windows XP Professional Edition and, Windows Vista. Additionally the tool also requires .NET Framework Version 2.0 and Internet Explorer 6.0. Now, there is a tad of a problem, as Windows Vista comes with IE7 and will not allow users to deploy IE6 under any circumstances.
Sure, this is nothing more than a typo. And at the time of this article, Microsoft had taken down the download page for the Security Assessment Tool 3.0 (Beta). Hopefully, when it will be brought back up, the error will be corrected.
But still, the Redmond Company does provide users with the possibility of running Internet Explorer 6.0 in Windows Vista. As an integer part of an initiative addressed at web developers, Microsoft has made available in mid April two Virtual PC images containing free but time-bombed versions of Windows XP SP2 along with Internet Explorer 6.0 and Internet Explorer 7.0. The VPC images are designed to run in Microsoft's free Virtual PC 2007 under Windows Vista Business, Enterprise and Ultimate. Both VPC images are available for download via this link.
