Upgrading to Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1

Hello all,

Just like for previous beta releases, I am going to guide you through the upgrade steps for Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 (IE8 RC1).

Before we begin, let me summarize the major changes you will see when installing IE8 RC1:

1. If you are a Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008 user and you are upgrading from IE8 Beta 1 or Beta 2 to IE8 RC1, you are no longer required to manually uninstall earlier IE8 builds. Instead, IE8 RC1 installer will automatically upgrade your machine from the earlier IE8 builds to the latest IE8 build, all with a single reboot.
2. There is a new pre-requisite for IE8 RC1 (KB957388). This update supersedes KB943302 and KB957055 and will be automatically installed as part of your RC1 upgrade, as long as you keep “Install the latest updates” checkbox checked. This update addresses known application compatibility issues in Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008 and improves the performance and reliability of IE8.
3. All IE8 Beta 1 and Beta 2 users will be offered IE8 RC1 via Windows Update in 25 languages. For Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the IE language that gets offered via Windows Update will match the base OS language. For Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, the IE language that gets offered via Windows Update will match the Active Language that the user selected for their account.

Note: If you are running Windows 7 Beta, you will not be able to install IE8 RC1. You will get an error message saying that your operating system is not supported since IE8 already ships in Win7. The IE8 RC1 available from Microsoft Download Center is a standalone upgrade for downlevel version of the OS only: Windows Vista, Windows XP, Windows Server 2008 and Window Server 2003.

Here are some additional resources you can refer to during the RC1 installation:

• System requirements for RC1 are the same as Beta1 and Beta2.
• Release notes for RC1 outline a few scenarios you should watch out for when installing IE8 RC1.
• Troubleshooting guide is a great resource if you run into any problems during your installation.
• Dynamic updates article summarizes which updates get installed with IE8 to keep your experience reliable and secure.
• Technet Edge interview I did which covers many install topics. 

Windows XP or Windows Server 2003

Getting Ready

Before you start IE8 RC1 installation, there are a couple of things to keep in mind:

• Uninstalling IE8 Beta Versions

If you have Internet Explorer 8 Beta 2 or prior installed, the IE8 RC1 installer will automatically uninstall any earlier versions and then install the latest version of IE8 RC1 for you. You will be prompted to reboot twice. The first reboot is to remove pre-RC1 version from your machine and the second one to complete the IE8 RC1 installation. When you launch Internet Explorer, you can open the Help->About Internet Explorer dialog to see the version number 8.0.6001.18372.

• Getting required updates for IE8 RC1

There is 1 update required when running IE8 RC1 on multi-core XPSP2 x86 computers:

KB932823 or KB946501 - This update resolves a problem in which an access violation occurs when an application exists on a Windows XP SP2-based multi-core computer. It will be installed automatically if you select “Install the latest updates” option in Setup Wizard. If this update fails to install successfully, IE8 installation will be blocked until you manually install this update from Microsoft Download Center.

Windows XP Service Pack 3(SP3) users only

The only time we encourage you to manually uninstall Internet Explorer 8 Beta versions prior to upgrading to IE8 RC1 is if you happened to install Windows XP SP3 after installing IE8 Beta.

To see if you need to manually uninstall IE8 Beta first, check these things:

• Is your computer running Windows XP SP3?

Click on the Start Menu and then right click on My Computer and then click Properties

On the General Tab under System it’ll say Microsoft Windows XP Service Pack 3

• Is the  Remove option for IE8 Beta grayed out?

From the Start menu, open Control Panel and click Add or Remove Programs

Select Windows Internet Explorer 8 Beta and you are unable to click on the Remove button.

If you answered yes to both questions, you will be able to install Internet Explorer 8 RC1, but once installed, you will not be able to uninstall either IE8 or Windows XP SP3 later. The Setup Wizard will warn you prior to installation:

If you chose to continue, Windows XP SP3 and IE8 RC1 will become permanent. You will still be able to upgrade to later IE8 builds as they become available, but you won’t be able to uninstall them.

To avoid getting into this situation, we strongly encourage you to follow these steps before installing Internet Explorer RC1:

1. Uninstall Windows XP SP3
2. Uninstall IE8 Beta
3. Re- install Windows XP SP3
4. Install IE8 RC1

See my earlier blog post on Internet Explorer and Windows XP SP3 for more information.

