Microsoft's decision late last year to switch on "silent" upgrades for Internet Explorer (IE) has moved some Windows users to newer versions, but has had little, if any, impact on the oldest editions, IE6 and IE7, according to usage statistics.
In December 2011, Microsoft announced it would start
automatically upgrading IE so that users ran the newest version suitable for their copy of Windows.
Under the plan, Windows XP users still on IE6 or IE7 would be updated to IE8, while Windows Vista or Windows 7 users running IE7 or IE8 would be pushed to IE9.
Previously, Microsoft has always asked users for their permission before upgrading IE from one version to the next, even if Windows' automatic updates was enabled.
