On February 12, 2008 Microsoft will release the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability update to Windows Server Update Services (WSUS) marked as an Update Rollup package. Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update is a complete installation package that will upgrade machines running Internet Explorer 6 to Windows Internet Explorer 7. Microsoft Knowledge Base article 940767 contains more information on the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update. For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: Since the download center and Microsoft Update describe the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Installation and Availability Update as Windows Internet Explorer 7, the remainder of this article will simply use Windows Internet Explorer 7.

If you want to install Windows Internet Explorer 7 using WSUS today, you can import this package from the Microsoft Update catalog site by following the instructions in the section titled "Deploying Windows Internet Explorer 7 using WSUS."

If you have configured WSUS to "auto-approve" Update Rollup packages (this is not the default configuration), Windows Internet Explorer 7 will be automatically approved for installation after February 12, 2008 and consequently, you may want to take the actions below to manage how and when this update is installed. You will need to take action if:

•	You use WSUS to manage updates in your organization.
•	You have Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2)-based computers or Windows Server 2003 Service Pack 1 (SP1)-based computers that have Internet Explorer 6 installed.
•	You do not want to upgrade Internet Explorer 6 machines to Windows Internet Explorer 7 at this time.
•	You have configured WSUS to auto-approve Update Rollups for installation.

Important notes

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This does not apply to Windows Vista because Windows Internet Explorer 7 is a component of Windows Vista.

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The Internet Explorer Blocker Toolkit blocks only installation that occurs by using Windows Update and Automatic Update. The toolkit does not block distribution that occurs by using WSUS. This article concerns distribution that occurs by using WSUS. Internet Explorer 7 is already available in 23 languages by using Windows Update and Automatic Update. On February 12, 2008, Internet Explorer 7 will also be made available in Japanese by using Windows Update and Automatic Update.

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Deploying Windows Internet Explorer 7 Using WSUS

If you do not synchronize packages marked Update Rollup to WSUS or you want to install Windows Internet Explorer 7 today without waiting for February 12, 2008 you can import the Windows Internet Explorer 7 package to WSUS 3.0 from the Windows Update Catalog.
Note This import feature is only available in WSUS version 3.0.

On your WSUS server:

1.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0.
2.	Expand ComputerName, and then click Action.
3.	Click Import Updates.
4.	WSUS will open a browser window in which you may be prompted to install an ActiveX control. You will need to install the ActiveX control to continue.
5.	Once installed, you will see the Microsoft Update Catalog screen.
6.	Type 940767 into the Search box, and then click Search.
7.	Locate the Internet Explorer packages that match the operating systems, languages, and processors in your environment. Click Add to add them to your basket.
8.	When you have selected all the packages you need, click View Basket.
9.	Click Import to import the packages into your WSUS server.
10.	Click Close once the packages have been imported to return to WSUS.

The updates are now available for installation through WSUS.

You can learn about alternate methods to install Windows Internet Explorer 7 in the Internet Explorer 7 Deployment Guide available from the Microsoft Download Center. These include:

•	Using Systems Management Server
•	Using Active Directory and Group Policy

Internet Explorer 7 Deployment Guide:

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Postponing the Windows Internet Explorer 7 Deployment

If you have configured WSUS to automatically approve Update Rollups for installation, but you do not want to automatically install Windows Internet Explorer 7 via WSUS when it is released on February 12, 2008, you will need to disable this auto-approval rule before February 12, 2008. Once the rule is disabled, you can synchronize the Windows Internet Explorer 7 package to your WSUS server by using the steps outlined below. Once the Windows Internet Explorer 7 package has been synchronized to the server, it will not be automatically approved when you switch your auto-approval rule back on. The steps that are described below are for the WSUS 3.0 UI. Steps for the WSUS 2 SP1 UI are similar, but the steps use the older Web UI.

Action to Take Before February 12, 2008

These steps will temporarily modify the auto-approval that you may have created to ensure that packages classified as Update Rollups are not automatically approved for installation. These steps are the steps for WSUS 3.0. For WSUS 2.0 please refer to the product documentation.

1.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0.
2.	Expand ComputerName, and then click Options.
3.	Click Automatic Approvals.
4.	Click the rule that automatically approves an update that is classified as Update Rollup, and then click Edit. Note The properties for this rule will resemble the following: • When an update is in Update Rollups • Approve the update for all computers
5.	Click the Update Rollups property under the Step 2: Edit the properties (click an underlined value) section.
6.	Clear the Update Rollup check box, and then click OK.
7.	Click OK to close the Automatic Approvals dialog box.

Note If you do not see a rule that resembles step 4, you have not configured WSUS to automatically approve Update Rollups for installation. Therefore, no further action is required.

Actions to Take After February 12, 2008

The steps above ensure Windows Internet Explorer 7 is not automatically approved for installation. In the following steps, you will manually synchronize the new Windows Internet Explorer 7 package to your WSUS server so that when you re-enable auto-approval for Update Rollups it will not be installed. These steps are the steps for WSUS 3.0. For WSUS 2.0 please refer to the product documentation.

1.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0.
2.	Expand ComputerName, and then click Synchronizations.
3.	Click Synchronize Now.
4.	Expand ComputerName, expand Updates, and then click All Updates.
5.	Choose Unapproved in the Approval dropdown.
6.	Ensure that Windows Internet Explorer 7 is listed as an unapproved update. Note There may be multiple updates listed depending on the language and operating system updates you imported.

Optional If the business needs of your organization require that Update Rollups packages are set to auto-approve, you can change your settings back to auto-approve in the Update Services Microsoft Management Console Snap-in. To do this, follow these steps:

1.	Click Start, click Administrative Tools, and then click Microsoft Windows Server Update Services 3.0.
2.	Expand ComputerName, and then click Options.
3.	Click Automatic Approvals.
4.	Click the rule that automatically approves updates of different classifications, and then click Edit.
5.	Click the Update Rollups property under the Step 2: Edit the properties (click an underlined value) section.
6.	Enable the Update Rollups check box, and then click OK.
7.	Click OK to close the Automatic Approvals dialog box.

Note Because auto-approval rules are only evaluated when an update is first imported into WSUS turning this rule back on after the Windows Internet Explorer 7 update has been imported/synchronized to the server will not cause the auto-approval of this update.

For more information on the use of auto-approval of updates through WSUS, refer to the WSUS blog.

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The removal of Windows Internet Explorer 7 from the WSUS catalog in October 2007 stopped the reporting of inventory and deployment for Windows Internet Explorer 7 through the Inventory Tool for Microsoft Updates (ITMU) of Systems Management Server (SMS) 2003. The February 2008 SMS 2003 ITMU cab will include Windows Internet Explorer 7. Until that time, customers can create a standard Windows Internet Explorer 7 MSI installation by using the IEAK 7.

For more information on using the IEAK to create an MSI installation, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

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Microsoft has confirmed that this applies to the Microsoft products that are listed in the "Applies to" section.

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