----------------------------------------------------------- README for Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools June 2000 ----------------------------------------------------------- (c) Copyright Microsoft Corporation, 2000 This document provides complementary or late-breaking information to supplement the Microsoft(R) Windows(R) Internet Explorer and Internet Tools documentation. You can also see the Microsoft Web site for the latest information. If you're looking for information about a specific program or component, try searching for it in the Microsoft Knowledge Base at http://support.microsoft.com. System requirements are listed in the IE.txt file, which is in the Internet Explorer folder in the Program Files folder. ------------------------ HOW TO USE THIS DOCUMENT ------------------------ To view Readme.txt on screen in Notepad, maximize the Notepad window. To print Readme.txt, open it in Notepad or another word processor, and then use the Print command on the File menu. ======== CONTENTS ======== SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS Disk-Space Requirements for Internet Explorer 5.5 Installation SETUP Installing Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools Running Internet Explorer 5.5 on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 Installing Windows NT 4.0 Service Packs over Internet Explorer 5.5 Installing over Windows 2000 Releases Uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5 Before Upgrading to Windows 2000 Downloading Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools Using a Third Party Download Manager High Encryption Support for Internet Explorer 5.5 Running Internet Explorer 5.5 on a Dual-Boot Operating System Installing or Upgrading the Windows Desktop Update Installing over Localized Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew Releases Installing Outlook Express 5 on Windows Terminal Server Installing on Windows 98 with Novell IPX/IP client Installing Windows 2000 over Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools Uninstalling Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools Uninstall for Previous Versions of Internet Explorer Unavailable Uninstalling Internet Explorer 5.5 Returns You to an Earlier Version Using Download Only Windows 2000 Upgrade Exception Pack Outlook Express Removed After Uninstalling Internet Explorer ADDITIONAL ISSUES FTP User Interface and Functionality Font Display Issues Non-English Characters in URLs and Queries Internet Explorer 4.x Compatibility Mode Uninstalling Outlook Express 5 Radio Toolbar Changing the Language of Menus and Dialog Boxes AutoComplete Options Enhanced Encryption Strength Operating System limitations for Character Rotation in Vertical Text Security Settings Contacts Missing in Address Book After Uninstalling Windows Me Outlook Express Title Screen Does Not Match Version Active Scripting enabled after Upgrade from Beta Versions of Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools DEVELOPER'S NOTES New Language Features in JScript and VBScript The Microsoft Office Developer Workflow Toolbar Printing Controls HTML Buttons with Unselectable Attribute APPLICATION COMPATIBILITY Task Scheduler in Windows NT 4.0 Selection In IFrames Assistive Technology and Accessibility =================== SYSTEM REQUIREMENTS =================== To run Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools, your computer must meet the following minimum requirements: - A 486 with a 66 MHz (megahertz) processor (Pentium processor recommended) - For Microsoft Windows 95 or Windows 98: 16 MB (megabytes) of RAM (random access memory) minimum - For Microsoft Windows NT(R) 4.0: 32 MB of RAM minimum You must be running Service Pack 3 (or higher) - For Microsoft Windows(R) 2000: 64 MB of RAM minimum - Minimal installation (browser only): Required to install: 45 MB Required to run: 27 MB after restart Typical installation: Required to install: 70 MB Required to run: 55 MB after restart Full installation: Required to install: 111 MB Required to run: 80 MB after restart - Mouse - Modem or Internet connection - CD-ROM drive (if installation is done from a CD-ROM) - Some components may require additional system resources not outlined above Disk-Space Requirements for Internet Explorer 5.5 Installation --------------------------------------------------------------- Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools Setup installs the majority of its files on the drive where the Windows operating system is installed, regardless of the installation location you chose. To free up space on your hard disk in order to meet the Internet Explorer 5.5 disk-space installation requirements, you must free up space on the drive where the Windows operating system is installed. SETUP ===== Installing Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools ---------------------------------------------------- Whether you choose to install over the network or download the installation files to your hard disk, some or all of the Setup files are copied to your hard disk. This allows you to reinstall more quickly if necessary. If you want to reclaim the disk space, you can remove the Setup directory as follows: 1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, and then click Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools. 2. Click Add/Remove, make sure the check box for Restore the Previous Windows Configuration is selected, and then click Advanced. 