How to perform a repair installation of Windows XP if a later version of Internet Explorer is installed

For more information about reinstalling Internet Explorer if you have already repaired Windows XP, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Before you perform a repair installation of Windows XP, you must uninstall any later version of Internet Explorer. If you do not uninstall the later version of Internet Explorer in this situation, Internet Explorer will no longer work after the repair installation of Windows XP is completed. Specifically, the repair installation does not restore earlier versions of the files in the Program Files\Internet Explorer folder. Therefore, the later version files for Internet Explorer will be incompatible with the Internet Explorer 6 files that are installed in the Windows\System32 folder when you repair the Windows XP installation.

If you performed a repair installation of Windows XP but did not uninstall any later version of Internet Explorer, Internet Explorer will not run. To troubleshoot this issue, follow these steps.

Verify the version of Windows XP that is installed on the computer

1. Click Start, click Run, type Winver.exe in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In the About Windows dialog box, verify the version of Windows XP that is installed on the computer.

If Windows XP Service Pack 2 (SP2) or Windows XP Service Pack 3 (SP3) is installed on the computer

If Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3 is installed on the computer, uninstall the later version of Internet Explorer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In the Currently installed programs list, click Windows Internet Explorer 7, or click Windows Internet Explorer 8, and then click Remove.

If Internet Explorer is not listed in the Currently installed programs list, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer in the Recovery Console. For more information about how to use the Recovery Console, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   307654  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654/ ) How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP
2. Type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
   
   For Windows Internet Explorer 8
   CD ie8\spuninst
   batch Spuninst.txt
   
   For Windows Internet Explorer 7
   CD ie7\spuninst
   batch Spuninst.txt

If Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3 is not installed on the computer

If Windows XP SP2 or Windows XP SP3 is not installed on the computer, uninstall the later version of Internet Explorer. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, click Run, type appwiz.cpl in the Open box, and then click OK.
2. In the Currently installed programs list, click Internet Explorer 7 or click Internet Explorer 8, and then click Remove.

If Internet Explorer is not listed in the Currently installed programs list, follow these steps:

1. Open a command prompt.
2. Type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
   
   For Windows Internet Explorer 8
   cd \Windows\ie8\Spuninst
   batch Spuninst.txt
   Note The ie8 folder is a hidden folder.
   
   For Windows Internet Explorer 7
   cd \Windows\ie7\Spuninst
   batch Spuninst.txt
   Note The ie7 folder is a hidden folder.

If Internet Explorer cannot be uninstalled, but if the Windows\ie7\Spuninst folder or the Windows\ie8\Spuninst folder exists, uninstall Internet Explorer in the Recovery Console. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Restart the computer in the Recovery Console. For more information about how to use the Recovery Console, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   307654  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/307654/ ) How to install and use the Recovery Console in Windows XP
2. Type the following commands, and then press ENTER after each command:
   
   For Windows Internet Explorer 8
   CD ie8\spuninst
   batch Spuninst.txt
   For Windows Internet Explorer 7
   CD ie7\spuninst
   batch Spuninst.txt
3. Insert the Windows XP installation CD into the computer's CD drive, and then restart the computer.
4. Perform a Repair installation of Windows XP. After the Repair installation process is complete, start Internet Explorer 6, and then make sure that it works.
5. Install the latest service pack for Windows XP.
   For more information, click the following article number to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
   322389  (http://support.microsoft.com/kb/322389/ ) How to obtain the latest Windows XP service pack

Reinstall the later version of Internet Explorer

When Windows XP has been repaired and is running correctly, reinstall the later version of Internet Explorer. To reinstall Internet Explorer 7 or Internet Explorer 8, you must have the Internet Explorer installation package. This installation package may still be on the computer from the first time that you installed the later version of Internet Explorer. Locate the installation package in the folder in which you saved the files.

Note This package may be located in the Temporary Internet Files folder.

If you cannot locate the Internet Explorer installation package, visit the following Microsoft Web site to obtain the latest version of Internet Explorer: To connect to the Microsoft download site, you must have a functional Web browser. If Internet Explorer 6 does not work on the computer after you uninstall the later version of Internet Explorer, you cannot download the Internet Explorer installation package. Therefore, you will have to use a computer that has a functional Web browser to download the Internet Explorer installation package. Then, use a shared network drive to install the program from the downloaded installation package on this other computer onto the repaired computer. If you cannot use a shared network for this purpose, copy the Internet Explorer installation package onto a CD on the second computer. Then, use this CD to install Internet Explorer on the first computer.