How to Reinstall or Repair Internet Explorer and Outlook Express in Windows XP (Q318378)

This article describes how to reinstall or repair Internet Explorer 6 and Outlook Express 6 in Windows XP. This may be necessary if you are having problems with Internet Explorer or Outlook Express because of damaged files or missing registration information.

IMPORTANT: After you use the procedures in this article, you must reinstall any updates to Windows XP again. To reinstall Windows XP updates, visit the following Microsoft Windows Update Web site, windowsupdate.microsoft.com.

By default, Internet Explorer 6 is pre-installed in all versions of Windows XP and cannot be un-installed. To provide computer manufacturers greater flexibility in configuring desktop versions of Windows XP, Microsoft has made it possible for OEMs, administrators, and users to remove user access to Internet Explorer while leaving the Internet Explorer code intact and fully functional to ensure the functionality of programs and operating system functions that rely on it.

For example, Windows XP supports an "IEAccess=off" switch in the Unattend.txt file, and Internet Explorer has been added to the Add/Remove Windows Components section of the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. This does not reinstall Internet Explorer.

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