Default Seach Provider corrupt in IE8

When you install IE7 or IE8 on winxp sp2 before upgrade windows to sp3, you will can't remove IE7/IE8 by Add and Remove Program.

If you upgrade IE7 to IE8 on winxp sp3, you may receive following error when you launch IE.


Resolution:

1. Click Start.
2. Click Run.
3. Type in regedit and press enter.
4. In the registry editor, expand and navigate to the following registry key: HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Explorer\User Shell Folders.
5. Right click User Shell Folders.
6. Select New and then Expandable String value.
7. A new value is added in right pane.
8. Type in AppData and press enter.
9. Double click AppData.
10. Under value data type in:

%USERPROFILE%\Application Data

11. Note: If there is already AppData in the right pane, double click and correct it to %USERPROFILE%\Application Data

If the above steps do not work,
1. Click Start.
2. Click Control Panel.
3. Click User Accounts.
4. Click Create a new user account.
5. Choose appropirate name for the new user account.
6. Choose Administrator or Limited or Standard user. It's upto you.
7. Click Create.
8. Click Start, Log out from the current user account and log back in with the new one.
9. If the new user account is working for you, obviously, the old user account has got corrupted and you will have to use the new user account. Also, FYI: you can transfer old user settings and files to the new user account.