3. Click the option named Remove Folder Containing Windows Update Setup Files, and then click OK. 4. When asked whether you want to continue, click Yes. 5. Click OK in the next dialog boxes. You cannot install Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools to or run it from a network drive. However, you can download it to a network drive. To do this, you must map the network drive to a drive letter on your computer; you cannot download Internet Explorer 5.5 to a UNC path. Running Internet Explorer 5.5 on Microsoft Windows NT 4.0 ---------------------------------------------------------- Note You must have administrative privileges to install and uninstall this program on Windows NT. This includes having administrative privileges the first time you start your computer after installing or uninstalling. You must restart your computer after installing Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools. This is also true for some add-on components. For corporate deployment on computers running Windows NT 4.0, make sure you have the following free registry space: - If you are upgrading from Internet Explorer 2.0 or Internet Explorer 3.x: at least 4 MB - If you are upgrading from Internet Explorer 4.x: at least 2.5 MB If you're running Internet Explorer 5.5 on Windows NT 4.0, you must set user permissions to Full Control for the Temporary Internet Files folder (cache). The user must have write permission so that files can be stored in the Temporary Internet Files folder. If you must reinstall Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 3 (SP3) after you install Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools, you must specify when prompted that you do not want it to overwrite any files that are newer. After SP3 is reinstalled, carry out the following steps to update the registry: 1. Click the Start button, and then click Run. 2. Type the following: regsvr32 rsabase.dll Installing Windows NT 4.0 Service Packs over Internet Explorer 5.5 ------------------------------------------------------------------ If you reinstall a Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack after Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools is installed on your computer, some components will need to be re-registered. To do this, carry out the following steps: 1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs. 2. On the Install/Uninstall tab, click Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools. 3. Click Add/Remove. 4. Click Repair Internet Explorer, and then click OK. 5. After the repair operation is complete, restart your computer. Installing over Windows 2000 Releases ------------------------------------- Typical and Full installations are not currently available for Windows 2000. Internet Explorer 5.5 will install a minimal set of files into your system; this includes the Internet Explorer 5.5 Web browser and scripting support. Other components such as Outlook Express are not available for Windows 2000 at this time. Uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5 Before Upgrading to Windows 2000 ---------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 2000 contains an earlier version of Internet Explorer components. When upgrading from Windows 95, Windows 98, or Windows NT to Windows 2000, we recommend that you uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5 before the upgrade. Downloading Internet Explorer using Third-Party Download Manager ---------------------------------------------------------------- During the Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools installation, Setup must download components from the Internet. If you are using third-party download managers (for example, Netzip or GetRight) they will intercept the download request. This will cause Setup to stop. To prevent this from occurring, first disable third-party download managers, and then run Setup. High Encryption Support For Internet Explorer 5.5 ------------------------------------------------- High Encryption components are available on Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows 98 Second Edition, and Windows NT 4.0. To obtain high encryption support for Windows 2000, please visit Windows Update or http://www.microsoft.com/windows2000/downloads/recommended/encryption/default.asp Enhanced Encryption Strength ---------------------------- Internet Explorer 5.5 now ships with standard encryption strength of 128 bits and supports the U.S. government standard for data encryption (DES). 128-bit Internet Explorer 5.5 is eligible for distribution to all users worldwide except in U.S.-embargoed destinations. For more information, visit the following Web site: http://www.microsoft.com/exporting/ Running Internet Explorer 5.5 on a Dual-Boot Operating System -------------------------------------------------------------- If you are running Internet Explorer 5.5 on a computer that is set up to dual boot between two operating systems on the same partition (for example, Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0), and you have configured the computer to share a single Program Files folder, you may have problems with add-on components. Also, when you uninstall an add-on component from either copy of Internet Explorer 5.5, it will be removed from both of them without updating the other operating system's installed components information. These problems occur because the add-on files are all stored in the shared Program Files folder, but information about installed add-on components is stored elsewhere. Installing or Upgrading the Windows Desktop Update -------------------------------------------------- To install or upgrade the Windows Desktop Update, you must install Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 before you install Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools. If you have already installed Internet Explorer 5.5 and would like to install the Windows Desktop Update, carry out the following steps: 1. Uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5 by using the procedure listed later in this document. 