ARCHIVED: In Windows, how do I repair Internet Explorer 5.x or 6.x?

• Internet Explorer 6.x
• Internet Explorer 5.x

Internet Explorer 6.x

Internet Explorer 6.x is very tightly integrated into Windows, more so than other programs. Microsoft does not offer any way to repair it through the Add/Remove Programs control panel. To repair or reinstall the browser:

To repair by scanning for missing or corrupted files

1. From the Start menu, select Run....
2. In the "Open:" field, enter sfc /scannow.

   Note: There is a space between sfc and /scannow.

3. Click OK.
4. You will be prompted to provide the Windows CD. Put your CD in the proper drive and follow the prompts.
5. Reboot the computer when System File Checker completes.

To repair by reinstalling Internet Explorer

1. From the Start menu, select Search. If you're using the Windows XP Classic Start menu, then select For Files or Folders....
2. Click All files and folders. Select More Advanced Options and click to place a checkmark beside Search hidden files and folders.
3. Ensure that Search system folders and Search subfolders are also checked.
4. In the "All or part of the file name:" field, enter ie.inf.
5. In the "Look in:" drop-down menu, select C: or the letter of the hard drive that contains the Windows folder. Then click the Search button.
6. In the search results pane, right-click the ie.inf file located in the Windows\Inf folder and select Install.
7. Reboot the computer when the file copy process is complete.

The instructions above are based on the Elder Geek's Repair Internet Explorer 6 page.

Editing the registry to make Windows accept a full reinstallation of Internet Explorer

If the above doesn't help, you can download and reinstall Internet Explorer, but you have to edit the registry so that Windows allows this.

1. From the Start menu, select Run....
2. In the "Open:" field, enter regedit.
3. Navigate to this key:

     HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Active Setup\Installed Components\{89820200-ECBD-11cf-8B85-00AA005B4383}

4. In the right pane, right-click the IsInstalled(REG_DWORD) value and select Modify.
5. In the "Value data:" field, change the 1 (one) to a 0 (zero).
6. Click OK, and then close the Registry Editor.

When you're finished, you can download and reinstall Internet Explorer. If you're an Indiana University student, faculty member, or staff member, you can download it from IUware Online at:

  http://iuware.iu.edu/

Alternatively, you can download Internet Explorer from Microsoft's Windows Update page at:

  http://windowsupdate.microsoft.com/

This page should offer Internet Explorer 6 and all its patches as a critical update. Remember to keep revisiting Windows Update until it no longer shows any critical updates.

The information above is based on Microsoft Help and Support article 318378 and information from Experts Exchange.

Internet Explorer 5.x

For Internet Explorer 5, the Internet Explorer repair tool includes features that will:

• Identify Internet Explorer problems caused by out-of-date files
• Fix problems caused by incorrect or incomplete registration of files
• Restore or repair desktop or Start menu shortcut commands for Internet Explorer that have been deleted or do not function properly

To use the Internet Explorer repair tool:

1. Click Start and select Settings, then Control Panel. Double-click Add/Remove Programs.
2. Select the Install/Uninstall tab.
3. In the list of software in the bottom half of the window, click Microsoft Internet Explorer 5. Then click Add/Remove.
4. Click the radio button next to Repair the current installation of Internet Explorer, and then click OK.
5. You may see a prompt that asks if you want to repair your version of Internet Explorer; if so, click Yes.

If the repair tool detects an error, it might correct it automatically; in this case, you will need to restart your computer to complete the repair process. For certain types of errors, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following:

"Internet Explorer 5 cannot be repaired. Please reinstall Internet Explorer 5."

If you click Details, you may receive an explanation for the problem. For example, you may receive a message similar to one of the following:

"Internet Explorer 5 cannot be repaired due to the following errors: File file_name is missing."

"Internet Explorer 5 cannot be repaired due to the following errors: Version 4.72.3110.0 of file file_name exists but needs to be greater than 5.0.808.1000."

To resolve the problems that are associated with these error messages, reinstall Internet Explorer 5.