Microsoft Offers Web Browser Choice To IE Users

[hil]

Yep - just re-installed a Windows XP Home computer for a teacher, had the browser ballot thing pop up. Must check WSUS, that could get annoying if it happened on every workstation...

--
David Hicks

I'm trying to find it in WSUS but cant find it.

[PiqueABoo]

So much for a March 1st rollout

Uh huh. Have yet to install, but my [standalone] XP pro grabbed this together with the KB979306 time zone update via AU this morning.

[ZeroHour]

Am I right in thinking though that even if a user selects say FF and is only a "user" account and has no admin options it wont work?

[sonic1485]

I had the update this morning. It looks so tacky! I thought it was a virus

[michaelf]

For those without WSUS, so far I've not had much luck locating any registry keys or files to fool this software into thinking that the user's already selected IE as their default browser. We're therefore trying a different approach and one of my colleagues is creating a VBScript to run at login that will take this out of the HKCU/Software/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/Run and delete the shortcut, hopefully preventing it being run in the first place.

[robyholmes]

I have this install at one of my Primary Schools this morning. I found it would only show on 'Admin' accounts (None Domain) and not 'Limited' accounts the pupils use. So when I restarted after updates I closed the menu and deleted the desktop shortcut, after restarting again it didn't load up again. Other machines I unchecked from installing but I should think automatic updates will pick it up again.

[Gatt]

WHY oh WHY should this be forced onto Corporate (including Education) users?

I can understand the enforcement for home users so that they have a choice of what browser they want to use..

Most corporate customers use IE due tot he fact that it can be locked down via Group Policy, unlike its competitors (I know FF can be locked down but its not that easy IIRC)

Surely it would have made more sense for Microsoft to put it out via WSUS as an optional update?

Will there be a group Policy update to prevent it from running if it slips through WSUS (as most "high priority" updates tend to do!)

[BrianG]

I have this install at one of my Primary Schools this morning. I found it would only show on 'Admin' accounts (None Domain) and not 'Limited' accounts the pupils use. So when I restarted after updates I closed the menu and deleted the desktop shortcut, after restarting again it didn't load up again. Other machines I unchecked from installing but I should think automatic updates will pick it up again.

I noticed is last night at one of my schools. I was setting a laptop up for a member of staff to take home. I ran the updates and i noticed it downloading the new update. But when it came to installing it just popped up with the intstall IE8 setup screen, there was no option screen for any other version.. Am I missing something?

[localzuk]

I noticed is last night at one of my schools. I was setting a laptop up for a member of staff to take home. I ran the updates and i noticed it downloading the new update. But when it came to installing it just popped up with the intstall IE8 setup screen, there was no option screen for any other version.. Am I missing something?

Are you sure it wasn't just the IE8 update that ran?

[AyatollahPies]

Sounds like a Malware/Virus writers wet dream.

We've all had to disinfect laptops, where someone has fallen for the "Convincing" looking fake Anti-Virus software haven't we?

How long until they do the same for this? In it's crudest form, all you'd need to do is take a screen grab of it, and create a hyperlink on each option to pull down a piece of nasty code, rather than the intended browser.

[localzuk]

Just set up WSUS here, and it isn't appearing in there. It is appearing on my home PC though...

[nile_c]

I havn't yet seen this ballot screen, but blocking browserchoice.eu at your internet filter should prevent this links from appearing.

[dhoward_westexetc]

See my post here for a Microsoft KB article on this.

[DaveP]

BBC News channel program Click is showing an item on this today. It will have 'a summary of what is happening' and videos of users making their browserchoice/having made their choice.

I am watching Click now waiting for the Browser Choice item now. It is showing something on CBIT ATM.

Edit: The short version [just shown on TV] did not add anything we did not already know except that the videos shown were a 'representative sample' of what was sent in: They only played one supporting Internet Explorer. This was out of a sample of something like 10 videos. If that is representative of the choices people are making it would show a big more away from Explorer in Europe.

[elsiegee40]

This update seems to be coming through now. I had it on my home PC last night and sorted out father-in-law's machine this morning.