Windows XP Repair and IE 7 or 8

Just a quick note to report on my ongoing, excruciating, Windows XP issues. Customer machine got compromised by AdwarePro (run away, run away). Summary - all enteries in Device Manager were gone, erased, history. Tried every conceivable tool to recover the Devices. Just did a Windows XP Pro 64bit Repair install. Internet Explorer would not work. Now what?

Read Knowledge Base 917964 - "Before you perform a repair installation of Windows XP, you must uninstall Internet Explorer 7 and/or Internet Explorer 8 from the Windows XP based computer." NOW YOU TELL ME!!

Associated Knowledge Base that others in my boat will likely need: 307654 (Recovery Console) and 318378 (reinstall or repair Internet Explorer).

Bon Appetit

 

Thank you for responding, Steve.

I wasn't asking a question so much as posting what I had found regarding Windows XP "Repair" and IE 7 and IE 8.

Follow up to that posting from earlier - all attempts to revive Internet Explorer on the customer's Windows XP Pro x64 box has come to nothing. If I launch Internet Explorer 32bit, IE appears to come up (I have it configured w/ about:blank) but when I key a URL, Firefox gets launched and responds with the web site. Firefox suits me just fine but the customer explicitly wants IE.

Would appreciate any other ideas or experiences. Next step otherwise is a wipe and reinstall.

 

Have you set IE to be the default browser?

Open IE> Tools > Internet Options > Programs Tab > tag box labeled "Internet Explorer should check to see whether it is the default browser. "

Close IE and reopen it. You should get a message asking if you want to make IE the default browser. Set it to be the default and see if that fixes the problem.

BTW, why not uninstall Firefox if the customer doesn't want it?

 

TNX Surferdude2.

IE is not functioning. When we attempt to navigate the menus, we get various errors - dlls or modules missing. Earlier on, I went to the Internet Options>Program Tabs> spot and the tag box is not there! I may try uninstalling Firefox as I still have the install program on disk and could put it back if IE is still dead.

This just keeps getting weirder by the moment. If this were my machine, I would keep trying to determine WHAT is going on. Need to get the customer back and running. Not a lot of other programs loaded on so a clean install is not a big problem.

I have seen posts (on other sites) about a registry key for Internet Explorer marking it as "installed or not installed. "

Thought the group would benefit by seeing KB 917964.

 

I understand your dilemma with it being someone else's computer.

Here are some other links I had stored for IE that may prove useful to you:

http://support.microsoft.com/default.aspx?scid=kb;EN-US;q318378

and

http://www.theeldergeek.com/repair_reinstall_ie_and_oe_6.htm

The eldergeek link will give you the proper Reg Key to edit for fooling the system into installing IE fresh.

 

TNX again surferdude2,

I did try to uninstall Firefox and found the link for the "IsInstalled" Dword. Powered the system off to allow the updates process to run. Powered back on and ran sfc /scannow which tried to reinstall IE 6 from the install CD. It looked promising but ended up being all borked. Took me two tries to get Windows XP Pro x64 reinstalled as loading the sound drivers for the motherboard didn't play nice the first time. Sigh.