Microsoft Expresses Explorer 4.0a

Microsoft has quietly released Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0a, which is the same version that will be available on the Microsoft Office 98 CD-ROM (currently in manufacturing). If you already use Explorer 4.0, however, there’s no need to rush off to download this latest release, because the only changes are a few fixes for compatibility with Microsoft Office 98 and a change to the installers to include Outlook Express 4.0c. If you plan to use Office 98 once it’s available, you’ll probably find it more efficient to install Explorer 4.0a from CD-ROM than to download anywhere from 4 MB (minimum 68K install) to 24 MB (full fat binary install) via the Internet. The 128-bit security patch for Internet Explorer 4.0 works with Exploer 4.0a.

Conversely, Outlook Express 4.0c is an important update which corrects a serious problem in the address book, whereby email addresses without an associated first or last name would be cc’d on any email message. If you use Outlook Express, it’s probably faster to download version 4.0c (3.3 MB) separately from one of the larger packages containing Explorer 4.0a.