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Yesterday Microsoft released a Windows Update (KB976002) that contained 'browserchoice' where they've been made to show users 'not in the know' that they can install browsers other than IE.
I've just installed this on one of my PCs.
I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with how it's been executed!
The next time the PC restarts the update installs a shortcut (browserchoice.exe /launch) on the users Desktop and the user is presented with a dialogue box: An important choice to make: your browser as you will see the window doesn't look too professional or official!
It doesn't say who's issuing it or why.
To some it will no doubt confuse and to others could make them think they have some malware etc.
Those that have an interest in their 'browser' will already be well aware of this update (the BBC News website has an article along with many other sites - Freeola General chat discussed it for example!) and the people that know about it will already be using the browser of their choice. For lots of people they won't be at all interested and it's these people that would no doubt benefit from a better worded dialogue box.
The only option is 'OK' confirming you are connected to the internet - interestingly I found that closing the dialogue box rather than clicking 'OK' had the same effect and still took you to the next stage! That's worse than some of the malware out there ;¬)
How about an option like: 'I'm all right - leave me alone' !
(...and perhaps remove the desktop shortcut along with the program you've just installed in my SYSTEM32 folder and the many registry entries!)
The second page presents the user with a selection of browsers to install. You can view the page directly here: www.browserchoice.eu/Brow...
Personally I think the whole 'anti-competition' ruling is a joke.
Why would people who bought a Microsoft product be surprised it comes with a Microsoft internet browser?
I had read that users with earlier versions than IE8 would have their IE shortcuts removed until they have followed the steps in the 'browserchoice' update. That would/could leave some people pretty lost if they ended up closing the dialogue boxes and would no longer be able to find 'the internet' as all the normal shortcuts had been deleted!
My PC was already running IE8 and none of my shortcuts were touched. So they may have revised this.
EDIT: Microsoft do say that users running IE7 will have their shortcuts removed from the Start menu and Task Bar!
NB. Users that haven't got IE set as their default browser shouldn't see any changes when this Windows Update is installed.
It'll be interesting to see what happens as people start to pick up this update...
I've just installed this on one of my PCs.
I have to admit that I wasn't too impressed with how it's been executed!
The next time the PC restarts the update installs a shortcut (browserchoice.exe /launch) on the users Desktop and the user is presented with a dialogue box: An important choice to make: your browser as you will see the window doesn't look too professional or official!
It doesn't say who's issuing it or why.
To some it will no doubt confuse and to others could make them think they have some malware etc.
Those that have an interest in their 'browser' will already be well aware of this update (the BBC News website has an article along with many other sites - Freeola General chat discussed it for example!) and the people that know about it will already be using the browser of their choice. For lots of people they won't be at all interested and it's these people that would no doubt benefit from a better worded dialogue box.
The only option is 'OK' confirming you are connected to the internet - interestingly I found that closing the dialogue box rather than clicking 'OK' had the same effect and still took you to the next stage! That's worse than some of the malware out there ;¬)
How about an option like: 'I'm all right - leave me alone' !
(...and perhaps remove the desktop shortcut along with the program you've just installed in my SYSTEM32 folder and the many registry entries!)
The second page presents the user with a selection of browsers to install. You can view the page directly here: www.browserchoice.eu/Brow...
Personally I think the whole 'anti-competition' ruling is a joke.
Why would people who bought a Microsoft product be surprised it comes with a Microsoft internet browser?
I had read that users with earlier versions than IE8 would have their IE shortcuts removed until they have followed the steps in the 'browserchoice' update. That would/could leave some people pretty lost if they ended up closing the dialogue boxes and would no longer be able to find 'the internet' as all the normal shortcuts had been deleted!
My PC was already running IE8 and none of my shortcuts were touched. So they may have revised this.
EDIT: Microsoft do say that users running IE7 will have their shortcuts removed from the Start menu and Task Bar!
NB. Users that haven't got IE set as their default browser shouldn't see any changes when this Windows Update is installed.
It'll be interesting to see what happens as people start to pick up this update...
[s]Hmmm...[/s] Page:
Dragonlance wrote:
> Hi Hmmm, not had this 'intrusion' at all - Vista 64bit updated on
> Saturday and nothing - IE is the default browser. Heard at work
> today though that it had appeared on a XP laptop on Monday:-)
Hi Dragonlance,
It's interesting how this gets rolled out.
I take it you have your Windows Update options set to 'automatic'?
You could look in your WU History to check the update (KB976002) isn't there and/or manually check to see if you are up straight with all the other High Priority updates.
My Vista (32bit) got it automatically during last week but a Windows 7 (64bit) hasn't been offered it automatically or manually.
BBC Click are running a feature on it next week I believe.
I follow them on Twitter and someone asked what they should do with the 'pop up window' that's asking them to choose. BBCClick replied 'watch our article in next weeks Click programme'. I asked (jokingly) if the user should just leave the window open until Saturday's program! I didn't get a response to that :¬)
> Hi Hmmm, not had this 'intrusion' at all - Vista 64bit updated on
> Saturday and nothing - IE is the default browser. Heard at work
> today though that it had appeared on a XP laptop on Monday:-)
Hi Dragonlance,
It's interesting how this gets rolled out.
I take it you have your Windows Update options set to 'automatic'?
You could look in your WU History to check the update (KB976002) isn't there and/or manually check to see if you are up straight with all the other High Priority updates.
