Microsoft has logged over three million downloads for its Internet Explorer 7 browser in the first four days after the application was launched, according to Tony Chor, a Microsoft group program manager.

Users currently have to manually download the applications. On 1 November Microsoft will start distributing the applications to all Windows XP users as a high priority update.

The software developer has yet to release foreign language versions of the application, as well as a version for the forthcoming Windows Vista operating system.

Microsoft launched Internet Explorer 7 last week.

Analyst firm Gartner has applauded the release and projected that it will help Microsoft stop the rise of the open source Firefox browser.

Firefox earlier this week released a version 2 of its software.