Q I hope you can help. I recently bought PC World and tried to install Netscape Navigator 4.04 onto my Windows 95 computer, but it kept locking up when 99 per cent installed. I am not a computer whiz and probably did something wrong. I tried to search your site for a fix but didn't find one. Could you give me step by step instructions on how to install this program? I am running Netscape Navigator 2.02 now. Also, if there are problems with 4.04, should I forget about it and try to track down Netscape Navigator 3? Where could I find this? Thank you for your time.

A ItÆs unlikely that youÆve done anything wrong, and you should be able to install and use Navigator 4.04 if you want to. The problem is more likely to lie with InstallShield, especially if you are installing Navigator as part of Communicator 4.04 from the file called cb32e404.exe, although it may also occur if you install the stand-alone version of Navigator 4.04 from n32e404.exe. (Note: this discussion focuses on Version 4.04. However, the troubleshooting steps described below also apply to Version 4.05).

InstallShield is a software tool that is often incorporated into compressed installation files and is designed to help you install and uninstall programs on your computer. According to information from Netscape, there are several things you can try to resolve the problem.

Remove any previous installations of Navigator. To do this in Windows 95, choose StartûSettingsûControl Panel, and double-click on the Add/Remove Programs icon. Select Netscape Navigator from the list of programs and click the Add/remove button. Choose Yes and youÆre done.

Caption: Old versions of Netscape Navigator can be deleted using Windows 95's Add/Remove Programs dialogue box

Open your autoexec.bat file (in the root folder of drive C:) with Notepad and make sure that the TEMP environment variable is set. Look for a command such as SET TEMP=C:\TEMP or SET TEMP=C:\WINDOWS\TEMP. Also look for the command SET TMP=C:\TEMP. If these commands are missing, type in SET TEMP=C:\TEMP as the second last item in your autoexec.bat file. The important thing is to have a folder designated to store temporary files.

Check that C:\TEMP exists on your computer. If it doesn't, create it.

Check that the self-extracting installation file (cb32e404.exe or n32e404.exe) is in a folder by itself. If you discover a folder beginning with a tilde (~) in the same folder as the installation file, it is probably a temporary folder which was created by the InstallShield program and was left behind during a crash. Delete it and any other files in the folder.

Check that there is enough space on your computer to install new programs. Setup programs often create temporary files, so youÆll need enough free space to accommodate them as well as the program youÆre installing.

Reboot your computer, and run the installation program again.

If you still experience problems installing Communicator or Navigator, it may be because the installation file is damaged in some way. You could try getting a fresh copy of the file from another source (PC World's cover CD generally includes the latest version for your OS).

Netscape has acknowledged that some video drivers can cause problems during setup, and if you experience difficulties, they recommend switching to a VGA video driver while you install Navigator. If Navigator 4.04 wonÆt install after youÆve tried all these suggestions, you may want to try installing an earlier version of Netscape, or alternatively, consider installing a different browser such as Internet Explorer.