Just now Microsoft released an updated Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview for Windows XP SP2 to the web. Dubbed "Public Preview" dated March 20. This new build is 'layout complete,' and will not undergo any further rendering engine changes. This means that web designers can safely update their code without worrying about incompatibilities with the final version of Internet Explorer 7, which is due out with Windows Vista in the second half of this year.

Evaluation of Internet Explorer 7 should start now, but the software should not be used on production systems in mission-critical environments. Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview - released on March 20th - will only run on Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) systems, but will ultimately be available for Windows Vista, Windows XP Professional x64 Edition, and Windows Server 2003.

* If you're running a version of the Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview, follow these uninstall steps prior to downloading the latest version:

- Click your Start button, then go to Control Panel
- Go to Add/Remove programs
- Go to Change/Remove programs and make sure "Show updates" is checked in the upper-right side of the screen
- Scroll down on the list and highlight "Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview"
- Click "Remove" to uninstall the previous version of Internet Explorer 7
- Reboot your PC and return to this download page to begin downloading the Internet Explorer 7 Beta 2 Preview - released on March 20th