Fixing IE6 applications so that they are compatible with IE8 will solve the problem once and for all. But this is the most difficult solution, writes Gartner. If you have the time and money to make every app IE8 compatible, then this is the best route, but most companies do not.

This method would significantly slow down the move to Windows 7, writes Gartner, which needs to be completed by April 2014 when Microsoft ends support for Windows XP, or by the time ISVs deliver new applications that don't run on Windows XP, which will likely be sooner.