Beginning November of 2006, Microsoft has been pushing the Windows update for IE 7.  We have gotten numerous calls from our clients complaining about “unknown” issues.  With a little research and trial and error we’ve discovered that IE 7 is not very user friendly and most of our clients don’t know how to work around the new security features of IE 7.  In some cases we’ve had to remove IE 7 and go back to IE 6.  Here is a great article from CNET.com reviews that we think shares information about the pro’s and con’s of IE 7 and their recommendation about other browsers.  (Read our November 2006 article on browsers). 

Microsoft has released Internet Explorer 7 but only for Windows XP SP2 users. If you are running a previous version of Microsoft Windows, you'll need to upgrade to Windows XP SP2 first. A slightly more secure version of Internet Explorer 7 will be Windows Vista operating system. Notable among the new features within IE 7 for Windows XP are a redesigned interface, tabbed browsing, a built-in RSS feed reader, and a new Favorites Center. Despite nearly two and half years of development, the new browser falls short of complying with Web standards and of matching features found in competing browsers, and despite an aggressive marketing campaign to the contrary, IE 7 is not that much more secure that IE 6, in part because of its reuse of old IE 6 code and a crippling legacy that Microsoft is slow to patch existing IE flaws.
Installation for IE 7 includes two unusual requests. One, Microsoft asks that users briefly disable antivirus protection. Microsoft claims that there have been some conflicts between IE 7 installations and some antivirus engines, so to err on the safe side, the software giant asks that you disable your antivirus protection until the installation is complete. Neither Mozilla Firefox nor Opera make this request. Microsoft uses its own malicious-software removal tool during the installation of IE 7, and it is perhaps this tool that conflicts with some antivirus apps.
The other unusual request is that Microsoft asks users to reboot their computer after installation. Neither Opera nor Mozilla Firefox require a reboot. Unique to Internet Explorer 7 is an RSS feed engine that renders Web feeds as a readable page, and a reboot installs this engine in the system kernel. For the most part, we like the built-in RSS reader feature. Opera includes a newsgroups-like RSS reader, while Firefox allows you to associate RSS feeds with third-party readers.
After the installation reboot, Internet Explorer 7 displays a first-run screen where you can turn on antiphishing (not enabled by default) and select your default language. After that, you're finally ready to begin.

Longtime IE 6 users will react differently to the redesigned toolbar--some will like it, most will not. For a look inside, see our Internet Explorer 7 for Windows XP SP2 slide show. Microsoft claims users wanted the buttons and bars rearranged; in doing so, Microsoft deviates from the other popular Internet browsers on the market today. The back and forward buttons haven't moved; they're now compressed into the upper-left corner, and their individual drop-down menus have merged into one drop-down list. The address bar is now at the very top of the browser so that malicious spyware toolbars can't obscure or hijack it. Unfortunately, Microsoft has chosen the address bar to also display antiphishing and site certificate information, making it sometimes a very busy place. Continue....