Windows Update Blocks IE 5.5 Beta

Internet Explorer users who install the Internet Explorer 5.5 beta will find themselves unable to access Microsoft’s Windows Update service to download software updates - at least for the time being. Instead of seeing the usual Windows Update start page, IE beta users are told to wait for the final release version of IE 5.5, which won’t be available until for at least six months.

A message posted on Windows Update, which is only shown to visitors who are running the IE 5.5 beta, reads, “You appear to be running Internet Explorer 5.5 Beta. Windows Update does not currently support beta versions of Internet Explorer.” The message on continues, “Windows Update will support the released version of Internet Explorer 5.5 once it is available.”

Not being able to access the Windows Update site is a serious problem for many users as Windows Update is often the only method to download important critical updates. Critical updates often fix security problems in Windows and Internet Explorer, which are a major concern for the technologically savvy user who tries beta software.

A Microsoft spokesperson told BetaNews, “Currently IE5.5 beta is not supported by Windows Update (WU) because beta code is continually changing.” Conflicting with the message on the Windows Update site, the spokesperson revealed, “When IE5.5 beta is more code complete, sometime in the second half of this year, consumers downloading the most current beta of IE5.5 will be able to take advantage of WU.”

Many IE 5.5 users who would rather have access to Windows Update than use the beta tried to uninstall the beta and revert back to IE 5. Unfortunately, IE5.5 has proved difficult to remove for many of these users further complicating problems.

48 Responses to Windows Update Blocks IE 5.5 Beta

© 1998-2024 BetaNews, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy - Cookie Policy.