Microsoft’s Vice President and Deputy General Counsel, Dave Heiner, has revealed further information about Windows 7 and how the company will comply with European competition laws regarding Internet Explorer.

Windows 7 E was originally intended to ship without Internet Explorer or any other browser. That idea had not impressed the European Commission. Microsoft’s partners and computer manufacturers also expressed concerned that it would lead to product confusion. Therefore, a single version of Windows 7 will shipped throughout the world that includes IE.

The browser ballot screen is a web page that will be shown to any European Windows user who has Internet Explorer set as their default browser. It will appear:

• following a new installation of Windows 7 during the first automatic update
• during a future automatic update of Vista and XP, and
• whenever the user chooses to return to the web page.

Microsoft’s browser ballot screen