September 27, 2010, 11:05 AM — Microsoft has apparently changed its mind about whether Internet Explorer 9 will require a yet-to-be-released update to Windows 7.
Will Microsoft Internet Explorer 9 finally kill IE6?
Earlier this week, Microsoft said the final version of IE9 will require Windows 7 Service Pack 1, as Gregg Keizer of Computerworld reported.
But Microsoft's FAQ on IE9 for IT professionals now says the opposite:
"When Microsoft releases Internet Explorer 9, will it require Windows 7 Service Pack 1?
No. Internet Explorer 9 will install on systems that have either Windows 7 RTM or Windows 7 with Service Pack 1 (SP1) installed."
According to Ars Technica, a previous version of the FAQ said that "Internet Explorer 9 will require Windows 7 Service Pack 1 (SP1). Therefore, organizations must plan, pilot, and deploy Internet Explorer 9 as part of or after a Windows 7 SP1 deployment."
Despite the change in wording, Microsoft says its plans for IE9 haven't changed.
"There wasn't a change in plans about IE9 requiring SP1," a Microsoft spokesperson said in response to a Network World inquiry. "Honestly the shift in verbiage on TechCenter should probably be considered as a clarification about how IE9 requirements will be approached."
Microsoft recently released IE9 in beta, showing off a significant improvement in speed and performance in the Internet Explorer browser. The question in the FAQ concerns how the post-beta version of IE9 will be deployed.
Windows 7 Service Pack 1 is also in beta, and will not receive a final release until the first half of 2011.
Although IE9 will be able to run on pre-SP1 versions of Windows 7, a system reboot will be required to install additional operating system components.
