A new “end of life” upgrade notification will be delivered to Windows users by Microsoft on January 12, 2016. This upgrade notification will inform users that technical support and security updates for Internet Explorer will only be available for the most current version of Internet Explorer for each supported operating system.
Most users running Internet Explorer 8 or Internet Explorer 10 will no longer be able to receive security updates from Microsoft and should upgrade their browser to a supported version.
Because there are different versions of Windows that are still supported by Microsoft, different versions of Internet Explorer qualify as the “most current version” depending on what operating system you are using. The commonly used desktop and server operating systems and the version of Internet Explorer that will be supported for those operating systems are listed below:
| Windows Desktop Operating Systems | “Most Current” Internet Explorer Version |
| Windows Vista SP2 | Internet Explorer 9 |
| Windows 7 SP1 | Internet Explorer 11 |
| Windows 8.1 Update | Internet Explorer 11 |
| Windows 10 | Internet Explorer 11 |
| Windows Server Operating Systems | “Most Current” Internet Explorer Version |
| Windows Server 2008 SP2 | Internet Explorer 9 |
| Windows Server 2008 IA64 (Itanium) | Internet Explorer 9 |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 SP1 | Internet Explorer 11 |
| Windows Server 2008 R2 IA64 (Itanium) | Internet Explorer 11 |
| Windows Server 2012 | Internet Explorer 10 |
| Windows Server 2012 R2 | Internet Explorer 11 |
It’s also important to note that on January 12, 2016, Microsoft will no longer support Windows 8. Windows 8 users should upgrade to Windows 8.1 or Windows 10.
Upgrading to a more current version of Internet Explorer should not generally affect a filer’s capability to submit transmissions to EDGAR. GoFiler users will have no problems transmitting filings to EDGAR or using any of GoFiler’s submission, mail, or proofing features.
If you are using the EDGAR Filing Website to file instead of third party filing software, you should be certain that you use Compatibility Mode in Internet Explorer. The SEC’s recommended browser is currently Internet Explorer 8 (or Mozilla Firefox 24), so using a more current version of Internet Explorer could cause forms and other pages within the EDGAR Filing Website to render incorrectly or behave in an unexpected manner. Using Compatibility Mode in Internet Explorer should circumvent these issues.
Because internet security is paramount, we hope that the end of security updates for Internet Explorer 8 will spur the SEC into updating the EDGAR System so it is more compatible with newer versions of Internet Explorer.
Sources:
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/lifecycle#gp/Microsoft-Internet-Explorer
https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/kb/3123303?sd=rss&spid=14019
