Need help on mom's computer

I'm at my mom's trying to update some of her programs on her computer (XP Home and it is a brand new harddrive) and I noticed there were several Windows updates ready to be installed so I clicked on the ballon to do so. I hadn't noticed until the installs were done that it also installed IE 7 of which she probably won't use because I have her using Firefox 2.0. Anyway now her Outlook Express will only open after a fresh reboot. If you open it, close it and then try to reopen again it won't. I can reboot and it will open for the first time only and when it does open it always says it was not shut down properly.

I panicked and did a system restore and probably should have tried uninstalling EI 7 first but I didn't. System restore did not change the way OE behaves and so I tried reinstalling IE 7 but still the same results. I'm assuming OE's behavior was caused by installing IE 7 but I guess I can't be completely sure but as far as I know it worked correctly before that.

Can someone help me get this fixed and hopefully that doesn't involve reinstalling Windows because we just got this out of the shop having had to install a new harddrive and Windows.

 

MS-MVP Robear Dyer wrote on automatic install of IE 7:

In this case, see if the installer stub is left in Control Panel, Add/Remove programs. If so, try that first.

I no joy, see how to call SPUNINST.EXE directly in these notes: http://msdn2.microsoft.com/ie/Aa740486

If still no joy, do a pure reinstall of IE 6 SP2. Follow carefully MS-MVP Dan Petri's notes here: http://www.petri.co.il/reinstall_ie_6_on_xp.htm

And a personal note: System Restore is not designed, intended or particularly good as a software uninstaller. Please for the next time use traditional methods such as Add/Remove. See the "King" of System Restore MS-MVP Bert Kinney's explanation of why SR should never be used as an uninstaller: http://bertk.mvps.org/html/body_tips.html#UninstallApplication

 

Well since this is a new harddrive there were alot of updates so IE 7 was mixed in with the other updates. I was watching the screen install each update and I noticed IE 7 when it came up. Since I did a System Restore I had to reinstall all the updates again and I did notice this time IE 7 was listed and checked to install, at least this is what I think happened. I think it was checked to install and it was my responsibility to uncheck it.

 

You will get no argument with me, I do not think IE should have been distributed through Windows Update at all.

You can resolve your Mom's computer issue, and have IE 7, and have a working Outlook Express, by following exactly Sandi Hardemeir's instructions: http://www.ie-vista.com/known_issues.html#pre-install

To summarize:

• Install IE 7 from a download, not through Windows Update;
• Disable all AV, firewall, and anti-spyware applications. For some firewall products, notably Zone Alarm, uninstall them. There is no alternative. See Sandi's notes on this above, and see the IE 7 Team writeup on this issue in general here: http://blogs.msdn.com/ie/archive/2006/10/11/IE7-Installation-and-Anti_2D00_Malware-Applications.aspx
• Install from Safe Mode with networking, not Normal mode.

There are no significant issues with IE 7 and Outlook Express. There are serious issues if the installation of IE 7 was "horked" by violating the rules outlined above.

Re-enable your applications that you disabled earlier.

Best wishes.

 

Okay I'm a little confused here, I don't really care if IE 7 is installed or not I just need to get Outlook Express fixed. I went ahead and uninstalled IE 7 from Add/Remove. I'm just so, so when it comes to installing Windows or anything from the Windows cd. So I just do the following to fix Outlook Express:

How do I reinstall Internet Explorer 6.0 on my XP machine?

Sometimes you may want to reinstall IE 6.0 from your XP CD.

To do so follow these steps:

1.

Insert the Windows XP CD in your CD drive.
2.

Open Start / Run and type:

rundll32.exe setupapi,InstallHinfSection DefaultInstall 132 c:\windows\inf\ie.inf

(in one long line. Just copy/paste the above entry)

3.

Press ENTER

That's all? By doing this am I uninstalling and reinstalling Outlook Express with a clean copy?

 

Christer are saying that I would first go to Add/Remove and uninstall IE 6, then follow your link to reinstall IE? This should give me a clean copy of OE? Would there be any negatives involved with doing this like settings, etc. with reinstalling IE 6? I guess my mom's OE settings would be wiped out although I did make copies on my desktop (like you suggested) of her email folder and address book. Would this require setting up her email account again?

 

If Add/Remove worked without issue, you should now have IE 6. Test.

If you have issues remember what I first posted to you:

 

Dan Petri walks through the tree of possible IE installs. So, just in case you are one of those who do not like links, follow exactly this one: http://www.petri.co.il/download_the_full_ie_package.htm

 

I'm not trying to sound like a dummy but yes IE 7 is uninstalled and yes I now have IE 6 again but I'm trying to understand if you're saying to reinstall IE 6 again which would be installing over my current IE 6? I wish there was a simpler way to to deal with fixing OE so I don't accidently ***** up reinstalling IE 6 and further mess up my mom's computer. When you click on OE it tries to open but it's like something is keeping it from opening (no firewall installed).

 

The word used above after a successful uninstall of IE 7 was Test.

If you have a working IE 6, there is nothing further you need do.

For any go-forward steps relative to re-installing IE 7, this was discussed above at Post #6.

 

Are there any e-mails in OE? If so, what is in the Inbox, do they really matter if you loose them or not? If OE has to many KB's in the Inbox, it can refuse to open. You can try this. Start/Search/All files and folders and type in Outlook Express, click search. Under name in the next window when it comes up and starts finding them, where is says Outlook Express, (there should be 3 or 4 of them). Go to the one under In Folder that is C:\Documents and Settings\Her name (what ever it is)\Local Settings\Application Data\ etc. click on the Outlook Express under Name. Then go to Inbox.DBX and right click on it and choose Delete. It will get rebuilt automatically when you open OE up the next time.

 

MrBill I definitely would want to try this. Yes she has alot of emails in her OE if you include her Qurb (antispam program) blacklists within OE and it would be worth it loosing them if this fixed the problem. I just tried your instructions on my own computer though to see what I came up with and my search did not bring up C:\Documents and Settings\Her name (what ever it is)\Local Settings\Application Data\. I have listed four short cuts plus an Outlook Express folder but nothing with the above path.

 

I just tried it again on a 98SE, 3 XP Pro and 1 XP home and got my results on all 4 of them. Try it on her PC.

 

Okay thanks MrBill I will. She lives out in the country so I will try to run out the first of next week and give it a try.