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Repair Internet Explorer

By: Arie Slob

In previous Windows versions, if you wanted to repair Internet Explorer, you would go to Add/Remove Programs in the Control Panel, choose the listing for Microsoft Internet Explorer and press Change/Remove. This would bring up a Window where you could select to repair Internet Explorer. This is not an option in Windows XP. Internet Explorer is listed in the Add/Remove Windows Components part of Add/Remove Programs of Windows XP, but you can only remove access to Internet Explorer from the Start menu and Desktop.

Remove IE

The only way to repair Internet Explorer is to have sfc check the system files by running the command sfc /scannow from the Command Window (Start > Run > cmd).

Windows File Protection

If a repair doesn't do the trick, you can try a reinstall:

  1. Start the Registry Editor
  2. Go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Active Setup \ Installed Components \ {89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}
  3. right-click the IsInstalled value, and then click Modify
  4. Change the value data, from 1 to 0
  5. Close the registry editor
  6. Download and install Internet Explorer 6.

The above will let you reinstall the Internet Explorer 6 browser component. To reinstall Outlook Express 6, change the IsInstalled value from the following registry key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE \ SOFTWARE \ Microsoft \ Active Setup \ Installed Components \ {44BBA840-CC51-11CF-AAFA-00AA00B6015C}

Note: You need to be logged on as an administrator to be able to change these registry keys.