Update KB896727 and error 0028:C0287F04

(Win98se & IE6, sp1)
Ever since I installed the update KB896727 (two days ago) after I have gone online and launched IE6, I get the error message many times while trying to launch other applications - e.g., MS Word, Settings > Control Panel, etc. After I reboot the system, then these seem to work. I went into Settings > Control Panel and uninstalled KB896727, but the problem persists. I can no longer run Windows Update, either; it quits out to the error message before completing the scan.
The complete error message is: A fatal exception 0E has occurred at 0028:C0287F04 in VXD VMM(06)+
Thanks for the help.