2. If Internet Explorer 4.01 SP2 is not already installed on your computer, install it. 3. Install the Windows Desktop Update by using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel. 4. Reinstall Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools. Installing over Localized Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew Releases --------------------------------------------------------------- Windows 98 Arabic and Hebrew versions require the corresponding localized version of Internet Explorer 5.5. It is not possible to install the English version of Internet Explorer over the localized version of Windows 98. This restriction does not apply to localized versions of Windows 95 or Windows NT 4.0. However, you cannot install localized Arabic or Hebrew Internet Explorer 5.5 over localized Windows 95 (only English is supported). Installing Outlook Express 5.x on Windows Terminal Server -------------------------------------------------------- Before installing Outlook Express 5.x on Windows Terminal Server, the administrator needs to set a compatibility flag in the registry in order for the Outlook Express 5.x Setup program to work correctly. To do this, carry out the following steps: 1. Create this registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Terminal Server\ Compatibility\Applications\setup50 2. Set the following value under the new setup50 key (this value should be of type REG_DWORD): Flags = 0x108 Installing on Windows 98 with Novell IPX/IP Client -------------------------------------------------- If you are using Novell IPX/IP client with Windows 98, you might experience problems if you install Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools from the Internet. If Setup appears to become unresponsive, restart your computer. Setup will continue and finish normally. To work around this problem, try one of the following options: - In Setup, select the Download Only option, and then run and install Internet Explorer 5.5 normally. - Install Internet Explorer 5.5 from a CD-ROM. Uninstalling Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools ------------------------------------------------------ You can uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools by carrying out the following steps: 1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs. 2. Click Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools, and then click Add/Remove. 3. Click Restore the Previous Windows Configuration, and then click OK. 4. Follow the instructions on the screen. Uninstall for Previous Versions of Internet Explorer Unavailable ---------------------------------------------------------------- If you uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5, you will not be able to remove the browser that was installed prior to Internet Explorer 5.5. Uninstalling Internet Explorer 5.5 Returns You to an Earlier Version -------------------------------------------------------------------- When you install Internet Explorer 5.5, Setup examines your system for the presence of uninstall data that had been created by a previous installation. If Setup cannot find this data, it creates new uninstall data for later use. If you previously upgraded from Internet Explorer 4.x to 5.0 or 5.01, you will have uninstall data that allows you to roll back to Internet Explorer 4.x. Unless you explicitly removed the uninstall data using Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel before upgrading to Internet Explorer 5.5, this data will be preserved. When you uninstall Internet Explorer 5.5, it will use the existing uninstall data and roll back to Internet Explorer 4.x. The following chart lists the various upgrade scenarios and the Internet Explorer 5.5 uninstallation behavior that can occur in each case. +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Previous Version | Uninstall Data | Uninstall Results | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Internet Explorer 3.x | n/a | Internet Explorer 3.x | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Internet Explorer 4.x | n/a | Internet Explorer 4.x | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Internet Explorer 5 | Exists | Pre-Internet Explorer 5 version | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Internet Explorer 5 | Doesn't exist | Internet Explorer 5 | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Windows 98 (Internet Explorer 4) | n/a | Windows 98 (Internet Explorer 4) | +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ | Windows 98 SE (Internet Explorer 5) | n/a | Windows 98 SE (Internet Explorer 5)| +-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------+ Using Download only ------------------- In Internet Explorer 5.5, if you select the Download Only option you will not be able to choose which components are downloaded and which are not. All the cabinet (.cab) files for a full installation for the operating system you choose are downloaded. There is no user interface in Windows 2000 to select Download Only. To perform a Download Only on Windows 2000, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q257/2/49.asp Windows 2000 Upgrade Exception Pack ----------------------------------- Internet Explorer 5.5 includes a component called the Windows 2000 Upgrade Exception Pack. This purpose of the Exception Pack is to downgrade Internet Explorer 5.5 in preparation for upgrade to Windows 2000. Until the computer is upgraded to Windows 2000, the Exception Pack is not invoked. During the installation of Windows 2000, the Exception Pack removes Internet Explorer 5.5 registry keys that are no longer needed or contrary to entries created by Windows 2000; this ensures a problem-free upgrade. Outlook Express Removed After Uninstalling Internet Explorer ------------------------------------------------------------ After you uninstall Internet Explorer and Outlook Express 5.01 or Outlook Express 5.5 from a computer running Windows 98 Second Edition, the previous version of Outlook Express is not restored. For more information about this issue, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base: