Why would I want to do it?

There is only one reason to uninstall and reinstall Internet Explorer - because it's broke, and you've tried everything else!

So first - which part of it is broken? - have you trawled through the rest of this site to see what you can find? - have you asked around  the ME newsgroups? (is it them that pointed you here?) Have you searched Google for any similar problems (and Google Groups, particularly)?

What do I need to do first?

Print out these instructions for reference before you even think about using them!!!!!!!!!!!! (it would also be a good idea to copy/paste them to a TXT file on the desktop, since there's a couple of commands that are rather complex, and you can copy/paste them from there to the relevant area).

If possible, backup all your important data as a precaution. - especially back up your Favorites folder to another place (somewhere in My Documents would be good!)
Note that using IERadicator WILL break a number of things in ME - System Restore among them!!

I have included fixes for what I've found - please let me know if you find more!

Update your virus program and do a scan.

Download a copy of Ad-Aware from Lavasoft

Once downloaded, run the installer, then the program itself - use the included updater to get the latest files, and then run the scanner. Remove ALL items found. Reboot the machine, and run Ad-Aware again. Repeat the reboot/re-run until there are no items found.

Then ensure that the registry that we have currently is a 'good one' - by running 'SCANREG /FIX' from the Start | Run dialog box (windows will reboot - and you should be 'good to go')

Download IERadicator from here

Download the SRIERFix from here (right-click on the link and select 'Save Target as...)

Create and test a Startup Disk (Emergency Boot Disk) for Win ME

Make sure that you have a copy of a full IE install handy (AOL disks do have their uses!) - if you need to download one - look here for details

If you have Active Desktop enabled, then switch it off - it's likely to cause problems without Internet Explorer! (r-click on the desktop, select 'Properties', and click on the Web tab - Uncheck the 'Show Web content...' box and click Apply, and OK)

How to uninstall

Are you sure that you've got the IE installer handy? - then let's get on with it.

If you're using Norton Software of ANY kind, I recommend UNINSTALLING it before proceeding!!!

Disable the following programs -

your Anti-Virus (I ran this procedure with AVG 7 running and it worked OK - but YMMV)

Memory Managers (preferably uninstall them!)

GoBack - Uninstall it

Outlook Express - you need to Uninstall OE6 from the Add/Remove Programs Wizard BEFORE removing IE6 (the uninstall won't work properly if there's no OE5 data available) - so it's probably best to do that now, especially if you're not planning on reinstalling IE6 immediately. Remember to reboot after the uninstall!

Double-click on the IEradicator.ZIP file to open it (If it doesn't open, then you need to either install Compressed Folders from Add/Remove Programs | Windows |Windows Setup | System Tools, or install WinZip).

There's only two files we need from this - the IEradicator2001.exe and IEradicator.TXT files - do NOT click on the others (unless you want to really frighten yourself!<g>) - extract those to a new folder called IER2001.

Navigate to that folder, and double-click on the IEradicator.TXT file - read it, so that you understand the risks involved, and then close it - Then screw up your courage and double-click on the IEradicator2001.exe to start the removal process.

Accept the warning (after reading it!), and the license, and reboot on request.

OK - it's out - Now what?

After the machine has rebooted, wait five minutes, then reboot the machine again, just in case there is anything remaining to do.

At this point, one user reported that he got an error message 'Explorer has caused an error in Browseui.dll.....' - this was fixed by booting with a Startup floppy, and running the command "SCANREG   /FIX" (without the quotes) from the A:\> prompt.

Now we have to put IE back in again!

Reinstalling IE

Find the disk/drive that you put the installer into - and navigate to that in Windows Explorer.

In the case of an IE6SP1 installer - simply double-click on the IE6setup.exe file - and respond to the boxes that come up.

