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The solution to the IE7beta problem is . . .

. . . IE7RC1! Yes, if you suffered problems arising from an unsuccessful IE7beta installation, then installing the release candidate 1 of Internet Explorer 7 should solve them. It can be downloaded from http://switch.atdmt.com/action/IE_7_RC_Windows_XP_SP2_mostcommon. Apart from an irritating validation process (surely, once Windows has been authenticated, one shouldn't need to go through this process again and again), installation is dead easy.
As well as providing an IE-type browser (if that's what you want) it also solved the Windows Media Player problem on our test machine.
Consideration of the relative merits of IE, Firefox and Opera is outside the remit of this blog, but if you use your browser to listen to BBC using the RealPlayer option, only IE allows you to jump forward 5 or 15mins in your selected programme. Also, if you are using WinAmp to access sound files, you will need to uncheck the Preferences option marked "Do not allow web content to execute or download Java/Javascript scripts and ActiveX controls" or you won't hear, for instance, the Flash content created using the excellent MP3SoundStream utility, downloadable from http://mp3soundstream.com/).

Notes:

• We have not tested whether the IE7RC1 installation also solves the ierutil.zip and normaliz.dll problems already covered in a previous blog, since we have already listed that particular workaround. If these persist even after the IE7RC1 installation, then download and copy them into the Windows/system32 directory (see previous posting for more detail on this procedure).
• Some actions may pop up an IE6 browser window, which is still non-functional. This is a comparatively minor glitch, but we're investigating its cause.
• With Firefox and Opera, when you open them up, they ask if you want them to become your default browser. But IE7 doesn't do this. So if you have previously set Firefox or Opera (or Netscape, come to that) as your default browser, then clicking on a link in an email (or even a Word document) it won't go to IE7, but to your previous default. Even using the useful AssociateThis program (http://www.spearit.com/downloads/AssociateThis_Setup.exe) didn't work, for some reason (we're still investigating this, also).

Partial solution to IE7 beta problem

• Problem:
  Attempting to install Internet Explorer 7 beta can affect functionality of numerous programs.
• Programs affected:
  Reports have been received of the following programs which will not run:
  Internet Explorer
  Windows Media Player
  Outlook
  Sound Forge
  iTunes
  X1
  SonicStage
• Programs unaffected:
  Winamp
  Opera
  Firefox
  Word
  (Note: The above lists are by no means exhaustive.)
• Short term solutions:
  Download http://www.down-dll.com/dll/iertutil.zip.htm and http://www.down-dll.com/dll/normaliz.zip.htm and place in the Windows/system32 directory.
  On our test machine, functionality returned for the affected programs, with the exception of Internet Explorer and Windows Media Player.
  Internet Explorer opens with a blank browser, and no functionality.
  Windows Media Player starts, but after a very short interval displays an error message and shuts down,

We have advised Microsoft of the above short-term solution, and have suggested they publicise the source for the necessary files, but they have refused, saying that they do not support beta products.

With regard to IE and WMP, they have suggested two links to possible solutions, but these pages turned out to be unavailable.

We shall continue to pursue this matter and report further in future postings.

Why a blog for computer disasters?

Why a blog for computer disasters?
As computers becopme more and more susceptible to bugs, virus attacks and other threats, the publishers of SoftwareDaily and HardwareDaily have started this new blog. We are at present working on a solution for the hundreds of users who have been affected by problems arising from attempting to install the Internet Explorer 7 beta.
This often removes functionality from a wide range of programs, which are looking for two new DLLs that the IE7 install should have placed in the Windows/system 32 directory.
We have found a source for these files and at the present stage of our quest for a solution we have found that downloading them remedies some (but not all) of the problems.
We have provided Microsoft with details of these files and where they may be found, but they have refused to distribute this information, since IE7 is in beta and they do not provide technical support for beta products.
However, a check with Google reveals the unprecedented extent of the problems arising from this beta, and if Microsoft will not make solutions available, then we must remedy that omission. Hence this blog.
Please let us know of any disasters you have suffered - and, hopefully, of any solutions you have found. You can post them as comments to postings on this blog, or send them by email to disasters@blueyonder.co.uk. We regret that we cannot enter into correspondence about any such postings which will be published "as is", with no guarantee of their veracity.
In this, as in all things regarding computers, extreme caution is recommended.