How to Determine Your Previous Version of Internet Explorer

ID: Q165871

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 98
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 5 for Windows 95
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 5 for Windows NT 4.0

SUMMARY

This article describes how to determine your previous version of Internet Explorer after installing Internet Explorer.

MORE INFORMATION

To determine your previous version of Internet Explorer, use the appropriate method:

Internet Explorer 5 Installed

To determine your previous version of Internet Explorer after installing Internet Explorer 5, view the PreviousIESysFile value under the following registry key:

   Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\IE Setup\Setup

   Value         Version
   ---------------------
   4.70.0.1155   3.0
   4.70.0.1158   3.0
   4.70.0.1215   3.01
   4.70.0.1300   3.02
   4.72.3110.3   Windows 98 Internet Explorer

Internet Explorer 4.x Installed

To determine your previous version of Internet Explorer after installing Internet Explorer 4.x, view the PreviousIESysFile value under the following registry key:

   Hkey_Local_Machine\Software\Microsoft\IE4\Setup

The following table lists the possible values for the PreviousIESysFile registry value and the version of Internet Explorer that corresponds to each:

   Value         Version
   ---------------------
   4.70.0.1155   3.0
   4.70.0.1158   3.0
   4.70.0.1215   3.01
   4.70.0.1300   3.02

NOTE: The Internet Explorer 4.0 Uninstall feature is designed to return you to a pre-Internet Explorer 4.0 browser. As a result, the PreviousIESysFile value cannot be used to determine if you upgraded a version of Internet Explorer 4.0 over an earlier Beta version of Internet Explorer 4.0 (even if you did not uninstall the earlier version).

The PreviousIESysFile value is primarily used by the Internet Explorer 4.0 uninstall program to determine which components should be removed when you remove Internet Explorer 4.0. The registry contains a RequiredIESysFile value for each component. If the RequiredIESysFile value for a particular component is equal to or less than the PreviousIESysFile value, the component is not removed when you remove Internet Explorer 4.0. If the RequiredIESysFile value for a component is greater than the PreviousIESysFile value, the component is removed when you remove Internet Explorer 4.0.

Additional query words: 4.00 ie4 ie40

Keywords          : kbenv msiew95 msient msiew98 
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: April 19, 1999