want to update from IE v.4.7 to IE 5.0 or higher

admin note: posts 5-9 were merged from a related thread

I'm trying to help a friend (who has Windows 98) install some "security" (i.e., AVG, SpywareBlaster, ZoneAlarm free firewall, etc.) on her computer - but every time she tries to install one of these programs, she gets a message saying either some file is missing, or she needs IE v.5.0 or higher (she tells me her version is 4.7) in order to install.
I'd like to download what she needs, but I'm not sure what to get. First of all, I can't find anything at the MS download site specifically called "Internet Explorer 5.0" (or 5.5 or 6.0, for that matter). I see security patches and some service packs, but I don't think those are what she needs (or am I wrong?). A google search for IE5.0setup.exe doesn't give me anything, either. I see an IE 6 Service Pack 1, but I don't know if that's just for people who already have IE 6 ... or might that one be just the ticket?
When she tries to use "automatic updates ", she gets an error message as soon as IE opens. She says she has an MSN icon in the taskbar by her clock, which wasn't there until this past week (which she thinks coincides with when she started having trouble using the internet). She'll give me the exact error message tomorrow, but in the meantime I thought I'd see if anyone has anything to offer in the way of how I can download a more recent version of IE for her.
Assuming I do find an IE5.x exe file, would we have to uninstall her current version of IE before installing the newer version?
I have a laptop with Win98 on it, with IE5.5 -- is there a way I could copy what she needs from my own laptop?
Any help would be greatly appreciated! Thanks.
Thanks!

 

Hi rebecca
Here is the link for IE 6
IE 6 link

Don't know about the error message, Some one will help you out, The message would be helpful I'm sure.
Geri

 

Internet Explorer Service Pack 1 is the latest version of Internet Explorer, it is what you want to install.
IE5.5 SP2 or SP1 are no longer supported by MS, and they are not offering any new updates for anything earlier thanIE 6 SP1. You might find some updates for them, but they are old ones.

This version 4.7 sounds more like she is describing the MSN Messenger, as I am unaware of any IE 4.7. I would uninstall it, if not being used. Then again she clicked on something to get it there, which gets me to the following.
Check and see if the folder C:\Program Files\Messenger Plus!, or C:\Program Files\Common Files\WinTools exists. If either does exist, she definitely has some ad/spyware. There are others to check for, but these are the easiest to see, and would rather let Spybot and Ad-Aware do their things.

 

Thank you Geri and Mark!
I was wondering about spyware myself, which is why I wanted to install the gamut of security programs (Spybot S&D and AdAware included) - but since nothing seems to install right now, I thought I'd give a newer version of IE a shot first.
I'll post back later on today when I know more.
Forgot to ask again - will I need to uninstall the IE she has on her computer at present before installing the IE6 SP1 that I downloaded for her?

 

size of IE6 SP1 download doesn't seem right

Admin note: I merged this material from a new thread since it is a continuation of the same issue.


I just downloaded IE6 Service Pack 1 [aka, ie6setup.exe] (for a friend to install on her Win 98 computer; she apparently has an older version of IE at present) from the Microsoft Download Center, but I'm kind of perplexed about why the file is so small (480Kb). When my friend actually goes to install the program, will everything be right there, or will she have to connect to the internet? I know she'll have to update any patches and stuff afterwards separately, but can someone verify for me that this ie6setup.exe file is truly what she's looking for to simply update to the current version of IE?
Thanks!

 

You have the right file but you need to run the setup file in order to download the entire service pack. When you run the file you'll be given the option of a custom or advanced install (don't remember for sure what it is). Whatever, choose it and you'll then be given the option to download the entire service pack for installing later. You need to do this if you don't want your friend to have to download it.

 

rebecca --I may be all wet, but I do not believe your friend can just upgrade Win98 to XP without buying a retail version of WinXP. If you have an early version of WinXP, you can upgrade to the various service packs, but your friend cannot.
And is your friend's PC capable of handling XP? Requirements are here
http://windows.about.com/od/tipsarchive/l/aa011007a.htm
Finally, why does she want to only go to XP SP1 rather than SP2?
Perhaps Zander or others will correct me.

