Installing IE6 has wrecked explorer

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Tage Korsdal Nielsen - 25 Sep 2006 20:49 GMT

I wanted to help my neighbors getting the newest messenger on their 6
year old Win ME PC.

First I installed Messenger, then it asked for a new IE, which I accepted.

This has wrecked explorer. Immediately after login I get the following
message: "Explorer has caused an error in Browseui.dll". THERE GOES THE
NEIGHBORHOOD!! ;-)

I have tried the steps suggested in Q289799 without success, running
scanreg /fix from a ME boot disk (downloaded from allbootdisks.com - the
original ME CD-ROM was gone). This changed nothing.

1) Is there any way, besides installing ME all over again, I can recover
from this?

2) Is it not possible to install new versions of IE and Messenger on ME?
(Should I have installed some service packs to ME first?)

Please help me save my precious neighborhood!
Thanx!

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Mike M - 25 Sep 2006 21:15 GMT

The first thing you should try is repairing Internet Explorer. Add/Remove
Programs, select IE6 and then select Repair from the options presented.

If IE6 does not appear in Add/Remove programs repairing is a little more
complicated so instead use Start | Run and in the box type (all as one
line):

rundll32 setupwbv.dll,IE5Maintenance "C:\Program Files\Internet
Explorer\Setup\SETUP.EXE" /g "C:\Windows\IE Uninstall Log.Txt"

Keep the spaces (after ll32, ance, Program, rnet, EXE", /g, \IE and tall)
and also the quote marks. Now click OK and follow the prompts.

See MS KB 194177 - "Description of the Internet Explorer Repair tool"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=194177). This article also applies to
IE6 although not mentioned in the article.

Signature

Mike Maltby
MS-MVP Windows
mike.maltby@gmail.com

> I wanted to help my neighbors getting the newest messenger on their 6
> year old Win ME PC.
[quoted text clipped - 17 lines]
> Please help me save my precious neighborhood!
> Thanx!

Reply to this Message

Tage Korsdal Nielsen - 25 Sep 2006 21:33 GMT

> The first thing you should try is repairing Internet Explorer.
> Add/Remove Programs, select IE6 and then select Repair from the options
[quoted text clipped - 13 lines]
> (http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=194177). This article also applies to
> IE6 although not mentioned in the article.

How do I start programs without the explorer? (Note: The problem is
starting explorer: I don't have a normal windows desktop, just the
background from the login, and hence no "Start" button). In XP
Ctrl-Alt-del and the "New Task" button can get you going without
explorer - how does one do that on ME?

..sorry, I never used ME myself, so I'm somewhat crippled here.

Thanx

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Mike M - 25 Sep 2006 21:45 GMT

You didn't mention that fact previously. It is possible to start Win Me
and see an error message involving browseui.dll. What happens if you try
booting to Safe Mode? If that fails you might want to try system restore.
There is a method of doing this without launching Explorer. I'll post
details if you can't use Safe Mode.

Signature

Mike Maltby
MS-MVP Windows
mike.maltby@gmail.com

> How do I start programs without the explorer? (Note: The problem is
> starting explorer: I don't have a normal windows desktop, just the
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> ..sorry, I never used ME myself, so I'm somewhat crippled here.

Reply to this Message

Tage Korsdal Nielsen - 25 Sep 2006 22:00 GMT

> You didn't mention that fact previously.

Well, in my first post I _meant_ "explorer" as in explorer.exe for the
windows desktop, not "Internet Explorer". Sorry for the confusion.

It is possible to start Win Me

> and see an error message involving browseui.dll. What happens if you
> try booting to Safe Mode?

I can't get the windows desktop in safe mode either. I guess the problem
is an old "explorer.exe" that can not use a newer browseui.dll

If that fails you might want to try system

> restore. There is a method of doing this without launching Explorer.
> I'll post details if you can't use Safe Mode.

Yes please! ;-)

Thanx alot!

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Mike M - 25 Sep 2006 22:55 GMT

Yes, you said Explorer but didn't say that you could not boot. Once again
users can encounter many errors with Explorer including ones involving
browseui.dll and still boot their systems. I mentioned repairing Internet
Explorer since Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer are closely linked
with browseui.dll being part of IE.

You mentioned having tried scanreg /fix but I don't know whether you also
tried using scanreg /restore. Boot to an A:\> DOS prompt using a Win Me
boot floppy and at the DOS prompt enter
SCANREG /RESTORE
choose a date from the five offered that predates your installing IE6.
This may get Win Me up and running after which use system restore and roll
back to before you installed IE6.

If scanreg /restore doesn't get you going then let's see if you can get to
and use System Restore without having to launch Explorer (that's the
desktop, etc.).

The method that follows requires you to boot to DOS using your boot floppy
and editing C:\Windows\system.ini and replacing the line
shell=explorer.exe with one reading
shell=C:\windows\system\restore\rstrui.exe
Now remove the EBD and see if you can start Win Me and boot direct into
System Restore. For more details see KB 279736 "How to Start the System
Restore Tool from a Command Prompt"
(http://support.microsoft.com?kbid=279736) which mentions using
progman.exe after which you can then locate and run rstrui.exe however
using rstrui.exe as above works equally well and saves a couple of steps.

Signature

Mike Maltby
MS-MVP Windows
mike.maltby@gmail.com

>> You didn't mention that fact previously.
> Well, in my first post I _meant_ "explorer" as in explorer.exe for the
[quoted text clipped - 12 lines]
>
> Thanx alot!

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Tage Korsdal Nielsen - 26 Sep 2006 21:58 GMT

Tried this, and could get progman.exe running, but no window ever showed
up when I started rstrui.exe, even though it were present in the task
manager list.

I guess re installation is my only alternative now.

Thanks Mike for your good advices!!

Rgds
Tage

> Yes, you said Explorer but didn't say that you could not boot. Once
> again users can encounter many errors with Explorer including ones
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
> progman.exe after which you can then locate and run rstrui.exe however
> using rstrui.exe as above works equally well and saves a couple of steps.

Reply to this Message

Mike M - 26 Sep 2006 22:57 GMT

I don't know why you used progman.exe, why didn't you do as I suggested
and set shell=C:\windows\system\restore\rstrui.exe? I guess you must have
had your reasons. You also have made no mention of the effect of running
scanreg /restore.

If you want to reinstall Win Me then don't let me stop you although I feel
it is not necessarily the best way to go.

Signature

Mike Maltby
mike.maltby@gmail.com

> Tried this, and could get progman.exe running, but no window ever
> showed up when I started rstrui.exe, even though it were present in
[quoted text clipped - 3 lines]
>
> Thanks Mike for your good advices!!

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