Internet Explorer 6 is no longer supported, and is not available for download from Microsoft. The software was rebranded as Windows Internet Explorer starting in 2006 with the release of Internet Explorer 7. Internet Explorer 6 was the last version to be called Microsoft Internet Explorer. According to Microsoft's modern.ie website, as of August 2015, 3.1% of users in China and less than 1% in other countries were using IE6. Some websites dropped support for IE6 entirely, most notable of which was Google dropping support in some of its services in March 2010. Microsoft planned to fix these issues in Internet Explorer 7 by June–August 2005, but it was delayed until an October 2006 release, over 5 years after IE6 debuted.īecause a substantial percentage of the web audience still used the outdated browser (especially in China), campaigns were established in the late 2000s to encourage users to upgrade to newer versions of Internet Explorer or switch to different browsers. IE6 SP2+ and IE7 were only included in (IE6 SP2+) or available ( IE7) for Windows XP SP2+.ĭespite dominating market share (attaining a peak of 90% in mid-2004), this version of Internet Explorer has been widely criticized for its security issues and lack of support for modern web standards, making frequent appearances in 'worst tech products of all time' lists, with PC World labeling it 'the least secure software on the planet.' In 2004, Mozilla finalized Firefox to rival IE6, and it became highly popular and acclaimed for its security, add-ons, speed and other modern features such as tabbed browsing. It was the default browser in Windows XP (later default was Internet Explorer 8) and Windows Server 2003 and can replace previous versions of Internet Explorer on Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, Windows 2000 and Windows ME but unlike version 5, this version does not support Windows 95 or earlier versions. Released on August 24, 2001, it is the sixth, and by now discontinued, version of Internet Explorer and the successor to Internet Explorer 5. Microsoft Internet Explorer 6 ( IE6) is a graphical web browser developed by Microsoft for Windows operating systems. You can always contact Microsoft directly with questions in the Microsoft Community Forum.Msdn. We hope this answers some of the basic questions you may have about the end of Windows XP support. It's faster, more secure, and will be supported by Microsoft for much longer. However, at this point, we'd recommend purchasing a new machine that uses Windows 10. If you're willing to purchase a new computer, certain manufacturers-including HP and Dell-are still producing computers that come with Windows 7 pre-installed. If your computer was originally designed to run XP, it probably won't be able to run Windows 7 very well. Keep in mind that your machine will need to meet the Windows 7 system requirements. If you feel comfortable installing your own software, you can still buy a Windows 7 installation disc from third-party retailers like Amazon. I'd like to upgrade, but I don't want Windows 8 or Windows 10.

Your computer will still be at a high risk for viruses and malware. While this should help to make your computer somewhat less vulnerable to external threats, keep in mind that this is not a permanent solution. If you continue to use XP after the end of support, we recommend that you stop using Internet Explorer 8 and upgrade to a modern web browser, like Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox. How can I keep my Windows XP machine safe? If at all possible, we recommend upgrading to a newer computer. However, because XP won't receive regular security updates from Microsoft, your computer will be at a much higher risk for viruses and malware. Yes, your computer should continue to work normally after the end of XP support. If you're not sure if you have XP, you can go to this pagefrom Microsoft to see which version of Windows is installed on your computer. Windows XP was released in 2001 and was pre-installed on most new PCs from 2001 through 2007. Microsoft will continue to offer support for Windows Vista, Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10. Which operating systems are still supported? Continuing to use XP and IE8 could expose your computer to serious threats, including viruses and malware. This also means Microsoft will no longer support Internet Explorer 8, the default web browser for Windows XP. If you have Windows XP, this means your computer will no longer receive automatic updates from Microsoft, including potentially important security fixes. Microsoft has stopped providing any type of technical support for Windows XP computers.

Windows xp internet explorer update