Profile Assistant Is Unavailable in Internet Explorer

ID: Q178342

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
Microsoft Windows 98

SYMPTOMS

When you attempt to configure the Profile Assistant tool in Internet Explorer by clicking Internet Options on the View menu and then clicking the Content tab, the Edit Profile and Reset Sharing buttons may be unavailable.

In Internet Explorer 5, when you attempt to configure the Profile Assistant tool by clicking Internet Options on the Tools menu and then clicking the Content tab, you may receive the following prompt when you click the My Profile button:

   Internet Explorer Install on Demand

   To display this page correctly, you need to
   download and install the following components:

   Windows Address Book

   Download Size: 704 KB   Download Time: 6 min

CAUSE

This behavior can occur if Microsoft Outlook Express is not installed on your computer. The Profile Assistant tool requires the Wab32.dll file which is installed only by Outlook Express.

RESOLUTION

For Internet Explorer 5, click Download to download and install the Windows Address Book (Wab32.dll).

To resolve this behavior, install Outlook Express. To do so, follow these steps:

NOTE: You must install Outlook Express to enable the Profile Assistant tool. If you do not want Outlook Express to remain on your computer after you enable the Profile Assistant tool, you can uninstall it by using the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel. Once the Profile Assistant tool is enabled, it works properly without Outlook Express.

Install Outlook Express

Outlook Express is an Internet Explorer component that you can install after Internet Explorer is installed by using the Add/Remove Programs tool in Control Panel.

For information about how to add or remove Internet Explorer components, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID : Q171229
   TITLE      : How to Add and Remove Internet Explorer Components

For information about how to configure Outlook Express for Internet mail and Internet news, please see the following articles in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q171163
   TITLE     : How to Configure Outlook Express for Internet Mail

   ARTICLE-ID: Q171164
   TITLE     : How to Configure Outlook Express for Internet News

MORE INFORMATION

You can use Profile Assistant to specify your registration and demographic information. Internet Explorer automatically sends this information to Web sites that require it. This saves you from having to type the same information every time you visit a new Web site. This information cannot be viewed on your computer or shared with others without your permission.

For additional information about Profile Assistant, click Contents And Index on the Help menu in Internet Explorer, click the Index tab, type "profile" (without quotation marks), and then double-click the "Profile Assistant" topic.

Additional query words: 4.00 4.01 greyed grayed out

Keywords          : kbenv kbtool msiew95 msient msiew98 
Version           : WINDOWS:
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: March 18, 1999