Microsoft hat sich entschieden bei dem Problem des "Bundlings" von Internet Explorer 8 und Windows 7 der EU-Kommision nachzugeben. Wie Dave Heiner (Vice President and Deputy General Counsel) bei Microsoft in seinem Blog mitteilt, werden die europäischen Retail- und OEM-Versionen keinen Internet Explorer 8 enthalten.

Die in Europa erhältlichen Windows 7 Versionen werden alle den Zusatz "E" im Namen tragen. OEM-Hersteller dürfen bei ihren Systemen weiterhin den IE8 vorinstallieren oder aber auch einen anderen oder weiteren Browser installieren.

Given the pending legal proceeding, we’ve decided that instead of including Internet Explorer in Windows 7 in Europe, we will offer it separately and on an easy-to-install basis to both computer manufacturers and users. This means that computer manufacturers and users will be free to install Internet Explorer on Windows 7, or not, as they prefer. Of course, they will also be free, as they are today, to install other Web browsers.

Windows 7 will be offered in Europe in all of the versions that will be available here in the United States, both 32- and 64-bit, with an “E” at the end of the product name (for instance, Windows 7 Home Premium E). The E versions of Windows 7 will ship at the same time as Windows 7 ships in the rest of the world, and they will be available in 23 European languages.