My Vista (32bit) got it automatically during last week but a Windows 7 (64bit) hasn't been offered it automatically or manually.
BBC Click are running a feature on it next week I believe.
I follow them on Twitter and someone asked what they should do with the 'pop up window' that's asking them to choose. BBCClick replied 'watch our article in next weeks Click programme'. I asked (jokingly) if the user should just leave the window open until Saturday's program! I didn't get a response to that :¬)
[s]Hmmm...[/s] @twitter 
Hmmm... wrote:
> Hi Digi,
> Windows Update is a bit hit and miss the way it delivers it's
> updates - so the PCs won't necessarily all see/get it at the same
> time.
>
> Also, 'browserchoice' will only run if your 'default' browser is
> set to IE.
Hi Hmmm, not had this 'intrusion' at all - Vista 64bit updated on Saturday and nothing - IE is the default browser. Heard at work today though that it had appeared on a XP laptop on Monday:-)
> Hi Digi,
> Windows Update is a bit hit and miss the way it delivers it's
> updates - so the PCs won't necessarily all see/get it at the same
> time.
>
> Also, 'browserchoice' will only run if your 'default' browser is
> set to IE.
Hi Hmmm, not had this 'intrusion' at all - Vista 64bit updated on Saturday and nothing - IE is the default browser. Heard at work today though that it had appeared on a XP laptop on Monday:-)
Hi Digi,
Windows Update is a bit hit and miss the way it delivers it's updates - so the PCs won't necessarily all see/get it at the same time.
Also, 'browserchoice' will only run if your 'default' browser is set to IE.
Windows Update is a bit hit and miss the way it delivers it's updates - so the PCs won't necessarily all see/get it at the same time.
Also, 'browserchoice' will only run if your 'default' browser is set to IE.
[s]Hmmm...[/s] 
yeah I got this yesterday and thought it was malware, I went through the motions with and was already using IE8 and it did remove the IE shortcut from my taskbar. My PC was the only one that had to do this update thingy though, my wifes PC did not get it nor did my laptop or our sons PC, how strange.
Digi
Digi
IE6 Funeral, shame I can't make it :(
For the majority of my PCs I saw the update from the 24th. That's with my WU set to automatic - but obviously it's still hit and miss and one didn't offer it until yesterday.
My Vista machine went for it automatically on Saturday.
It's only a W7 machine that I manually went in search of updates.
My Vista machine went for it automatically on Saturday.
It's only a W7 machine that I manually went in search of updates.
[s]Hmmm...[/s] 
Hmmm... wrote:
> Strange the BBC are sticking to their original story saying that
> this update would be available in March? They've run another
> article on it
> today.
I think they're probably referring to when it'll be pushed onto the automatic update list for everybody. Its certainly not installed for me at the moment (or on any other PC I can look at) but its there in windows update as a high priority.
> Strange the BBC are sticking to their original story saying that
> this update would be available in March? They've run another
> article on it
> today.
I think they're probably referring to when it'll be pushed onto the automatic update list for everybody. Its certainly not installed for me at the moment (or on any other PC I can look at) but its there in windows update as a high priority.
The BBC are as interested in this change as me ;¬)
They've now released a video showing the browserchoice options.
They've now released a video showing the browserchoice options.
[s]Hmmm...[/s]
Strange the BBC are sticking to their original story saying that this update would be available in March? They've run another article on it today.
MS date the Windows Update as the 23rd Feb:
"Microsoft Browser Choice Screen Update for EEA Users of Windows XP (KB976002)
Date last published: 2/23/2010"
I have a collection of PCs all the XP and Vista one's have already installed 'browserchoice.exe' picked up from updates last week. The only machine that hasn't been offered the update is a Windows 7 one and that is completely up to date with 'high priority' updates?
Each PC I've seen run the update 'continues' when I 'close' the first dialogue box rather than clicking 'ok'!!!
What were MS thinking ;¬)
MS date the Windows Update as the 23rd Feb:
"Microsoft Browser Choice Screen Update for EEA Users of Windows XP (KB976002)
Date last published: 2/23/2010"
I have a collection of PCs all the XP and Vista one's have already installed 'browserchoice.exe' picked up from updates last week. The only machine that hasn't been offered the update is a Windows 7 one and that is completely up to date with 'high priority' updates?
Each PC I've seen run the update 'continues' when I 'close' the first dialogue box rather than clicking 'ok'!!!
What were MS thinking ;¬)
[s]Hmmm...[/s] My Freeola Instant Site
Just had my first contact (with my IT Support head on) asking what just "popped up on my monitor uninvited this morning?".
They, quite rightly, didn't like the way browserchoice.eu
"yields no information about who they are" and why they asked for confirmation that they were connect to the internet.
As mentioned earlier, this really hasn't been thought out very well at all!
When visiting the browserchoice website's badly written 'Terms and Conditions' they do mention:
"BrowserChoice.eu was designed in accordance with a competition law decision issued by the European Commission in December 2009."
It would have been an idea to expand on this info on the first screens the user gets!
They, quite rightly, didn't like the way browserchoice.eu
"yields no information about who they are" and why they asked for confirmation that they were connect to the internet.
As mentioned earlier, this really hasn't been thought out very well at all!
When visiting the browserchoice website's badly written 'Terms and Conditions' they do mention:
"BrowserChoice.eu was designed in accordance with a competition law decision issued by the European Commission in December 2009."
It would have been an idea to expand on this info on the first screens the user gets!
[s]Hmmm...[/s] Page: