Browsers forum: Most stable version of IE for Windows XP

My 6 year old Dell Dimension 3100 desktop computer has WIN Home XP with SP2 as it's OS. Belarc Advisor shows that my current version of IE is as follows: Microsoft - Internet Explorer 92318-600-0011903-00102. Control Panel lists under Add or Remove Programs that I currently have IE7 so based upon what you just told me above since my primary OS is not Vista I can only upgrade to IE8?


Off Topic: Which CNET forum would I post questions about my current word processing software which is installed on this computer? According to Control Panel it lists my word processing software as MS Works 8.0? Would I need to post questions in the CNET "Office & Productivity" forum?

"Version" is always what is said in Help > About xxxx, eg "About Internet Explorer". The other numbers you provide is only useful for those experts at Microsoft who diagnose problems and such things.

My version of IE9 is V 9.0.4 as an example. There's a Product ID there as well but we don't bother with that.

I would be cautious about upgrading to IE8. I don't know if there is a reason why your XP doesn't have SP3 and all the updates available post SP3, but I'm guessing you are short many critical security updates and OS updates and I wonder if moving to IE8 might cause your system problems. I don't know for sure, but my own philosophy is to keep my Windows updated at all times, and then items like IE updates arrive automatically with future Windows Updates.

Your 2nd question is an interesting one. The introduction to the Office & Productivity software forum states that the forum is to get help with all the latest "office" software and productivity tools - from word processing to spreadsheets.

Office is different to Works, but since Works includes a word processor and other productivity tools, I see no problem with you posting there. That will be fine.

I see you have already posted there. No problems and you can reply to your own post there if you wish with your problem.

Mark

So your advice is to stay with IE7 on my Dell Dimension 3100 desktop computer which has an OS of Windows Home XP with SP2? My brother sent the Dell desktop computer to me in April 2006, his IT guy came from Texas and set everything up for me, the IT guy told me the computer's OS was WIN Home XP with SP2. Are you also saying that my OS should have been upgraded to SP3? I have the computer set up to receive automatic updates from MS every morning at 3:00 a.m.

Always keep a Windows system uptodate with Windows Updates.

However what you say would be a worry for me. If Windows' Update is set to download and receive updates every morning at 3:00am but no updates have been received since 2006, then something is amiss.

I assume the computer is turned on and Windows is up and running at 3:00 am each morning.

Mark

That's not necessary. If you turn it on after 3:00 AM Windows is smart enough to see it hasn't run today yet so will run it also.

But I agree something is very wrong if Windows is set to automatic updates and doesn't automatically update. What Steve should do: in IE go to Tools>Windows Update and ask it to check for updates. I wouldn't be amazed at all if he got SP3 first, then 60 the second time and 10 the third time he did it. Then, until he knows why it doesn't do it automatically, he should visit Windows update himself at least once a week.


Kees

I'm back on the Dell Dimension 3100 desktop computer again and after doing a Windows Update I checked to see if I have SP3 or not; I do have SP3. The computer has been updating every morning at 3:00 a.m. through Windows Update and my current version of Internet Explorer is IE7 so I guess I can now make the move to Internet Explorer 8 on this Dell desktop computer whose OS is Windows Home XP with SP3, not SP2 as I had previously assumed. Question; do I uninstall IE7 first then install IE8 or can I go ahead and install IE8 right on top of IE7?

Let Windows Update do all the work.

Mark

OK.

Manually go to windows update site and run the update using the Custom button so you will get all the updates available, and make sure to activate the retore hidden updates if you have any. In my opinion IE 8 is worth getting as there are improvements in the Smart Screen filter and Pop up blockers, But you will get different opinions on IE 8 as every computer instals things sligtly differently, I don't know why but they do. I have 2 desktops and a laptop and they will instal some updates and not others mainly the Net Framework updates.
Good luck and I hope this helps.

Agree with all that's been said so far, but I think Maljudges has a good point here, do check to see whether the machine has any hidden updates (in Windows Update). Microsoft has been pushing IE8 to XP users for a few weeks now, including in the January Patch Tuesday list and if the machine has been running automatic updates, why hasn't it picked it up? So I'd start Windows Update, click on Restore Hidden Updates (left menu from memory) and then check for updates. You can then re-hide the ones you don't need.

As an aside, the .NET framework updates are somewhat unusual - .NET is optional anyway but unlike most other products, multiple versions can and do coexist, depending on the applications installed that use them. My remaining XP system (SP3 running IE8 with no problems) has .NET 2, 3.5 and 4 installed, for instance. So consequently, you can get different updates applied.

Even if you don't use IE (I use FF too), it is a part of the OS and needs to be up to date.

I read many sources other than Cnet, and found this interesting article.

http://windowssecrets.com/top-story/ready-or-not-youre-getting-ie-8-or-9/

I've been using Google Chrome for a few months now but I'm somewhat concerned about Google's new privacy policies which they plan to roll out on March 01, 2012 since Google Chrome is my browser now, Google is my homepage and also my primary search engine and I use YouTube a lot.