Keeping Internet Explorer Updated

After you deploy Windows® Internet Explorer® 9 in your corporate network, you can use the following tools to distribute updated versions of Internet Explorer 9 to your users' computers:

  • Automatic version synchronization. Obtain an updated version of Internet Explorer 9 that you can deploy as part of your custom browser packages.

  • Software distribution tools. Use system update management tools such as System Center Configuration Manager, Systems Management Server, Windows Server Update Services, or the software distribution capabilities in Group Policy to update Internet Explorer 9 on users' computers.

  • Automatic updates to Internet Explorer and the Blocker Toolkit. Deliver Internet Explorer 9 as a high-priority update in Automatic Updates. Internet Explorer 9 is also available through Windows Update and Microsoft Update to computers where users have local administrative credentials. To disable automatic updates of Internet Explorer 9, install the Blocker Toolkit.

Automatic version synchronization

When you build your custom Internet Explorer 9 packages by using the Internet Explorer Customization Wizard 9, you can use the wizard's automatic version synchronization (AVS) feature to obtain an updated version of Internet Explorer 9 from the Internet Explorer 9 Downloads website.

This feature is useful if a new version of Internet Explorer becomes available after you build your custom package. You can download and install the new version as part of any browser package that you later build and deploy.

If you need to maintain more than one version of Internet Explorer to build your custom packages, you can keep the versions in separate component download folders. Then, when you run the Internet Explorer Customization Wizard 9, in the File Locations page, you specify the component download folder for a specific package.

For more information about using the AVS feature, see Customizing Internet Explorer 9 using IEAK.

Software distribution tools

If you already manage software distribution and updates on your network by using electronic software distribution tools to deploy Internet Explorer 9, you can use these tools for ongoing deployments of Internet Explorer 9. Such tools include System Center Configuration Manager, Windows Server Update Services (WSUS), Group Policy Software Installation, and Microsoft Deployment Toolkit.

For more information about deployment tools, see Using Software Distribution Tools to Install Internet Explorer 9.

Automatic updates to Internet Explorer 9 and the Blocker Toolkit

Note

The Internet Explorer 9 Blocker Toolkit is available from the Springboard Series for Internet Explorer 9 on TechNet: https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=208598.

If you configure your users' computers to receive security and other important Windows updates through Automatic Updates, they will also receive high-priority Internet Explorer 9 updates automatically. Alternatively, users can download and install Internet Explorer 9 updates from Windows Update (https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=284).

Note

Automatic Updates offers Internet Explorer 9 only to users with local administrator accounts.

If you want to disable the automatic delivery of Internet Explorer 9 to your users' computers, as an administrator, you can use the Internet Explorer 9 Blocker Toolkit. Using the Internet Explorer 9 Blocker Toolkit also prevents users from being automatically upgraded to Internet Explorer 9. The Internet Explorer 9 Blocker Toolkit is available from the Microsoft Download Center at: https://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyID=a6169467-b793-4d17-837d-01776bf2bea4.