[BikeMike]

My Internet Explorer went weird at some point in the past. I'm not sure why or how. To make a long story short, it has been updated to IE8, and it seems to think that is what is installed (under about it pulls up v8.whatever), but it looks exactly like IE6, and won't display any options to run active x controls under the address bar (like for the windows update site). Also, I can still find IE6 program files, although it seems to launch the same thing (8.whatever).

Have looked around a bit, but nothing seems to help. Is there a way to clean all installations of IE and start over? (The alternative at this point is to reformat and reinstall XP, which would be a PITA). Advice?

Cheers!

 

[johnbryanpeters]

For a start:

Tools | Internet Options | Security | Reset all zones to default level
Tools | Internet Options | Advanced | Reset...

 

[BikeMike]

Thanks. Tried it, but the last step of Advanced | Reset... fails at "Applying default settings." Anything else?

 

[SkaredShtles]

Firefox?

 

[BikeMike]

Firefox is my browser of choice. However, there is a site I need to work that only plays with IE.

Currently trying to get it together with a repair installation of sorts. If that fails I'm probably pulling the plug and reformatting.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Firefox is my browser of choice. However, there is a site I need to work that only plays with IE.

Currently trying to get it together with a repair installation of sorts. If that fails I'm probably pulling the plug and reformatting.

Have you tried the IE-Tab plugin for FF?

 

[binary visions]

You can uninstall IE8 from add/remove programs. I'd do that, and re-download/re-install it.

 

[eaterofdog]

A fix that works on a lot of browsers is
quit the browser
find the prefs folder and move to desktop
open the browser to recreate the prefs
quit browser
move the bookmarks file from the desktop prefs folder to the active prefs folder
voila

 

[jonKranked]

even when IE is functioning the way its supposed to, its still broken.

 

[BikeMike]

Darn. Thanks for the help. After uninstalling IE8 yet again via Add/remove, whatever was launching (looks like IE6) stuck around. In fact, I still had IE6 after removing via add/remove windows components. Re-installation of either did not help. In the process, the thing has become totally broked.

Haven't done this before, but I am going to try nlite to slipstream SP3, hoping to make the re-installation less painful. Mildly worried about not having sufficient drivers, but using the laptop's original restore CDs seems like it would be very a long process of downloading updates and restarting.

 

[binary visions]

Just download the stand-alone SP3, slap it on a thumb drive (it's only a few hundred megs), re-install using the manufacturer discs and launch the SP3 install. Easy and you don't have to get online and hunt drivers.

 

[BikeMike]

Thanks everyone for your help.

The automated install got stuck in a loop, installed twice incompletely but semi-functionally, and was making me nervous. Going back to BV's advice I started again with the SP1 CD that came with the system, and installed SP3 from a flash drive. HP was kind enough to include 2 driver recovery CDs, but they didn't bother to make sure the CDs worked. At least they keep the necessary drivers together on the internets. The silver lining was the cleanup of a ton of old, no-longer-used software.

IE8 successfully installed and it seems to do its thing. Hoo-rah.

 

[SkaredShtles]

Nothing like reinstalling the entire operating system to get the browser to work.