Why is Internet Mail not available as an option on the installati.

I recently bought a computer running WinXP, SP-2. I installed Office '97,
but when I attempted to set up my email, in Outlook, "Internet Mail" was not
available as an option. I reinserted the installation disc, to install the
Internet Mail option, but it does not show as an option, only network related
mail services. When I insert the disc into my Win '98 computer, it not only
shows as an option, it is part of the standard Office installation. Outlook
Help says the Internet Mail option is a MINET.ECF file. When I do a "find"
in XP, the file shows, but the system apparently can't read it (?). This is
a single user computer; no network. I have a relative who ran into the same
problem on a different brand of computer, running XP with SP-1. I have set
up my email in Outlook Express, which works fine, but I don't like it nearly
as well. Any help will be greatly appreciated.