How to Uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0

ID: Q174265

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows 95
Microsoft Internet Explorer versions 4.0, 4.01 for Windows NT 4.0

SUMMARY

This article describes how to uninstall (or remove) Internet Explorer 4.0 (Version 4.71.1712.6) or 4.01 (Version 4.72.2106.8). For information about uninstalling Internet Explorer Platform Preview 2.0 (version 4.71.1008), please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q170757
   TITLE     : Uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0 Platform Preview 2.0

When to Remove Internet Explorer

Remove Internet Explorer 4.0 before you perform any of the following actions:

Installing an earlier version of Internet Explorer (3.0, 3.01, or 3.02).
Restoring a registry (System.dat or User.dat) that was created before you installed Internet Explorer 4.0 (this applies to Microsoft Windows 95 only).
Using a Windows NT Emergency Recovery Disk (ERD) you created before you installed Internet Explorer 4.0 (this applies to Windows NT only).
Reinstalling your operating system (Windows 95 or Windows NT).
Installing or uninstalling operating system upgrades (for example, Windows 95 Service Pack 1).

Uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0 May Not Be Supported

There are some configurations in which uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0 does not work. Uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0 is not supported in the following situations:

Internet Explorer 4.0 is installed in multiple operating system installations (Windows 95, Windows 95 OEM Service Release 2, or Windows NT 4.0) on the same logical hard disk. If you need to run Internet Explorer 4.0 in multiple operating systems, you must install each operating system on a separate logical drive.
You have removed the Internet Explorer 4.0 backup files. If you removed the backup files, you are unable to uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0 without reinstalling Windows into a different folder. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q172919
      TITLE     : Uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0 Option Is Missing
```

MORE INFORMATION

Before you uninstall Internet Explorer, quit all running programs. For information about problems that can occur if you do not quit all running programs before uninstalling Internet Explorer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q165646
   TITLE     : Program Settings Lost After Internet Explorer Setup or
               Uninstall

NOTE: When you upgrade a Windows 95-based computer that has Internet Explorer 4.0 or 4.01 installed to Microsoft Windows 98, the Ie4.txt file is not removed from your computer. The Ie4.txt file documents how to remove Internet Explorer, however, these instructions do not work because Internet Explorer is an integrated part of the operating system and cannot be removed from Windows 98.

To uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0 in Windows 95 and Windows NT 4.0, follow these steps:

NOTE: You must have administrative privileges to install and uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0 on Windows NT. This includes having administrative privileges the first time you start your computer after you install or uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0.

1. In Control Panel, double-click Add/Remove Programs, and then click the

   Install/Uninstall tab.

2. In the list of installed programs, click Microsoft Internet Explorer

   4.0, and then click Add/Remove.

3. In the Internet Explorer 4.0 Active Setup dialog box, click "Uninstall

   Internet Explorer 4.0 and all its components," and then click Advanced
   to specify any additional components you want to remove.

4. Click OK.

5. When Setup starts in Maintenance mode, click Remove All.

   If there are any files in the Recycle Bin, you receive the following
   message:

      Internet Explorer 4.0 has modified the format of the
      Recycle Bin.

      If you want to keep any of the items currently in the
      Recycle Bin, open the Recycle Bin and move the items
      to a different location.

      To permanently delete all items from the Recycle Bin
      and continue, click OK.

   Click OK after checking that there are no files in the Recycle Bin
   that you want to restore.

Known Issues with Uninstalling

Office 97 files may be removed after you uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0. This problem only occurs if you install Internet Explorer 4.0 before you install Microsoft Office 97, and then uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0.
For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q174431
      TITLE     : OFF97: Problems Occur After Removing MS Internet
                  Explorer 4.0
```
When you uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0, some user settings are returned to operating system defaults. For additional information about this problem, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q173921
      TITLE     : Uninstalling Internet Explorer Restores Default Settings
```
You cannot uninstall Microsoft Plus! for Windows 95 after uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0. Using the Remove All option in Microsoft Plus! Maintenance-mode Setup results in the following error message:
```
      Custom Action Error"  The system cannot find the specified file.
```
For additional information about uninstalling Microsoft Plus!, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q165623
      TITLE     : Cannot Remove Microsoft Plus! After Installing Internet
                  Explorer
```
When you uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0, any certificates obtained after you installed Internet Explorer 4.0 are removed. Certificates obtained prior to installing Internet Explorer 4.0 are not removed. For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q174920
      TITLE     : Uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0 Removes Certificates
```
Some registry entries and files remain on your computer.
All components may not be uninstalled. You can uninstall individual components by clicking Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel, clicking the program in the list of installed programs, and then clicking Add/Remove.
If you install Internet Explorer 4.0, install a program, and then uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0, some programs may not work properly. After uninstalling Internet Explorer 4.0, if a program does not work properly, reinstall the program.
If you uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0, Internet icons may remain in other programs such as Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. If you click these icons, nothing happens because no browser is installed.

General Troubleshooting

If Maintenance-mode Setup does not work or you cannot run Setup, try one of the following methods:

In Windows 95, try restarting your computer in Safe mode, and then use the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel to uninstall Internet Explorer 4.0. To restart the computer in Safe mode, click Start, click Shut Down, click Restart The Computer, and then click Yes. When you see the "Starting Windows 95" message, press the F8 key, and then choose Safe Mode from the Startup menu.
Reinstall Internet Explorer 4.0, and then uninstall it.
In Windows 95, restore a registry created before installing Internet Explorer 4.0, and then use the Ieremove tool to restore your shell files. For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q166313
      TITLE     : Removing Internet Explorer 4.0 for Windows 95 Using
                  Ieremove.exe
```
In Windows NT, use an ERD created before installing Internet Explorer 4.0 to replace necessary system files, and then run the Ieremove tool to restore previous shell components. For more information, see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:
```
      ARTICLE-ID: Q166314
      TITLE     : Removing Internet Explorer for Windows NT 4.0 Using
                  Ieremove.exe
```
Reinstall your operating system and previous browser in a "clean" folder, or restore from a complete system backup made before installing Internet Explorer 4.0.

Additional query words: 4.00

Keywords          : kbsetup msiew95 msient kbfaq
Version           : WINDOWS:4.0
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbhowto

Last Reviewed: March 19, 1999