 

Pete is right, Jim - it's the version of IE I'm trying to upgrade on my friend's computer, not her OS. But I kind of had the same question lurking in my head somewhere, as I'm still not completely clear how the same ie6setup.exe file can be run on all the different versions of Windows. Still, apparently it can, so I won't rack my brain trying to figure out how/why this is so!

Zander,
I tried running the file on my computer, in the hopes of downloading the entire service pack, but I immediately got a message about the computer detecting that the installation had been interrupted previously, and did I want to resume or start fresh. I contemplated the "start fresh" option, but then I remembered: I think that was the critical update I tried installing on MY computer when I first bought it - the same one whose installation I never DID manage to pull off, and that subsequently caused me to have to reinstall Windows ME a couple of times. So I don't think I'm going to chance messing up MY machine again.
I'll go over to my friend's house next week and see if by actually having her computer in front of me, I can figure out what else we can try there.
Thanks for the help/suggestions!

 

rebecca--To try to salvage some degree of respectability, the key here would seem to be whether your connection to the internet is faster than your friend's. It is a 25-75MB download. If there is no difference, then have her/him do the entire download from his/her PC.
There are several ways to get the download. One is from Windows Update on your friend's PC. More details here
http://www.broomeman.com/support/wsiedown.html
Or get the CD from MS although that will cost $5.
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/ordercd/ie6sp1.mspx
Or perhaps this site will help to get the entire download on your hard drive.
http://www.updatexp.com/download-ie6.html

 

Wow, Welshjim, that last link you provided might be just what I've been looking for - download is in progress as I type. Thanks for your incredibly diligent searching - don't know how you tracked that one down, but I sure am grateful!
It's not that I think my internet connection is any faster than my friend's, it's that she gets an error message as soon as she tries opening up her browser, so I don't know that she'd be able to download anything.
I do think spyware/adware/hijacking or something along those lines is what did her in (her computer worked fine online until a couple of weeks ago), but like I said, all the security programs I've tried to get her to install apparently need a newer version than IE than what she has.
She's out of town for the weekend, so I won't be able to follow-up with her until next week, but if her computer IS infected, I wonder if the infection will zap her new version of IE as soon as it's installed as well.
Do you know if Hijack This can be run on Win98? Maybe I should try running that on her computer before doing anything else...
To be continued...

 

rebecca--I would definitely try to solve your friend's browser problems before installing the new version of IE .
She should see the suggestions here
http://www.windowsbbs.com/showthread.php?t=37074
To that list I would add SpywareBlaster
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/spywareblaster.html
I have never heard that AdAware, SpybotS&D or HiJackThis have problems running on PC's with versions of IE older than 6.0. The version of IE should be immaterial. And I ran AdAware for years on Win98.
P.S. If she cannot access these programs due to browser problems, you will have to download and install on her PC. I presume you have a CD/DVD burner and are copying everything there.
P.P.S. When IE6 is finally installed (cross-fingers) your friend should visit Windows Updates for all the recent Ccritical updates.

 

Once again, thanks Welshjim - will take your advice.
The only things I know for sure that my friend tried unsuccessfully to install were AVG and SpywareBlaster. The AVG setup gave her a message about needing something from Microsoft (when she first reported the message to me, it sounded like AVG setup wasn't even recognizing Windows on her system; later on she reported something about needing IE 5.0 or higher); I can't remember the exact message she got from SpywareBlaster - I think it was that some file was missing (from her computer). Another friend successfully installed all the security programs from this particular CD, so it's not that the exe files are corrupt or anything.
I'll try installing things personally next week, so that I can see exactly what the error messages are - but I won't install IE6 SP1 until I've dealt with the existing problems.

 

rebecca--Can't help with AVG since I do not run it, but SpywareBlaster does indicate the need for two MS files for proper installation and offers downloads if required
http://www.javacoolsoftware.com/downloadfaq.html
Maybe that will fix AVG installation also