Windows Tips

Repair Internet Explorer 6
A number of XP users have reported situations with Internet Explorer 6 becoming corrupted and reporting a number of different errors. While there is certainly no guarantee, the two procedures listed below have restored functionality to IE6 for many users experiencing problems.
Note: Both methods listed require that the Microsoft Windows XP CD-ROM be available.
Method 1: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x Repair for Windows XP
• From the Start menu, select Run.
• In the Open field, type sfc /scannow (Note: There is a space between sfc and /scannow)
• Select the OK button.
• Follow the prompts throughout the System File Checker process.
• Reboot the computer when System File Checker completes.
Method 2: Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.x Repair for Windows XP
• From the Start menu, select Search, select All Files and Folders.
• Select More Advanced Options and place a checkmark beside Search Hidden Files and Folders option.
• Ensure that Search System Folders and Search Subfolders are also checked.
• In the All or Part of the File Name box, type ie.inf
• In the Look In drop-down menu, select C: or the letter of the hard drive that contains the Windows folder.
• Click the Search button.
• In the search results pane, find the ie.inf file located in Windows\Inf folder.
• Right click the ie.inf file and click Install on the context menu.
• Reboot the computer when the file copy process is complete.
Method 2: Reinstall Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP CD
To reinstall Windows XP by starting your computer from the Windows XP CD, follow these steps:
1. Insert the Windows XP CD into your computer's CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, and then restart your computer.
2. When the "Press any key to boot from CD" message appears on the screen, press a key to start your computer from the Windows XP CD.

Note Your computer must be configured to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive. For more information about how to configure your computer to start from the CD-ROM or DVD-ROM drive, see your computer's documentation or contact your computer manufacturer.
3. You receive the following message on the Welcome to Setup screen that appears:
This portion of the Setup program prepares Microsoft Windows XP to run on your computer:

To setup Windows XP now, press ENTER.

To repair a Windows XP installation using Recovery Console, press R.

To quit Setup without installing Windows XP, press F3.
Press ENTER to set up Windows XP.
4. On the Windows XP Licensing Agreement screen, press F8 to agree to the license agreement.
5. Make sure that your current installation of Windows XP is selected in the box, and then press R to repair Windows XP.
6. Follow the instructions that appear on the screen to reinstall Windows XP. After you repair Windows XP, you may have to reactivate your copy of Windows XP.

For additional information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
310064 How to troubleshoot Windows XP Setup problems when you upgrade from Windows 98 or Windows Millennium Edition


Method 2: Tricking Windows into letting you reinstall IE6
Since you already have Internet Explorer 6 installed the operating system will not allow you to reinstall over the existing installation. Due to this we are required to trick the operating system into thinking IE 6 is not installed. Please note that in order to use this method we are required to edit the registry. Incorrect editing of the registry can cause serious harm to your operating system so it is advised you proceed with extreme caution.
Follow these steps for repairing Internet Explorer 6:
1. Click on the Start button and then click on the Run option.
2. In the Open field type regedit and press the OK button.
3. Navigate to the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}
4. Under that key you will see a entry named IsInstalled. Right click on that entry and left click on Modify.
5. Change the Value from 1 to 0.
6. Exit regedit.
Follow these steps for repairing Outlook Express:
1. Click on the Start button and then click on the Run option.
2. In the Open field type regedit and press the OK button.
3. Navigate to the key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{44BBA848-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}
4. Under that key you will see a entry named IsInstalled. Right click on that entry and left click on Modify.
5. Change the Value from 1 to 0.
6. Exit regedit.
If you would like to repair both Outlook Express and Internet Explorer 6 then do both fixes above.
When you are done modifying the registry for the application you would like to reinstall, download and install Internet Explorer 6.