IE 7 Re-Release, Administration Kit (IEAK7) now creates MSI files

Microsoft today released a new build of Internet Explorer 7, an Installation and Availability update (IAU) and a new Internet Explorer Administration Kit (IEAK).

Using the IEAK, IT administrators can tailor IE to their organization’s needs and deploy the package to relevant units within their organization. The new IEAK now generates a .MSI file for easier deployment via Group Policy or Systems Management Server (SMS).

Other changes include: WGA validation has been removed, so that IE7 can be installed on non-genuine copies of Windows, too. Microsoft says they did this to help "protect the entire Windows ecosystem" by enabling everyone to use security enhancements like the built-in phishing filter and support for Extended Validation SSL Certificates (which turns the whole address bar green when you log into sites like eBay). To enhance usability, the menu bar is now visible by default.

The new IE build is available for Windows XPSP2, x64 Server and Windows Server 2003, there's no update for Windows Vista.

Update (October 5): Christopher Painter found out that the IEAK just creates an MSI wrapper.

Published Thursday, October 04, 2007 6:23 PM by stefan
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Comments

# re: IE 7 Re-Release, Administration Kit (IEAK7) now creates MSI files

For the record, I'm not against Adapter/Encapsulation Patterns.  MSI is what it is and GPO is what it is. Enterprises have needs and I can understand how a product team would make one choice over another.

I'm just a little bit tired of listening to all of these best practices lectures from members of the Cult-Of-Microsoft and then see one of their own go and do their own thing.  

In this case I'm sure the defense will be  the `Microsoft is a big company` argument.   Yet if someone outside of the firewall does it we hear how horrible they are.  Still worse is if they were to use InstallShield to do it  because then we would hear `InstallSUCK` or something similar when Macrovision didn't even have anything to do with it.

Friday, October 05, 2007 9:52 AM by Christopher Painter