http://support.microsoft.com/support/kb/articles/q245/3/16.asp ================= ADDITIONAL ISSUES ================= FTP User Interface and Functionality ------------------------------------ If you discover an issue in the FTP user interface that blocks FTP functionality, you can turn off this feature on the Advanced tab in the Internet Options dialog box. The following functionality is not supported: - Internet connection via CERN or Web proxy servers. - Connecting to VAX or VMS FTP servers. - Using the browser from within a separate application or service. - Copying from server to server. - Drag-and-drop or copy-and-paste functionality from an FTP server is supported only on Windows 2000, Windows Me, and later. Font Display Issues ------------------- If you run a non-Asian language version of Windows NT 4.0 and you have installed many large fonts, the system's ability to use those fonts may be exceeded. If Asian language Web pages are not displayed correctly, install Windows NT 4.0 Service Pack 5. Non-English Characters in URLs and Queries ------------------------------------------ Internet Explorer 5.5 uses a new standard to transmit non-English addresses (URLs) to the server. URLs are now encoded in a character encoding standard named UTF-8. If the server is running Windows 2000, the URLs will work as expected. Many servers cannot process URLs encoded in UTF-8. To use non-English characters in URLs with these servers, carry out the following steps: 1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options. 2. Click the Advanced tab. 3. Under Browsing, clear the Always Send URLs As UTF-8 check box. The query part of URLs is transmitted in a form fully compatible with Internet Explorer 4 and above. Internet Explorer 4.x Compatibility Mode ---------------------------------------- The Internet Explorer 4.x compatibility option is useful to Web developers who want to view and test their Web sites on different versions of Internet Explorer, using the same computer. You might not be able to change all settings for the browser while in this mode. When using the compatibility option, you should change Internet options via Control Panel, not through the Internet Options command on the browser's Tools menu. Uninstalling Outlook Express 5.x -------------------------------- If you uninstall Outlook Express 5.x and you were previously running Microsoft Internet Mail and News, you will be able to see only the messages you received using Internet Mail and News. To view Outlook Express 5.x messages, you must reinstall Outlook Express 5.x. If you uninstall Outlook Express 5.x and you were previously running Outlook Express 4.x, you can view your Outlook Express 5.x messages in version 4.x by carrying out the following steps: 1. On the File menu in Outlook Express, click Import, and then click Messages. 2. In the list of programs, click Microsoft Outlook Express 5. 3. Follow the instructions on your screen. Radio Toolbar ------------- Internet Explorer 5.5 includes a Radio toolbar that allows streaming radio playback over the Internet. By default, the toolbar is not displayed when the browser is started. To display the toolbar whenever the browser is started, carry out the following steps: 1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options. 2. Click the Advanced tab. 3. Under Multimedia, select the check box labeled Always Show Internet Explorer (5.0 or Later) Radio Bar. Changing the Language of Menus and Dialog Boxes ----------------------------------------------- Changing the language used in menus and dialog boxes might not work with all display adapters. If you see blank menus or dialog boxes after changing the language, try either of the following options: - Change the resolution of your display adapter. - Upgrade the driver for your display adapter to a newer version. For information about updated drivers, contact the manufacturer of your display adapter. AutoComplete Options -------------------- If you do not want AutoComplete to suggest matches for certain sensitive items you have previously entered, you have several options: - To delete a specific AutoComplete entry, highlight it in the AutoComplete drop-down list, and then press DELETE. - To delete a user name/password combination on a login page, delete the user name; the password will be deleted with it. - To clear all form or password information, do the following: 1. On the Tools menu in the browser, click Internet Options. 2. Click the Content tab. 3. Click AutoComplete, and then click Clear Forms or Clear Passwords. Operating System limitations for Character Rotation in Vertical Text -------------------------------------------------------------------- When working with vertical text layout, full-width (East Asian language) characters will be displayed with upright orientation only on East Asian versions of Windows 95, Windows 98, Windows Me, and Windows NT 4.0 Operating Systems. All language versions of Windows 2000 provide this support. Security Settings ----------------- The settings for the security levels of the Web content zones have changed for Internet Explorer 5.5 and might no longer be consistent with those in previous versions of Internet Explorer. If you upgrade from a previous version of Internet Explorer, Setup will save your previous security settings and transfer them to Internet Explorer 5.5 as a Custom Security Level. Contacts Missing in Address Book After Uninstalling Windows Me -------------------------------------------------------------- When uninstalling Windows Millennium Edition (Me), contacts that you added while using Windows Me might be missing from the Windows Address Book. When you upgrade to Windows Me, the Windows Address Book data file is backed up. During the uninstallation process, the backup copy of the data file is restored, overwriting any data that had been added in Windows Me. To preserve any contacts made in Windows