Internet Explorer 7 FINAL available

Installed I.E. 7 and so far so good. I have come across a site that can't be viewed by IE 7, and wants me to install IE 6. I have downloaded and installed the User Agent String utility. I have read the release notes and just get lost in it all.

How exactly do I use this utility? How do I get it to run when I come across one of these sites? Manually? Bring up the page that won't load, then run utility? I got it to run and access the site I was having problems, but I don't remember exactly what order I did what.

 

The change it makes sticks until you run a different utility to revert the change.

Leave it as it is for now; i.e. set with the user agent string that is IE 6.1 capable.

 

'different utility to revert the change'. What is this different utility called?

 

See: http://www.enhanceie.com/useragent.aspx

 

I'm off to do some reading.

Thanks Bill

 

IE 7 User Agent String:
User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 7.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

IE 6 User Agent String:
User-Agent: Mozilla/4.0 (compatible; MSIE 6.0; Windows NT 5.1; .NET CLR 1.0.3705; .NET CLR 1.1.4322)

See what little difference there is?

 

Okay I understand that the User Agent String utility will make a website
that that does not work with I.E 7 and asks for I.E. 6 to be installed.
When the utility runs, it is only making a modification for viewing that particular website, right? The undo would be run once the site has been fixed to work with I.E. 7, right?

 

Yes.

That is the gist of it. If you find a site that tests the agent string and finds it wanting because it does not have IE 6 in the string, just go to the site I linked earlier and change the string.

Revert it back to IE 7 when you feel like it, or hit a site that is looking for an IE 7 string!

 

Bill, when you say 'Revert it back to IE 7 when you feel like it, or hit a site that is looking for an IE 7 string!' Do you mean that when the utility has been run, it changes the behaviour for all websites, visited, or is it just changing on the website that won't display with I.E. 7?

 

The utility does not change websites.

Your browser on your computer has a usesr agent string that identifies its capabilities, and browser version. A web site can request that the browser send the string to it so that it may tell whether you will be able to view the site.

When you change the user agent string you are changing the content of what you are sending the web site in answer to its request.

With the utilities discussed earlier you can modify this user agent string response to suit whatever the site may need to be satisfied you will be able to view its web site.

But it changes nothing on the web site itself.

 

Note that Microsoft has a very cool utility to handle the User Agent String issue. It creates a new Window under IE that runs in non-persistent settings that emulate IE 6: http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=923196

 

On the http://www.ie-vista.com/ website Sandi says "Microsoft is providing Internet Explorer 7 consumer customers with unlimited phone support at no charge to users in North America (English speaking) using IE7 in a non domain environment." But the phone number is not given. Anyone have it?

 

The following is what I have in my notes:

 

Bill Castner--Thanks. Hope I am in the right locale. It was too late to find out today.

 

That is the USA number.

 

Okay Bill, I think I've got it. Finally!