Microsoft has recently issued a warning to ALL Windows users to urgently upgrade to IE11 (Internet Explorer 11) – even if you don’t normally use it.
The reason is that IE is so tightly integrated with the Windows Operating System, components of it are used every day without the user being aware of it.
Even if you regularly use browsers such as Google Chrome, Firefox or Opera the vulnerabilities existing in earlier version of Internet Explorer render your system subject to attack.
Internet Explorer 11 is only available for Windows 7, Windows 8.1 and Windows 10. No upgrade is available for Windows XP, Windows Vista or, surprisingly, Windows 8. All Windows 8 users should take advantage of the free upgrade to 8.1 and then to Windows 10 before the free upgrade offer expires on JULY 29, 2016.
If you are currently running a system with Windows XP or Windows Vista you should seriously consider replacing the PC with something more modern as there will be no further security updates issued by Microsoft for the versions of Internet Explorer used by these systems.
Should I do this and if so how?
Suze, If you are running Windows 8.1 you should have IE11 already. Upgrading to Windows 10 can be done through the normal Windows Update process.
If you’re running Windows 7 and are unsure which version of IE you have, load Internet Explorer by clicking on the big “E” icon and then, once your home page is displayed, click the little cog icon in the top right corner and select “About Internet Explorer”. This will display the version number of the installed program. If it shows anything but “Internet Explorer 11” you need to update.
You can update either by running “Windows Update” from the Start Menu or, more directly, by browsing to http://www.microsoft.com/ie and clicking the “Get Internet Explorer 11” button.