Applications Systems

Internet Explorer Transactions Block Upgrade or Fail to Run After Upgrading to WPM 2025.4

This article provides information about the end of life (EOL) for Internet Explorer-based transactions in Web Performance Monitor (WPM) as of version 2025.4. Starting with this version, only Chromium-based transactions are supported, and upgrades will be blocked if Internet Explorer-based transactions are still present.

First published date

10/21/2025 11:09 PM

Last published date

12/17/2025 5:55 PM

Overview

Beginning with WPM 2025.4 (October 2025), Internet Explorer-based transactions have reached end-of-life status and are removed from the product.

Key impacts include:

  • The WPM 2025.4 installer will block upgrades if any IE-based transactions exist.
  • Only the Chromium-based recorder and player are included starting from this version.
  • Existing IE-based transactions will not execute after upgrading.

Important:

Migrating Internet Explorer–based transactions does not automatically remove the original IE-based recordings. Even after a successful migration, the deprecated IE-based transactions remain in the system and must be manually deleted.

Any remaining IE-based transactions will cause the WPM 2025.4 installer to block the upgrade. 

 

Example System Check Critical Message that prevents installation from continuing:

"Internet Explorer based recordings and transactions have reached end of life and are no longer supported in WPM. The installation you are attempting to upgrade contains IE based recordings and transactions."

 

How to identify affected transactions:

  1. Navigate to Settings → All Settings → Product Specific Settings → WPM Settings → Manage Recordings.
  2. Sort the Recorder Type column.
  3. Any entry marked “Deprecated” indicates an Internet Explorer–based transaction.

If your deployment still includes IE-based recordings, you must migrate or re-record them before upgrading to avoid installation blocks or failed playback after upgrade.

 

Product section

Web Performance Monitor

Cause

Support for Internet Explorer has been removed from Web Performance Monitor starting in version 2025.4 because:

  • Internet Explorer has reached end of life and is no longer supported by Microsoft.
  • SolarWinds has fully transitioned WPM to a Chromium-based recording and playback engine for better performance, compatibility, and security.

Resolution

To ensure a smooth upgrade and continued transaction monitoring:

  1. Check for Internet Explorer–based Transactions
    • In the WPM Settings → Manage Recordings page, check the Recorder Type column.
    • Transactions labeled “Deprecated” use the IE engine and must be migrated or recreated.
  2. Use the Migration Tool (Available Since WPM 2024.1)
    • WPM 2024.1 introduced a Transaction Migration Tool that converts some IE-based recordings to Chromium format.
Note: The migration tool does not delete the original IE-based transactions. After migration, you must manually remove all remaining IE-based (Deprecated) recordings before upgrading to WPM 2025.4.
  1. Re-record Transactions Using the Chromium Recorder
    • If migration fails, re-record the transaction using the Chromium-based recorder included in WPM 2025.4 and later. See: Use the WPM Recorder
  2. Remove Deprecated Recordings Before Upgrade
    • Even if transactions were successfully migrated to Chromium, the original IE-based (Deprecated) recordings remain and will continue to block the upgrade.You must manually delete all IE-based transactions from Manage Recordings before re-running the installer.
  3. Proceed with Upgrade
    • After verifying all transactions are Chromium-based, the upgrade to WPM 2025.4 will proceed successfully.
  4. Documentation Reference