First, create a new temporary folder to hold the downloaded copy of the Internet Explorer installer. (It only asks you for the location once, then automatically puts all the necessary files in that one location.) Then go to Microsoft.com and download the full "Network Version" of Internet Explorer. The download page is at:

 

  http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/downloads/ie6/default.asp

 

When the page loads, you will see a small box on the right side similar to this:

Select the desired language and click the "GO" button to begin the download.

 

  figure 1

 

When you click the Download Now button, you will be prompted to select "Run from current location" or "Save to disk" for the file ie6setup.exe. (see figure 1) Choose "Run from current location" and press Next.

 

  figure 2

 

When it starts running you will have to agree to the license agreement (figure 2), and then you get to a screen that allows you to select the type of installation you desire (figure 3).

 

  figure 3

 

You must select a "Network Install" so that you get the full thing all at once. If you don't choose a network install, IE will try to install immediately and that is not what you want. The Network Installation is chosen by selecting "Minimum or Custom" for the configuration option, then using the Advanced button on the next panel to get the panel with the "Network Download" option on it. Figures 3, 4 and 5 show the steps.

 

  figure 4

 

  figure 5

 

When you have properly selected the Network Install (Download Only option checked) then press the OK button and the previous panel will change to look like that in figure 6.

 

  figure 6

 

Save the downloaded files to the new temporary folder you created in the first step. You will need at least 30MB of free space, plus another 100MB at least to do the installation properly.

Make sure you select the proper operating system for the download. In my case, I use Windows NT, so that is what I selected. You may need to select a different version depending on what version of Windows you are running. (see figure 7)

 

  figure 7

 

Once you are sure the full IE Installer is downloaded and safe on your hard drive, you can remove the existing version of Internet Explorer.

 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Make absolutely sure that the full thing downloaded. If any errors appear during the download process, do NOT continue further until you've gotten it all. One tiny missing piece could lead to more problems down the road.

 

Use the Control Panel (Start->Settings->Control Panel) to open the Add/Remove Software applet. Double-click on the Add/Remove Software icon. A new panel will appear with a list of software installed on your computer near the bottom. In the list find "Internet Explorer x.x" or "Microsoft Internet Explorer x.x" (where x.x is the version installed on your computer). Select the proper entry, then click the Add/Remove button in the lower right corner. (see figure 8 for what mine looks like here)

 

  figure 8

 

You will be forced to reboot your computer after IE is removed. Once it is back up and running again, use the Run command (Start->Run) and type in the full drive and path where you saved the IE files. In my case, I chose to save them to "S:\Downloads" (see figure 7) so I would type in "S:\Downloads\ie5setup.exe". Since you will be saving the files to a different location, you should use that location instead. (For example C:\temp\ie5setup.exe or C:\iestuff\ie5setup.exe) Whatever path you enter, it must be to the proper folder and it must end with the "ie5setup.exe" on it. You can use the Browse button if you'd like. Sometimes that is faster.

 

Run the installation program completely thru, only this time choose Typical for the installation type (see figure 3 above) and away you go. IE5.5 will be installed automatically.

 

WHEW! Ready? Go for it.

 

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