I would recommend that you accept the License<g>), then use the 'Install Minimal, or customize...' option, and then select a full install of all options (except the languages that you don't need) The system will tell you if there is anything it can't do (like installing WMP over a more recent version)

If the system comes up with requests for replacing newer files with old, refuse the request (unless you have good reason to think that there might be a problem with that file)

Once the install has finished, reboot on request

DO NOT BE TEMPTED to do any serious browsing on the internet until we have completed the rest of the fixes - Just do enough to ensure that you can connect to Windows Update! (and wait for that until *after* System Restore is fixed!!)

Cleaning up, and correcting problems

Unfortunately, IERadicator breaks a number of things in Windows ME - and we now have to correct them.

The most important is System Restore!!

You need to download the SRIERFix.REG file from here (if you haven't already done it), and then right-click on the file in Windows Explorer, and select Merge from the options list.

Reboot the PC - this should clear the old restore points (which are no good to you, since the chain was broken when IERadicator switched off SR)

Reboot to DOS (use option 3 - Without CD Support) using a Startup disk, and type the following commands (followed by [Enter])

ATTRIB -R -S -H C:\_RESTORE

REN C:\_RESTORE OLDREST

Remove the floppy, and reboot to Windows

In Windows - delete the C:\OLDREST folder (it  probably won't fit in the recycle bin, so allow windows to completely remove it)

Now we have to repair the 329115 patch which IERadicator has broken - Go to Windows Update, and do a scan for downloads there.

In the left pane, look under the 'See Also header - is 'Windows Update Catalog' listed? If not, see below.

If it is, than click on it, and select 'Find Updates for MS Windows operating systems'

Highlight 'Windows Millennium Edition', and click on Advanced search options

In the 'Contains these words' box type 329115 and click 'Search'

There should be a Single Critical patch - click on the entry, and then Add it to your Download basket, and go to the download basket - click on the Browse button, and browse to the Desktop icon, and click OK, then click 'Download Now'

Once it's downloaded, log off the Internet and close IE then double-click on the 'WU' folder created on your desktop, and keep burrowing down the 6 layers until you get to the 329115_ME.EXE file, and double-click on that. accept the warning, and install the patch.

Reboot

Now the JET package - without which Help & Support can't search

Download the JET Package, and run it - then reboot

You then need to go back to Windows Update, and get the latest Critical Patches for Internet Explorer - ALL of them!! (At this date, August 21st 2005 they are the following :- 823353, 8867801, 867282,837009,891781,887797,890923,883939,903235,896727 - for IE6SP1)

Note - to enable the Windows Update Catalog , you need to go to Windows Update, and scan for updates - when the scan is complete, in the left pane, you'll see a link to 'Personalize Windows Update' - click on that, and then put a checkmark in the 'Display the link to the Windows Update Catalog under See Also' box - save the settings, and the link should appear on the left.

How to check it out

This is really a case of going places that you normally go to, and making sure that things work.

Download Belarc Advisor from www.belarc.com, install and run it, and it will tell you if any patches are broken and need reinstalling - do so!!

If you have problems, then either email me, or visit the Microsoft Windows ME newsgroups - look here

What next? - I still have problems

If your System Restore isn't working - check through the other pages at Millennium PCHealth and System Restore

If Help & Support isn't working, (particularly if errors 2147143679 or 2147024891) show, then try the page Help & Support troubleshooting

If System Information is failing, then email me - I don't have an answer for you (yet), but the more information I get, the closer we can come to a resolution.

If there's any other problem, then I'm afraid it's back to searching out solutions in the newsgroups - at least this time, you'll know that the IE itself is OK, so the solution must lie outside it. Unfortunately, that could also mean that the error may take a long time to discover and solve:(

Other sources of help......

the newsgroups - this one is probably the best (just click on the link, if you use OE - it should open and create an account for you to start posting and reading the past posts. Outlook Express's Help files are pretty good, and it's my newsreader of choice for the MS groups

news://msnews.microsoft.com/microsoft.public.windowsme.internet

Jim Eshelman's Aumha.org - www.aumha.org/win4/ for general assistance with Win9x problems - and a good jumping-off point for elsewhere in the support world.