MS will not ask. They’re killing all previous versions of IE. You can read about it here:
http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie/archive/2011/12/15/ie-to-start-automatic-upgrades-across-windows-xp-windows-vista-and-windows-7.aspx
“Today we are sharing our plan to automatically upgrade Windows customers to the latest version of Internet Explorer available for their PC. This is an important step in helping to move the Web forward. We will start in January for customers in Australia and Brazil who have turned on automatic updating via Windows Update. Similar to our release of IE9 earlier this year, we will take a measured approach, scaling up over time. As always, when upgrading from one version of Internet Explorer to the next through Windows Update, the user’s home page, search provider, and default browser remains unchanged.”
Their reasoning? To make the web safer for personal and commercial usage:
“We want to make updating to the best protection possible as fast and simple as we can for Windows customers. IE is how millions of Windows customers connect to the Web, so keeping that part of Windows updated at all times is critical to keeping them safe online. With automatic updates enabled through Windows Update, customers can receive IE9 and future versions of Internet Explorer seamlessly without any “update fatigue” issues.”
They cite various Security experts in justifying their decision:
“Jeremiah Grossman, Chief Technology Officer and founder of WhiteHat Security agrees as well, saying…
"Automatic updates are a very good idea based on every piece of security research I've seen. Keeping software up to date - particularly Web browsers - is critical for online security. With that in mind, I'm pleased that Microsoft is moving toward an automatic update model, particularly since their approach balances the needs of enterprise customers who still need a mechanism to manage software updates." - https://www.whitehatsec.com/
However, you still have control. You can get the ie8 or ie9 Automatic Update Blocker tool kit:
IE8: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=14149
IE9: http://www.microsoft.com/download/en/details.aspx?displaylang=en&id=179
Source:
http://windowsteamblog.com/ie/b/ie/archive/2011/12/15/ie-to-start-automatic-upgrades-across-windows-xp-windows-vista-and-windows-7.aspx
IE9: