(New ISP uses IE/OE and suddenly finding things blocked because I don't have it. Seems to be when I try to register or respond to something from a site )

What kind of Error message are you getting?
Why would MS Word have anyting to do with you trying
to register at some website?

Just retraced path and wrote down everything. Lengthy process, will send if needed. But in all that I found the second paragraph of MSO 2003 Activation Wizard says:

"If you do not want to convert to full product, you may use add/remove Programs Control Panel to remove software from your computer." Sounds simple, since I don't seem to have been using it anyway. Is it safe to simply remove it? Sandy

Sandy you can indeed remove Word, or possibly/probably Microsoft Office as Word is usually included in the complete package, via the Add/Remove feature. This should not impact on your computer in any way.

I suspect that because you have not purchased or removed Office that Microsoft has been denying you Windows updates so you might want to check for any security updates once Office has been removed

If at any point in the future you need a word processor you have Wordpad on your computer anyway and for the average user it has all you might need. You can access that via Start/All Programs/Accessories/Wordpad

owbist,
You wrote: "I suspect that because you have not purchased or removed Office that Microsoft has been denying you Windows updates so you might want to check for any security updates once Office has been removed"

Why would that be so? I know people without Word who don't have the same problems.

Word is on your computer on a trial basis. By the end of the time the trial allows you are supposed to purchase it or remove it. The only way word could relate to OE/IE problems is the scenario presented by Owbist. If you had never had word on your computer you would not have a problem because of word. Do as owbist suggests and if you still have a problem post back and let us know.

OOps. Yes it was Microsoft Office and I removed it. I also have automated updates checked and I've been getting and installing them--except for IE-7 which I have blocked, also thanks to instructions on this forum.

Now the mssg. I'm getting is from Microsoft Internet Explorer: "Could not perform this operation because the default mail client is not properly installed" when I tried their "contact us" link because I've registered twice (NBC.com) and when I click the link from their email confirmation I still can't log on.

Sorry that sentence got so long, but trying to I'm trying to explain what I get and what I'm trying to do. Thanks for your help. Sandy

The default e-mail client for Office is Outlook. With Office off your computer, you no longer have Outlook as your mail client. You need to use Outlook Express, which is actually part of IE. I'm not sure how you go about activating it.

Thanks grandms. With all the words in the English language, wouldn't you think they'd be able to name things so that they didn't all sound alike?

I've searched for OE and come up with a site that looks helpful and clearly written. (An Outlook Express Repair Kit by Tom Koch.) Lots to read before I dive in, but at least now I know what to aim for. Thanks, Sandy