Not sure this has come up here in the forums . I wasn't aware until recently .

FYI ,

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/917964

How to perform a repair installation of Windows XP if Internet Explorer 7 is installed

"Before you perform a repair installation of Microsoft Windows XP, you must uninstall Microsoft Internet Explorer 7 from the Windows XP-based computer. If you perform a repair installation of Windows XP when Internet Explorer 7 is still installed, Internet Explorer will not work after the repair is completed.

To resolve this issue, uninstall Internet Explorer 7 from the computer, and then install Internet Explorer 6. After Windows XP is repaired, you can reinstall Internet Explorer 7."