Windows Update offers IE 11 installation--but it is already installed!

[bilateral]

On a Toshiba laptop running Win 7 x64 Home Premium, I am being offered to install IE 11--as an Optional installation. However, IE 11 is ALREADY installed and working (though I think it may be a little slow in functioning--that is not clear.) Can anyone explain why this would be, and whether I should go ahead and accept what looks essentially like a Re-Install by Windows Update of an existing Windows module in Win 7?

One thing that just occurred to me: Because I was having some problems with this system, I did the Windows Update Fix-it/analysis, and ran the Windows System Update Readiness Tool. Then I also ran Disk Cleanup, including also deleting some of the older update packages through the cleanup tool. Could this have affected Windows Update and caused IE 11 to re-present as an install option? And again--what should I expect if I go ahead and install it (although it shows as already an installed browser??)

Thanks!

 

[bilateral]

I don't seem to be getting much action on this thread (although there have been quite a few views), and it looks to me like this is not a usual problem. BTW, I don't think I mentioned that I ran the System File Checker (SFC) after SURT, etc. and that it showed no problems.

I looked around a lot before posting, and I did not find this exact issue come up anywhere--although there are many recent similar issues with Windows Update. I suppose the one thing I would like to hear some opinions about is whether I should run the update and install IE 11 through WU, even though it is already installed. Is WU telling me that there will be some improvement if I re-install? And do I trust it? How do I know that isn't going to just mess things up?

In researching this issue, I came across things like problems with KB3032359 & KB3021952 being repeatedly installed. That didn't happen on this laptop. Both of those two updates failed instead, along with a number of others that failed. But WU made no attempt to reinstall those two. Nevertheless, others that failed initially appear to have since installed properly.

[BTW, it would be SOOOOO nice if Microsoft were to give one the ability to search the updates history by KB to find the history for that particular KB,...but maybe that is just too logical a computer function for a computer company to do it?... Or perhaps I missed something obvious in Windows Update....]

It was because I was getting so many updates failing, plus there were other problems with the OS, that I ran SURT, the Fix-it, Disk Cleanup and SFC. At one point things were such a mess that I thought I might have to reinstall the OS. But after doing the above, it seems to be working okay now--only that strange IE 11 update--which WU seems not to know is already installed.

Perhaps MS pulled those two updates before I got to re-updating that machine, which is used intermittently? I'm not sure if that would make sense out of why the offer of optionally re-installing IE 11.

 

[ThrashZone]

Hi and welcome to SevenForums,
If the update fails follow these instructions,
http://www.sevenforums.com/windows-...4840-windows-update-posting-instructions.html
Cleanup system files has been freaking out a bit lately no telling why but I haven't seen any issues with ie,

Although I do run ie10 "the more stable version"
You can very well uninstall ie11 and go back to your previous version (what ever that was you didn't say what you updated from)

It's always best to update as released 8/ 9/ 10/ 11 so rolling back to a previous version isn't so weird.

 

[bilateral]

Thanks. So it sounds like you are saying I might go ahead and try doing the update that re-installs IE 11.

And if that does not work out well, I have two choices. I could either roll back IE 11, and try to get back to IE 10. (I've only just heard recently this idea about IE 10 being the more stable--I will have to look into that.) OR I could do all the things asked for in the Windows Update Posting instructions and ask for help with whatever seems screwed up by letting Windows install it again. ...Wouldn't a third option be to set a restore point, restore the system to before I accepted this update, and then Hide the update?

The one thing I am still hoping for is that someone connected to Windows Update, or who is knowledgeable about what is going on there, can tell me whether this is just a glitch (that this re-install update came up), or if there is some rationale from MS for why it is being offered in this situation. Otherwise, this just seems one-off and pretty crazy. Plus, if I don't find myself back having serious problems with the system, I don't see much point in installing this. I would just like an explanation of what the benefit would be to doing it.