Internet explorer

My client uses AOL ver8.0. I installed DSL service and everything works fine. Except, click IEXPLORE.exe and up pops an ad for an AOL free trial. The AOL ad file is on the Win ME box, as IE never opens, no connection to the Internet is established. It seems that clicking IEXPLORER.exe redirects to the AOL ad file.exe. All IE settings are correct i.e. home page: http://news.google.com/. Any suggests on how to stop the behavior?