IE7 dies every time accessing Microsoft Update

Since I updated to IE7 it has been totally unreliable. It closes at unpredictable times and sometimes for no reason at all. One absolutely repeatable behavior, however is that EVERY time I try to access Microsoft Update, IE7 dies immediately. I've put in quite a few error reports to MS and can reproduce the problem at will.

I've searched all the relevant info on "IE7 needs to close" and tried all the suggested fixes such as starting IE7 in no-addon mode and uninstalling IE7 completely and doing a fresh install. I also tried to go back to IE6 but the installer kept insisting that a "newer version is installed" even after I had removed IE7 and would not let me go back to IE6.

Right now I'm stumped and am using Firefox but I'd like to get IE7 going so I can access Microsoft Update again.

...Bob

 

I did turn off virus scan.

I forgot to say in my original post that I did, in fact, turn off virus scan when I did the reinstall. I saw the posts you mentioned that talked about that.
...Bob

 

Hello Bob,

If you can't roll it back via Add/Remove, the IE7 install should have created a System Restore point, restore to that or just prior to it.

Regards - Charles

 

System restore won't work so easily.

System restore will not work properly in this case because I had couple of beta versions of IE7 installed between when I had IE6 and I finally got the "good" released IE7.

One of the beta IE7's was so bad that it damaged Windows Explorer and I actually had to do a complete non-destructive XP reinstall! What a pain!

Am I the only one for whom IE7 dies immediately on accessing MS Update?

...Bob

 

Haven't had it happen to me. I just tried it again for the heck of it and went right to MS and had no updates. Wonder if you still have something left because of the bad installs? The only way to be sure would be a CLEAN install of XP. When I do a clean install of any OS, I always do a 0 (zero) right on the HD and then do the install. That way I am sure (pretty sure) that there is nothing left hanging around.

 

The last resort.

Yes, perhaps a complete, disk-wiping reinstall might be what this requires. Back in the days of W98 I can't count how many times I had to do that. I've been hoping that there was a less drastic solution this time since the machine is working fine except for IE and even that's not a problem since I switched to Firefox - except for getting new MS updates.

...Bob

 

Hello Bob,

There is a ActiveX plugin for FF which should enable you to access the WU.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks for the heads up on the FF ActiveX plugin. I will look into that.
...Bob

 

Still dies.

Arie, thanks for the reset button suggestion. I tried it but it did not help. IE7 still dies trying to access MS update. After pressing the button I tried IE both immediately and after rebooting. Same results both way.

Charlesvar, I looked for an ActiveX plugin for FF but the only one I could find was quite old and only worked with FF1.5. There did not seem to be any available at FF's addons site.

...Bob

 

Hi Bob,

Post your question on the Netscape/Mozilla forum section here: http://www.windowsbbs.com/forumdisplay.php?f=5

They can give up to the minute info on FF and WU.

Regards - Charles