Repairing Windows XP causes Internet Explorer 7 to fail

If you perform a repair installation of Windows XP, you must first insure that you uninstall Internet Explorer 7 first. Otherwise, once the repair installation is complete, Internet Explorer 7 will no longer function. The reason this happens is because the repair installation will not restore earlier versions of the files in the Program files\Internet Explorer folder. This will make IE7 incompatible with the IE6 files that are installed in the Windows\System32 folder.
To uninstall Internet Explorer 7, follow the instructions below:

Uninstall IE7 on a Windows XP SP2 system:

1. Go to Start>> Run. Type in: appwiz.cpl [Enter] or click OK.
2. The Add or Remove programs windows will now appear. Scroll the currently installed programs list to find Internet Explorer 7.
3. Click the Internet Explorer 7 entry and select the Remove button.
If Internet Explorer does not show in the currently installed programs list, follow the instructions below:

Restart Windows XP in the Recovery Console, here’s how:

1. Insert either the Windows XP startup disk into the floppy disk drive, or insert the Windows XP CD-ROM into the CD-ROM drive, and then restart the computer.
Note: If prompted, select any options that are required to start the computer from the CD-ROM drive.
2. Press “R” when the “Welcome to Setup” screen appears. This will start the Recovery Console.
3. In the event you have a dual boot or a multi-boot system, you will need to select the appropriate installation.
4. Type in the Administrator password when prompted. If there is no Administrator password, simply press ENTER.
5. At the command prompt, type:CD ie7\spuninst
batch Spuninst.txt
Note: Press ENTER after each command.
6. To exit the Recovery Console, type: exit [Enter]
At this time, it is OK to perform the Windows XP repair installation. Once the repair installation is complete. Open Internet Explorer 6 and be sure that it is functioning correctly. If IE6 performs correctly, you can now safely reinstall IE7.
Reinstall Internet Explorer 7:Here

Note: If after performing a repair installation of Windows XP the IE6 browser does not function, you will need to use a functioning web browser to install the IE7 installation package.

Category: Internet Explorer, Tutorial