"Installation is incomplete" error message when you try to install Internet Explorer 4.0 on a Windows 95-based computer

When you install Internet Explorer on a Windows 95-based computer, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following message: When you click OK, your computer restarts and Internet Explorer Setup finishes. The component or program listed in the error message may appear with Internet Explorer on the Start menu. You may also receive error messages as you attempt to configure or use the component or program.

If you attempt to add an optional component after installing Internet Explorer, you may receive an error message that is similar to the following message:

This behavior can occur if the following registry key exceeds 64K in size or will exceed 64K after the installation of the program or component: Windows 95 has registry keys that are limited to 64K in size. This behavior can occur with any program that adds entries to this registry location.

To resolve this problem, obtain Internet Explorer 4.01. To do so, visit the following Microsoft Web site:

To work around this behavior, reduce the number of entries in the registry key. To do so, follow these steps:

WARNING Using Registry Editor incorrectly can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows 95. Microsoft cannot guarantee that problems resulting from the incorrect use of Registry Editor can be solved. Use Registry Editor at your own risk.

For information about how to edit the registry, view the Changing Keys and Values online Help topic in Registry Editor (Regedit.exe). Note that you should make a backup copy of the registry files (System.dat and User.dat) before you edit the registry.

1. Use Registry Editor to examine the following registry key:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\SharedDLLs
2. Decide which programs you want to remove.
   
   Note One way you can decide which programs to remove is to scroll through the entries in the SharedDlls key and note which program names are listed the largest number of times. These programs have the most entries in the key, and removing the programs reduces the size of the key.
3. Quit Registry Editor, and then uninstall the programs whose entries you want to remove from the registry key.
   
   Note Do not delete entries in the registry key manually. Doing so may cause other programs not to run correctly.

You can also work around this behavior by temporarily removing these entries and then installing Outlook Express. To do so, follow these steps:

1. Use Registry Editor to navigate to the registry key listed above.
2. On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File.
3. Type a name for the registry file, and then click Save. This creates a file on the desktop.
4. Click all the entries in the key, click Delete on the Edit menu, and then quit Registry Editor.
5. Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double- click Add/Remove Programs.
6. Click Microsoft Internet Explorer 4.0, and then click Add/Remove.
7. Click "Add a component to Internet Explorer," and then click OK.
8. If necessary, click Yes when you are prompted to connect to your Internet service provider (ISP).
9. Click Yes when you receive the following prompt:
   Active Setup is about to determine what Internet components are installed on your computer. Is this OK?
10. Click the Microsoft Outlook Express check box to select it, and then click Next.
11. In the Please Select A Download Site box, click a site, and then click Install Now.
12. Click OK when you receive the message "Installation Summary: Microsoft Outlook Express - Succeeded."
13. Click Yes when you are prompted to restart your computer.
14. On the Desktop, double click the registry file you created in step 3. You may receive the following error message, and then click OK:
    Cannot import C:\WINDOWS\DESKTOP\<shared.reg>: Error writing to the registry
    This error message typically occurs because not all the registry keys can be imported.

Note You may receive error messages from programs that reference entries in this key that were not imported.

The behavior described in this article is known to occur if you are trying to install Internet Explorer or any of the following programs or components and the registry key listed above exceeds 64K in size:

• DirectAnimation
• DirectShow
• DirectX Layer
• Internet Connection Wizard
• Internet Explorer Classes for Java
• Microsoft Outlook Express
• Microsoft VM for Java
• Windows Desktop Update