Everyone in Europe who is currently using Internet Explorer as their main internet browsing program is powering on their computer to find a screen like this appearing on their screen. Without going into the details, this is the culmination of a dispute between the EU and Microsoft over its dominant position in internet browsing software. The outcome is that all of us here in Europe are being forced to choose a browser for our PC, even though most of us don’t really care that much as long as we can see our web pages.

The first annoying thing that this “Browser Ballot” does is remove Internet Explorer from the “quick launch” area of your screen right beside the start button. Don’t worry, the program itself is still there, they’re just making it harder for you to find it. Once you click OK on the initial screen, you’ll be brought to a screen similar to the second screen shown here. This is the “Browser Ballot” Proper and is where you need to choose which internet browser you wish to use going forward.  Your version of this screen will look somewhat different because the order that the browsers are shown in is random.

The Second Stage – Selecting Your Browser

This is where giving advice gets a bit tricky. My own opinion is that although Internet Explorer is neither the fastest nor the most flexible browser on the market, for the vast majority of people it is the most familiar. If you follow this logic then I think most people should just stick with what they know rather than going to the trouble of having to learn something new and, potentially, add confusion and wasted time to their browsing experience.

Of course, if your feeling a bit more adventurous, why not try another browser. Google Chrome, for example, is much faster at rendering internet pages than Internet Explorer while Mozilla Firefox has gained 25% of the internet browsing market through having over 5000 handy add-ons as well as the ability to personalise it which can make browsing much easier for you, the user.

One clear piece of advice that I’d give all but the technically literate is to avoid the niche browsers that are also shown in the selection. There has been a lot of controvery about the number of choices that are available on the browser ballot.

Some Niche Browsers on the Browser Ballot

In particular, when an IT professional such as myself hasn’t heard of some of the browsers on offer, you know they must be pretty obscure. My opinion here is that most people are better plumping for a well tried and well tested browser rather than something which is very niche and unknown.

Once you’ve made you choice, clicking the “install” button underneath it and following the prompts will allow you to complete the process and get on with your life.  Whichever browser you choose should ultimately end up in your quick launch area right beside the start button on the bottom left of the screen.

Another victory for the EU? You tell me…

If you have any problems with these steps or any other problems please don’t hesitate to call one of our qualified engineers and technicians and we will be delighted to perform the required steps to deal with your problem.

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