To troubleshoot this issue, use the following methods in
the order that they are presented. NOTE: Because there are several versions of Microsoft Windows, the
following steps may be different on your computer. If they are, see your
product documentation to complete these steps.
If you have more than 256 megabytes (MB) of random-access memory
(RAM) installed, remove or limit the RAM that Windows uses to 256 MB or less.
Microsoft Windows 95
If you are running Windows 95, you can use a RAM drive to limit
the RAM that is available to Windows.
For additional
information about how to use a RAM drive to limit the available memory, click
the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge
Base:
142546
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/142546/
)
How to use a RAM drive to troubleshoot memory
Microsoft Windows Millennium Edition (Me) or Microsoft Windows 98
If you are running Windows Me, Windows 98 Second Edition, or
Windows 98, use the System Configuration utility to limit the RAM that is
available to Windows:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type msconfig, and then click OK.
Click Advanced, and the click to select the Limit memory to
check box.
In the MB box, type the memory value to which you want to limit Windows,
for example, 256.
Click OK twice, and then click Yes to restart the computer.
Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0
If you are running Windows 2000 or Windows NT 4.0, edit the
Boot.ini file to limit the memory that is available to Windows. Add the
following switch to the ARC path in the [Operating System] section of the
Boot.ini file, where amount of RAM is the RAM that
you want to allow Windows to use.
/MAXMEM=amount of RAM
For example, the following ARC path limits Windows
to 256 MB of RAM:
multi(0)disk(0)rdisk(0)partition(1)\WINNT="Microsoft Windows 2000 Server" /fastdetect /MAXMEM=256
NOTE: The Boot.ini file is a hidden file located in the root folder of
the boot drive.
Use the following procedure to edit the Boot.ini
file.
Warning: If you incorrectly change the Boot.ini file, you may render
Windows inoperable.
Log on to Windows NT 4.0 or Windows 2000 as an
administrator.
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type cmd, and then click OK.
Change to the root folder of the boot partition. For
example, type cd\ if you do not have a multiple-boot
configuration.
Type attrib -a -h -s boot.ini, and
then press ENTER.
Type copy boot.ini
boot.old.
NOTE: If you run this command, Windows creates a backup copy of the
Boot.ini file and names it "Boot.old."
Type edit boot.ini, and then press
ENTER.
Use the arrow keys to move to the end of the ARC path that
you want to change under [operating systems].
Type /MAXMEM=256.
Press ALT+F, and then press S.
Press ALT+F, and then press X.
Type attrib +a +s +h boot.ini, and
then press ENTER.
Type exit, and then press
ENTER.
Restart the computer.
Try to upgrade or install Internet Explorer. If you are
unsuccessful, proceed to the following method.
Method 3: Verify the Size and the Location of the Swap File
Verify that the computer contains a swap file, and that it is
larger than the RAM that is currently installed on the computer. If possible,
move the swap file to a different partition on the computer. To verify the swap
file settings, follow the steps in the appropriate section.
Windows Me, Windows 98, and Windows 95
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Click the Performance tab, note the value of RAM that is installed on the computer that
is listed next to Memory, and then click Virtual Memory.
If Let Windows manage my virtual memory
settings (Recommended) is selected, the disk that hosts the Windows
folder also contains the swap file and Windows determines the swap file
size.
If Let me specify my own virtual memory
settings is selected, the Hard disk box displays the
swap file disk.
Click Let me specify my own virtual memory
settings if it is not already selected.
In the Hard disk box, select a partition
other than the one on which Windows is installed (if there is one
available).
In the Minimum box, select or type a value that is greater than the RAM that is
already installed on the computer.
In the Maximum box, type or select a value that is greater than or equal to the
value in the Minimum box.
Click OK, and then click Yes on the Confirm Virtual Memory Settings message that appears.
Click Close, and then click Yes when you are prompted to restart the computer.
Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0
Log on to the computer as an administrator.
Click Start, point to Settings, click Control Panel, and then double-click System.
Note the RAM value that is displayed under Computer.
Click the Advanced tab, and then click Performance Options.
NOTE: In Windows NT 4.0, click the Performance tab.
Under Virtual memory, click Change.
