Somehow I Clicked Something & Downloaded IE 8... Wasn't Sure About It, BUT

[ChiciB1]

NOW IT'S DONE! I have this question because I don't understand it that much. EVERY TIME I boot up, at the top of the page I get this inquiry...

Internet Explorer wants ti Add-On MSXML 3.0, SP10, from Microsoft Corporation... If you trust this company... (the usual question) you can download it now.

What is this thing?? I called the place I bought my computer and they either don't understand what I'm talking about or something else. They just said I needed to bring my PC in. That's what they always say and I'm tired of "taking it in!"

Any help out there???

[Why Syzygy]

1. MSMXL is for developers....

http://msdn.microsoft.com/en-us/library/ms763742(VS.85).aspx

You probably want to just remove it.

Use Revo Uninstaller or, as second choice, Add/Remove Programs in Control Panel to remove the basic program.

http://www.revouninstaller.com/

That will stop the prompts to update it with a new Service Pack.

[ChiciB1]

2. It's Not Listed At Add/Remove Programs. Just IE8. Are You Saying

to remove IE8? It just keeps asking me to download it. But I'll try the 2nd link to see what happens.

Thanks.

[Why Syzygy]

3. No, I don't mean IE8.

Are you SURE you don't see MSXML? If it isn't there, I guess you'll just have to download the update...

[ChiciB1]

4. The Control Panel Shows 3 MSXML 4.0 Sp2 Downloads, Plus A

MobileMe Control Panel. I have no mobile accessories. I think I have a lot of stuff downloaded that I don't need, but I wasn't the one that downloaded IE7 either.

That's okay. I'll just wait til it asks me if I want to download it again and instead of clicking "ask me later" I'll click the other option. Since I didn't know what it was I just kept clicking "ask me later" so the other option could be "don't download." I'll just do that.

The link you gave me to clean up files looks very nice, but I'm kind of afraid to remove stuff that I don't know about. I don't use my PC for any type of business and still have a lot of room, still I suppose some things could cause viruses. I keep on top of the virus stuff with AVG 8.5, but that's about as deep as I get.

Sad isn't it??

[Why Syzygy]

5. LOL.. Not really ..

'sad'. Just Is. It won't hurt to have MSXML on your machine. It's just one of those things I remove because I have an older/smaller hard drive.

I've got things I need to remove and/or update currently too. I've been putting off a registry fix to disable the Windows key because using the cheat code for my game sometimes results in an inadvertent tap of the WINDOWS KEY, which of course crashes the game at a most inopportune time.

Sometimes we just don't want to mess with it. It's a lot easier just giving instructions than actually doing something on one's own machine. x(

[EvolveOrConvolve]

6. I believe that MSXML is required for some of the IE8 functionality

Downloading and installing it won't hurt you at all.

[Why Syzygy]

7. No, it isn't.

I removed it awhile back. It's for developers (see posted link).

[EvolveOrConvolve]

8. I understand that - I'm an MS developer myself and quite familiar with the MSXML Core tools

There may be a plug-in or add-on installed into this particular person's IE8 that requires the most recent version of MSXML with the upgrade from IE6 or IE7. IE8 won't tell the user that it requires the upgraded version of MSXML unless there's something installed that requires its API. XML is becoming more and more prevalent, and having the MSXML parsing tools is becoming a requirement for newer generation applications.

I've seen many applications that require it, and it's also been part of the Windows update package (I've seen it on my home computer that has no dev tools installed), which tells me that either MS wants it available to users or there are other applications out there that require it.

[Why Syzygy]

9. Could be an add-on.

Right. Didn't consider that.

[charlie]

10. What's your homepage?

It could be your homepage has a script making a call to MSXML 3 and IE is blocking it, pending your approval.

Are you sure the message read, "you can download it now" and not "you can run it now"? How about the first part of the message you clipped off -- did it say "wants to run" or "wants to install"? Also, did it say, "Explorer wants to" or "This website wants to"?

I think it's likely you already have MSXML 3 installed, it's been a core component of Windows (and Explorer) installations for nearly 10 years. One reason I think it's present is that the message specifies the service pack (SP10) and I don't know of a way to request a specific service pack when instantiating MSXML (I could be wrong about this, though). In other words, it's telling what you have, rather than asking for what you don't.

MSXML is MS's parser for XML. If you want IE, or any other apps that depend on it, to use XML, you need it. At bare minimum, you should have MSXML 3. It's old, but widely supported (and in a strange and confusing turn, versions past 3 don't supercede 3, but run concurrently alongside it. You'll want 3, plus whichever version is current).

One of the most popular uses of XML in webpages is through the XMLHTTPRequest object. It's a method that allows webpages to be updated in real time by fetching data from the server and inserting it into the page, instead refreshing the whole page. Without an XML parser, that feature won't work for you.

Which brings us back to your homepage. If it's using XMLHTTPRequest in a script that hasn't been updated for IE7/8, you'll get that message.