Me, back up the .wab file(s) before uninstalling. After Windows Me has been removed, the .wab file(s) can be recopied back into place and used if Internet Explorer 5.01 or greater is installed. Outlook Express Title Screen Does Not Match Version --------------------------------------------------- When you start Outlook Express, the title screen indicates that the product is "Microsoft Outlook Express 5" even though you installed a later version of Outlook Express. The title screen only reflects major product versions, such as version 4 or 5. Versions 5.01 and 5.5 are considered minor upgrades. Active Scripting Enabled after Upgrade from Beta Versions of Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools ---------------------------------------------------- If you are using a beta version of Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools on Windows 2000, you may want to check your security settings for the Restricted zone. "Active Scripting" is disabled by default for this zone in the released version of Internet Explorer 5.5 and Internet Tools. However, beta users might find this setting enabled after installing the released version. To return this setting to its proper value in Internet Explorer 5.5, click the Tools menu, click Internet Options, click the Security tab, click Restricted Sites, and then click Default Level. ================= DEVELOPER'S NOTES ================= New Language Features in JScript and VBScript --------------------------------------------- Internet Explorer 5.5 ships with new versions of Microsoft JScript(R) and Visual Basic(R) Scripting Edition (VBScript). Documentation for the new features in Windows Script 5.5 can be found on the Web at: http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/ You can read about the most important new features in JScript and VBScript at the following Web site: http://msdn.microsoft.com/workshop/languages/clinic/scripting121399.asp The updated Windows Script engines will also be posted for individual download from http://msdn.microsoft.com/scripting/ so they can be installed on computers that are not running Internet Explorer 5.5 - for example, on an ASP Web server. The Microsoft Office Developer Workflow Toolbar ----------------------------------------------- In this release of Internet Explorer, the Microsoft Office Developer Workflow Toolbar control will not data bind properly on a Microsoft Access data page. This control was affected by a fix in Internet Explorer 5.5, so an update of this control will be necessary. For the latest updates, visit the following Web page: http://microsoft.com/office/ Printing Controls ----------------- The re-architecting of the print code in Internet Explorer 5.5 has exposed print bugs in several third-party controls, causing some controls to print improperly and some not to print at all. Although we have strived to maintain print compatibility, we cannot ensure that all third parties will have corrected these problems. HTML Buttons with Unselectable Attribute ---------------------------------------- When the "unselectable" attribute in Internet Explorer 5.5 is applied to buttons, the default onclick action (depressing the button) doesn't take place. A simple workaround is to add a behavior to buttons that causes this action. Add the following to the top of the file containing the unselectable buttons (or to a CSS stylesheet that's referenced from the file): (where *** is the name of the htc file that contains the behavior) The htc file should contain the following: ========================= APPLICATION COMPATIBILITY ========================= Task Scheduler in Windows NT 4.0 -------------------------------- Windows NT 4.0 included an old version of the Schedule service, also known as At service (Atsvc.exe). Internet Explorer 5.5 upgrades it to the new version of the Schedule service, named Task Scheduler (MSTask.exe) and converts At jobs to Scheduled Tasks. With the old At service, all At jobs had to run in the same account as the service itself. The default account for the service was the Local System account, but it could be changed to another user account as needed. Some Windows NT 4.0 users changed the At service's account because they needed their jobs to run in a user account. With Task Scheduler, each scheduled task can be configured to run in a different account. The Task Scheduler service itself has to run in the Local System account. For backward compatibility, Task Scheduler allows the user to set one account to use when running scheduled tasks that were created from At jobs. When Internet Explorer 5.5 is installed, this account is set to the Local System account. If you are running Windows NT 4.0 and you change the account that the At service ran in to something other than the Local System account, then after installing Internet Explorer 5.5 you need to manually re-enter the user name and password for that account. To do this, go to the Scheduled Tasks folder, click the Advanced menu, and then click AT Service Account. This must be done manually because Internet Explorer 5.5 Setup cannot decrypt the password that was used by the At service. For more information about At service compatibility, see online Help in Task Scheduler. Selection in IFrames -------------------- In Internet Explorer 5.0, if a user made a selection inside an iframe and then clicked outside of the iframe, then in the contining document, the selection inside the iframe would remain selected. In Internet Explorer 5.5, the selection in an iframe is cleared when the user clicks outside of it. Assistive Technology and Accessibility ------------------------------------ Some changes in Internet Explorer 5.5 might affect its compatibility with some accessibility aids. If you use an assistive technology such as a screen reader or voice-input device, please contact the manufacturer of the aid for compatibility information.