Donuel -

I don't know what version of Windows you're using, but if you have your installation disks, in recent versions you can go to Start | Settings | Control Panel |Add/Remove Programs and there should be a selection, often on a sidebar, for "Add/Remove Windows Components." If you click there, and select what components you want installed you get what amounts to a "reinstall" of Windows. It should replace only component files that are missing or corrupted in components you had, so it doesn't usually make major changes in your setup.

The point here is that if IE components that are needed for Windows functions are missing, they should be replaced.

Once you get a "functional" IE, you can go to the Microsoft Download Center and download the latest version of IE (6.0 SP1) from Microsoft and pretty much get all current IE Security Patches all in one shot if you're using something other than WinXP. If you're using WinXP, the latest IE is included in WinXP SP2.

Because IE is at least "partially turned on" in Windows even if you're using another browser, getting the latest IE version and patches is highly recommended, even if you don't intend to use it to browse.

John