Under Total paging file size for all
drives, note the paging file size that is listed next to
Currently allocated.
To change the size of the paging file, follow these
steps:
In the Initial size (MB) box, type
a value that is at least 12 MB greater than the RAM that is installed on the
computer.
In the Maximum size (MB) box, type
the maximum size that you want the paging file to grow, and then click Set.
To move the paging file to a different partition,
follow these steps:
In the Drive [Volume Label] list, click the partition to which you want to move the paging
file.
In the Initial size (MB) box, type
a value that is at least 12 MB greater than the RAM that is installed on the
computer.
In the Maximum size (MB) box, type
the maximum size that you want the paging file to grow, and then click Set.
In the Drive [Volume Label] list, click the partition on which Windows is
installed.
In the Initial size (MB) box, type
0.
In the Maximum size (MB) box, type
0, and then click Set.
On the System Control Panel
message that appears, click Yes to confirm the pagefile setting that is less than the RAM that is
installed on the computer.
Click OK.
If you receive the following message, click OK:
The changes you have made require you to restart your computer before they can take effect.
Click OK twice, and then click Yes to restart the computer.
Try to upgrade or install Internet Explorer. If you are
unsuccessful, proceed to the following method.
To do so, follow the procedure in the appropriate
section.
NOTE: Some of these files may not be present on the
computer.
Warning: Do not delete the Wintrust.dll file.
Windows Me, Windows 98, and Windows 95
Start Windows in Safe mode. For additional information about starting
Windows in Safe mode, click the following article numbers to view the articles
in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
180902
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/180902/
)
How to start a Windows 98-based computer in safe mode
122051
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/122051/
)
How Windows 95 performs a safe-mode start
Start Windows Explorer.
On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
Click the View tab.
Click Show hidden files and folders, click
to clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check
box, and then click OK.
Browse to the following location, where
drive is the drive on which Windows is installed:
drive:\Windows\System
Right-click a file from the preceding list, and then click Rename.
Rename the .dll file name extension to
.old, and then press ENTER.
Follow steps 7 and 8 to rename each of the DLL files from
the preceding list that are present on the computer.
Windows 2000 and Windows NT 4.0
Start Windows Explorer.
Click Folder Options on the Tools menu.
NOTE: In Windows NT 4.0, click Options on the View menu.
Click the View tab.
Click Show hidden files and folders, click
to clear the Hide file extensions for known file types check
box, and then click OK.
Browse to the following location, where
drive is the drive on which Windows is installed:
drive:\Winnt\System32
Right-click a file from the preceding list, and then click Rename.
Rename the .dll file name extension to
.old, and then press ENTER.
Follow steps 6 and 7 to rename each of the DLL files from
the preceding list that are present on the computer.
Step 2: Rename the Setup Log Files
Rename the Active Setup Log.txt and the Internet Explorer Setup
Log.txt files if these files are present. To do so, follow the procedure in the
appropriate section.
Windows NT 4.0, Windows 98, and Windows 95
Click Start, point to Find, and then click Files or Folders.
In the Named box, type "Active Setup Log.txt";" IE Setup
Log.txt".
In the Look in list, select My Computer, and then click Find Now.
In the list of found items, right-click Active Setup Log.txt, and then click Rename.
Rename Active Setup Log.txt to oldsetup
log.txt, and then press ENTER.
Right-click IE Setup Log.txt, and then click Rename.
Rename IE Setup Log.txt to oldIE Setup
Log.txt, and then press ENTER.
On the File menu, click Close.
Windows 2000 and Windows Me
Click Start, point to Search, and then click For Files or Folders.
In the Search for files or folders named
box, type "Active Setup Log.txt";" IE Setup
Log.txt".
In the Look in list, select My Computer, and then click Search Now.
In the Search Results pane, right-click Active Setup Log.txt and then click Rename.
Rename Active Setup Log.txt to oldsetup
log.txt, and then press ENTER.
Right-click IE Setup Log.txt, and then click Rename.
Rename IE Setup Log.txt to oldIE Setup
Log.txt, and then press ENTER.
On the File menu, click Close.
Step 3: Remove the Windows Update Setup Files Folder
If the Windows Update Setup Files folder exists, delete it:
Start Windows Explorer, and then expand the folder in which
Windows is installed.
