How do I upgrade from IE5.5 SP1 to IE5.5 SP2 without downloading all of IE5.5?

[Dan Strassberg]

I already have IE5.5 SP1 installed and it appears to run without problems. I heard and read about the urgent security patch dated 12/13/01. When I went to Microsoft's Download Center to download the patch (2.15 Mbytes), I noted that the description said it required IE5.5 SP2. So instead of installing the patch directly, I saved it to disk. When I tried to execute the patch file, a dialog box appeared and stated that SP2 is required. I then tried to find SP2, but all I could find was a file (17 Mbytes) that appears to be the complete IE5.5 installation _including_ SP2. (I guess there is also a smaller version (8.4 Mbytes) that constitutes a minimal installation of IE5.5 with SP2.) However, all I want is SP2, not the whole install, so I downloaded IE5setup.exe. That too, seems to want to download either the 17 Mbyte or the 8.4 Mbyte file for a full or minimal IE5.5 install. Where can I get _just_ SP2?

I also would like to know whether IE5.5 SP1 has the same security vulnerabilities as IE5.5 SP2. If not, I guess I can just ignore the upgrade, but it sure would be nice if Microsoft's download Center were not so completely inscrutable about the need for various patches.

 

[Bryan]

Unfortunately there's no small easy way to update your service pack level. If you want to install SP 2 then you need to let it download what it needs. Service Pack updates involve much more than just small registry changes so I doubt there's any easy way for MS to make it smaller of a download. They really never know what they are dealing with when a user comes to update their software. While your system is most likely a clean system, some people's systems are such a mess that if I was MS, I'd do the same thing if I was in their shoes and insist of a reinstall all of the new components.

 

[sabledog]

why not download ie 6... i think it has all the patches that you neeed and some new features....

sd

 

[Dan Strassberg]

Sigh... OK, I guess I'm resigned to downloading all of IE5.5 just to get SP2. But I figured I would get the humongous download at work, where I have a T1 connection, rather than use the 56-kbps (actually 52 kbps on most days) dialup connection from home. I brought a fresh 100-Mbyte Zip disk to work for the purpose, but it appears that I am foiled again. !#$%^% Microsoft!!!

There does not appear to be a way to download the install files--either the 17-Mbyte full version or the 8.4-Mbyte minimal version. I have the 0.5 Mbyte executable file, ie5setup.exe, but that insists on installing a new version of IE on my work machine. There does not appear to be a way of saving the install files to disk. Nor is there a way to order the CD. The only version of IE available from Microsoft on CD is IE6, which, acording to what I've read (on the Microsoft site, yet) has even more security vulnerabilities than IE5.5.

Moreover, I'm by no means sure that I would not be better off sticking with IE5.5 SP1. The fact that security patch doesn't work with IE5.5SP1 but _requires_ SP2, suggests that SP1 doesn't need the security patch.

If you have the URL from which I can download the installation files for IE5.5 SP2, please post it. Thank you.

 

[Bryan]

There an easy way to create a full version of IE on CD or any removable media. I've created quite a few Full version CDs of IE this way many times before.

Download the ie5setup.exe

Execute it and on the first prompt take "Minimal Install" and then click on Next. Then click on "Advanced" and select "Download Only".

Click on Next and then click on Next again.

Now you should see a box labeled "Folder To Download Installations Files" appear on the screen, change it to

c:\windows\desktop\IE5.5SP2

You can actually name it what ever you want to. I'm just suggesting the folder be called IE5.5SP2. Anyway, after you click on Next, it will tell you the folder doesn't exist and offer to create it for you. Say Yes and let it create the new folder on the desktop. Now it will download all of the components to that folder. When it's done, copy the contents of the IE5.5SP2 folder to a CD or Zip Disk and you've got your full version of IE.

BTW, the only way this wouldn't work is if you had say IE 6 on the PC that your trying to run the IE 5.5 SP2 setup on to create the IE 5.5 SP2 CD. It won't let you past the first prompt to even download the stuff because it thinks your trying to install an older version of IE overtop of itself. Other than that one senario, it works fine.

 

[Dan Strassberg]

Thanks very much! 30-something Mbytes are now downloaded to my Zip disk. I see one possible problem, though. My system at home, on which I want to install IE5.5 SP2, runs under Windows 98 SE. The system here at work, which I just used to download the IE5.5 SP2 files, runs under Windows 95 OSR2. Although, when I ran IE5SETUP.exe, I indicated that I wanted to download the files for a Win95/Win98 install of IE5.5 SP2, I noted three files in the download whose names contain "95". One is DCOM95.exe. From the reading I just did on this file, if it is used in my install, I will have troubles, because DCOM95.exe does not work under Windows 98 (and DCOM98.exe does not work under Windows 95). So I downloaded DCOM98.exe and the release notes for DCOM98.exe and placed them in the same directory on the Zip disk as the other files associated with the IE5.5 SP2 install. As far as I have been able to tell, the two other files that contain "95" in their names, GSETUP95.cab and SETUPW95.cab, do not have "98" counterparts.

Now, can I install IE5.5 SP2 directly over IE5.5 SP1, or must I first uninstall IE5.5 SP1?

Also, I use Outlook Web Acess (OWA) from my system at home to acess my Outlook e-mail on the company servers here at work. Did I read on Microsoft's site that the 12/13/01 security patch disables OWA, or is it a server patch that disables OWA?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[Bryan]

DCOM95 is not a problem. It's normal to see that included with the full version of IE for Windows. My advice is not to fool with any of it. Just leave DCOM95 on the disk and remove the DCOM98 from the disk. The other two are fine, too. Leave them on the disk. Trust me, if you just download the stuff to the disk, you'll be fine. I've done it more times then I can count.

When you download the IE 5.5 SP2 files, it gives you files for all versions of Windows and when the actual install runs, it determines what it needs. DCOM98 isn't needed for an IE install on a W98 PC and IE setup is smart enough to know what to run and what not to run.

And yes, just run the IE 5.5 SP2 setup and install overtop of IE 5.5 SP1. That applies to any version or service pack update to IE. You never want to uninstall anything before running the newer IE setup. That only gets you into other problems.

Be sure to let us know how it went when you run the install.