Microsoft Internet Explorer with Service Pack 1 (32-bit) 4.01

• Quick specs
• Price: Free
• Operating system: Windows 95, Windows NT
• Date added: May 20, 1998
• Total Downloads: 10,979,459
• Downloads last week: 26,028
• See full specifications

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A newer version of Microsoft Internet Explorer with Service Pack 1 (32-bit) is available.

Download the latest version | Learn more about Internet Explorer 8

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CNET editors' review

Reviewed by: CNET Staff

For a detailed analysis of IE7, read CNET Senior Editor Robert Vamosi's extended review.

Microsoft's next iteration of Internet Explorer is predictably a solid contender in the browser category. A sleeker and more spare interface will have some old IE users running for the preferences, but even with fewer buttons the new IE works fine right out of the gate. The adoption of tabs is a welcome change for more efficient browsing, and the Quick Tabs feature is an especially nice touch for viewing the contents of all of your tabs in one window. The addition of a RSS feed manager is nice for news addicts, blog fans, and hobbyists, but we would like a way to search for RSS feeds beyond only adding the ones we come across. We also like the integrated search bar that offers a pull-down menu, letting you add your favorite search engines and sites quickly.

A welcome addition is an antiphishing option to check a site's legitimacy, which you can enable at first launch. While Internet Explorer doesn't offer the user-made plug-ins, themes, and extensions found in other browsers such as Firefox and Opera, there are several useful plug-ins you can choose from at Microsoft's Web site. Finally, security concerns with what will undoubtably be the most used Web browser are always an important consideration, but with the proper security programs, most people will be able to surf safely. Overall, we find the latest version of Microsoft's megabrowser to be a fine way to browse the Web, with the addition of many long-awaited features that make the entire Web experience more efficient and enjoyable.

Publisher's description

Note: Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0 features Active Setup (406K file), which requiresthat you maintain your Internet connection after you double-click onie4setup.exe. Microsoft recommends that you uninstall any preview releases of this software before installing the latest version. Also note that the displayed version number will remain as 4.0.

Internet Explorer 4.01, with Service Pack 1 (SP1), is the latest release of Microsoft's popular Web browsing software. You can watch videos, view Active Channels, listen to real-time broadcasts, and play games on the Internet, thanks to IE 4.01's extensive support for key Internet standards, such as Dynamic HTML, Java, and the Channel Definition Format (CDF). Internet Explorer 4.01 comes with Active Channels from top content providers on the Internet. IE 4.01 integrates closely with your Windows 95 desktop, delivering an integrated set of tools. During Active Setup, you'll be able to choose which elements of the full install you want (such as Active Desktop, Outlook Express, NetMeeting, FrontPage Express, and Microsoft Chat 2.0). This version includes the first Service Pack that will be issued by Microsoft for the IE 4.0 browser. SP1 adds the following to Internet Explorer 4.01: year 2000 fixes, security and bug fixes that were previously released as patches, and changes requested by specific corporations and Web sites for their intranet and Internet users. If you have had no problems with your current version of Internet Explorer 4.01 and aren't specifically interested in any of the items above, there is no need to upgrade to SP1.

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