Right-click Windows Update Setup Files,
and then click Delete.
On the Confirm Folder Delete message that appears, click Yes.
If you are prompted to confirm the removal of files or
folders, click Yes to All.
Step 4: Delete Temporary Files
Delete the contents of the Temp folder:
In Windows Explorer, browse to the Temp folder.
On the Edit menu, click Select All.
On the File menu, click Delete.
If you are prompted to confirm the file or folder
deletions, click Yes.
Quit Windows Explorer.
Restart the computer.
Step 5: Edit the Windows Registry
Important This section, method, or task contains steps that tell you how to modify the registry. However, serious problems might occur if you modify the registry incorrectly. Therefore, make sure that you follow these steps carefully. For added protection, back up the registry before you modify it. Then, you can restore the registry if a problem occurs. For more information about how to back up and restore the registry, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
322756
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322756/
)
How to back up and restore the registry in Windows
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In Registry Editor, locate and click the following registry
subkey:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Active Setup
On the Registry menu, click Export Registry File.
In the File name box, type
active setup, and then click Save.
On the Edit menu, click Delete.
On the Confirm Key Delete message that appears, click Yes.
Follow steps 3 through 7 to export, and then to delete each
of the following registry keys:
HKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTARE\Microsoft\Internet Explorer
In the right pane of the Registry Editor window, double-click ProgramFilesDir.
If the correct path to the Program Files folder is not
displayed in the Value data box, type the correct path to the
Program Files folder. For example, type C:\Program
Files.
Click OK.
Double-click ProgramFilesPath.
If %Program Files% is not displayed in the Value data box, type
%Program Files%.
Click OK.
Quit Registry Editor.
NOTE: Do not restart the computer at this time.
Step 7: Disconnect Mapped Network Drives
If your computer has drive letters mapped to network shares,
disconnect them:
On the desktop, double-click My Computer.
Right-click the network drive that you want to change (the
drive appears as a drive icon with an attached network connection), and then
click Disconnect.
Step 8: Replace the Winhlp32.exe File
NOTE: Even though you do not have to perform this step to troubleshoot
this issue, if you do so, numerous DLL-related messages do not appear if you
try to install or upgrade Internet Explorer.
NOTE: This step is only applicable if you are running Windows 2000 or
Windows NT 4.0.
Start Windows Explorer, and then browse to the following
location, where drive is the drive on which Windows
is installed:
drive:\Winnt
In the right pane, right-click Winhlp32.exe, and then click Copy.
Browse to the following folder:
drive:\Winnt\System32
In the right pane, right-click Winhlp32.exe, and then click Rename.
Rename Winhlp32.exe to Winhlp32.old,
and then press ENTER.
If you are prompted to confirm the changing of
the file name extension, click Yes.
On the Edit menu, click Paste.
Quit Windows Explorer.
Step 9: Install Internet Explorer
Try to upgrade or install Internet Explorer using the following
methods in the order that they are presented:
Install Internet Explorer from the following Microsoft Web
site:
Install Internet Explorer from the Internet Explorer
compact disc (CD).
Copy the Internet Explorer installation files to the local
hard disk, and then run Setup from the local hard disk.
Install Internet Explorer to a folder other than the
following default installation folders:
drive:\Program Files\Plus!\Microsoft Internet
-or-
drive:\Program Files\Internet Explorer
NOTE: If you try to install Internet Explorer, you may receive the
following error message:
A previous program installation
was never completed. You need to restart your computer to complete that
installation before running Internet Explorer Setup. Setup will now close.
To resolve this issue, follow these steps:
Click Start, and then click Run.
In the Open box, type regedit, and then click OK.
In Registry Editor, locate and click the following registry
subkey:
For additional information about
paging file size on Windows 2000 domain controllers, click the following
article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
216899
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/216899/
)
Best practice methods for Windows 2000 domain controller setup
For additional
information about how to use the Add or Remove Programs control panel to remove
Internet Explorer on Windows 2000, click the following article number to view
the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
265829
(http://support.microsoft.com/kb/265829/
)
Add\Remove Programs tool may not work after installing Internet Explorer 5.5 or Internet Explorer 6 on Windows 2000