Upgrade Considerations

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Changes in software architecture might affect the functionality of certain accessibility aids that were written for previous versions of Internet Explorer. You should test Internet Explorer 5 with those aids to determine if the behavior differs from previous versions. Also, you can contact vendors to find out how the different accessibility aids function with Internet Explorer 5.

Depending on their specific needs, users with disabilities might find challenges using the different features of Internet Explorer 5. They can easily customize those features by installing or uninstalling components based on the functionality that works best for them. Many features can also be turned on or off, according to user preferences.

The following list provides some general tips to consider when upgrading to Internet Explorer 5:

  • When Windows Desktop Update is installed with Internet Explorer 5, it replaces the traditional Start menu with a scrolling Start menu that supports dragging so that users can rearrange menu items. However, this type of menu limits the number of menu commands that are visible at one time to those commands that fit in a single column. Although long menu lists do not display all of the commands at once, users can navigate to them all by using the keyboard.
    Users who need to keep as many options as possible available on the screen at one time and who currently have many commands on their Start menu might want to remove some commands from the Start menu. They might also want to use the desktop toolbar, the Quick Launch toolbar, or the custom toolbar feature to make the commands available from other places on the desktop.

  • Internet Explorer 5 uses menus and check boxes that might not be described correctly by some screen readers. If Windows Desktop Update is installed with Internet Explorer, these menus will also be used in Windows Explorer. To determine the level of support, you should test these features with your accessibility aids. Also, contact the vendors of your aids to find out about upgrades that might better support Internet Explorer 5.

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