Windows Update

Internet Explorer RC1 will be offered to all Windows XP and Windows Server 2003 systems that have IE8 Beta version installed and have Automatic Updates turned on in 25 languages. A prompt will appear in the notification area of the Windows taskbar when IE8 RC1 is ready for installation. The language version of IE8 RC1 offered is based on your Windows Operating System Language version. For example, if your computer is running a Chinese Simplified or German version of Windows, you will be offered IE8 RC1 in Chinese Simplified or German respectively. For any other Windows languages outside of the 25 that IE8 RC1 is available in, Internet Explorer 8 will be offered to you in English. Again, this only applies to those systems that have IE8 Beta versions installed.

Localized Versions

When installing localized versions of Internet Explorer 8 RC1 on XP or Windows Server 2003 please remember that the base language of the operating system must match the IE8 language you are trying to install; otherwise the Setup Wizard will display an error. You can install IE8 RC1 English on any localized OS Version.

More information about installing localized versions of IE8 RC1 can be found in the release notes.

Uninstalling IE8 RC1

1. From the Start menu, open Control Panel and click Add or Remove Programs
2. Click Windows Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 and then click Remove.
3. Your computer will be reverted to Internet Explorer 6 + previous IE6 security updates or Internet Explorer 7 + previous IE7 security updates depending on what you had before the upgrade.
4. You can confirm that by clicking Help, then About Internet Explorer next time you launch Internet Explorer.
5. Be sure to check for any new security updates.

Windows Vista or Windows Server 2008

Getting ready

Before you start installing Internet Explorer 8 RC1, there are a couple of things you need to do to prepare your computer:

• Uninstall Internet Explorer 8 Beta

Based on the feedback we received from you, our users, we changed the install of IE8 to automatically replace the older builds as part of the installation. You are no longer required to manually uninstall IE8 Beta builds if you want to upgrade to IE8 RC1. All you have to do is run the IE8 RC1 installer and it will automatically replace the previous IE8 build with the latest one. You just reboot at the end, and you are done.

• Getting required updates for IE8 RC1

KB937287 - This update helps improve reliability and performance when you install or remove Internet Explorer 8 and future individual updates from Microsoft. Without this update, IE8 setup will be blocked: “Setup cannot continue because one or more updates required to install Windows Internet Explorer 8 are not present.” To check if you already have this update on your system, go to Control Panel ->View Installed updates and search for KB937287.

KB957388 – This update addresses known application compatibility issues in Windows Vista. It will be installed automatically if you select “Install the latest updates” option in the Setup Wizard.

You are now ready to install IE8 RC1. After IE8 RC1 installation is complete, the final screen of the Install Wizard indicates that Internet Explorer installation completed successfully.

After you restart your computer and launch Internet Explorer, you can open the Help->About Internet Explorer dialog to see the version number 8.0.6001.18372.

Localized versions

In Windows Vista and Windows Server 2008, we significantly improved the installation experience for localized versions of Internet Explorer 8 RC1. Unlike Windows XP and Windows Server 2003, the base language of Windows does not need to match the Internet Explorer 8 language version in order for a successful install. When your user active language matches the Internet Explorer 8 language you installed, then IE8 will appear in the desired language. You will still be able to use IE8 in all other scenarios, but it will appear in English as a fall back version.

More information about installing localized versions of IE8 RC1 can be found in the release notes.

Uninstalling IE8 RC1

1. From the Start menu, open Control Panel and click Programs
2. Click Programs and Features and click View Installed Updates (located in the left side menu)
   Note: The complete list of installed updates takes a moment to update.
3. Select Windows Internet Explorer 8 Release Candidate 1 and Uninstall
4. Your machine will be reverted to IE7 + previous IE7 security updates
5. You can confirm that by clicking Help, then clicking About Internet Explorer next time you launch Internet Explorer.
6. Be sure to check for any new security updates.

What do I do when I run into issues installing IE8?

Check out the knowledge base article on Troubleshooting IE8 installation. If after trying the recommended workarounds you still can’t install IE8, go to the IE Beta Newsgroup to see if there are any known solutions available. Microsoft MVPs and IE Team members are monitoring this newsgroup and they will help address your issues.

Thank you,

Jane Maliouta
Program Manager