The Requested Lookup Key Was Not Found In Any Active Activation Context

I don’t understand why things just can’t seem to work seamlessly.  Especially when you are talking about Microsoft Products.  You would think that one Microsoft product would work without issue with another, and you would think that you are pretty much guaranteed that this would be the case when the Microsoft Product in question is installed through Windows Update.  Enough of the babbling and on to the point… When installing updates for Windows Server 2003, I was pimp slapped with another error “The Requested Lookup Key Was Not Found In Any Active Activation Context”. 

However, this time the culprit is a bit easier to determine.  The error started appearing after Windows Update and only occured when trying to use anything that referenced the Windows Browser.  I always held off on doing browser updates on my servers, but I decided to let Windows update install IE8 this time around and this is what I get for it.

The error is the result of a borked IE8  or IE7 install and out of all the suggestions I found to fix it, only one worked.  The fix you ask? Uninstall it.  These apply to Server 2003 and Windows XP

Step 1: Uninstall Internet Explorer 7/8

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type appwiz.cpl, and then click OK. It may take several seconds for your computer to compile a list of programs.
3. Scroll down through the list and click Windows Internet Explorer X, and then click Remove.

Step 2: Verify that Internet Explorer 6 is restored

To verify that Internet Explorer 6 is restored, follow these steps:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type iexplore. Windows Internet Explorer opens.
3. On the Help menu, click About Internet Explorer. The About Internet Explorer window opens.
4. If the Version number begins with 6, you have successfully uninstalled Internet Explorer 7 and restored Internet Explorer 6.

If this method did not work for you, try method 2.

Step 1: Make hidden files and hidden folders visible

1. Click Start, and then click My Documents.
2. On the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
3. Click the View tab.
4. In the Advanced settings list, under Hidden files and folders, click Show hidden files and folders, and then click OK.

Step 2: Uninstall Internet Explorer 7/8

To uninstall Internet Explorer 7/8, follow these steps: (substitute 8 where necessary)

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type %windir%\ie7\spuninst\spuninst.exe, and then click OK.
3. Follow the wizard instructions to uninstall Internet Explorer 7/8.

Step 3: Verify that Internet Explorer 6 is restored

To verify that Internet Explorer 6 is restored:

1. Click Start, and then click Run.
2. In the Open box, type iexplore. Windows Internet Explorer opens.
3. On the Help menu, click About Internet Explorer. The About Internet Explorer window opens.
4. If the Version number begins with 6, you have successfully uninstalled Internet Explorer 7 and restored Internet Explorer 6.