After re-reading his post, seeing your concerns I believe your right on both counts, and a reinstall or repair of IE9 would be in order.

You may be able to right click on IE9 if it is listed in Programs and Features, and see if it gives the option to uninstall or repair.

The above link is Microsoft's version, but there are tutorials listed in the Tutorial section here at 7F. Windows 7 - Tutorial Index Scroll down to see them.