I have an Idea
What is the version of VC++ you have?
What if you write and compile let's say, a small app that uses MFC and IE, using the VC++ tool-chain. Than you are a legal distributer of M$ software, end of problem. Do you want that I send you a small windows app that uses MFC and embeds an IE control that displays an embedded HTML page. This could be the final step in the installation where you actually test the installation. It can be a nice HTML with links to the site and other nice links like winehq.org
About a windows only platforms. They had such an illegal clause in VC6 but they fixed it fast in SP3 and up. If you have VC6 than the SP5 is free (I think).
I've never heard of a license fee for a SP, so it should be free. This sound at last like a reasnoble solution, even if it could be kept M$ free by using the users windows CD.
By the way, I'll check it later, but I think that if you use IE in your application than you are allowed to also distribute the IE setup, provided that you use the original M$ setup where the user presses on the Agree to the M$ EULA
You would need a redistributable, but it isn't on the M$ download site, so I'm not sure it exists. This is really not an issue, as the user can download it from M$. You could use the example of the NTFS captive driver, just ask the user if he has a windows license, if he answers yes, download the setup from the M$ web site, and if the user doesn't have a license it's his problem. Also M$ can't claim the download is illegal, as they host it.
Ivan.
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Ivan Leo Murray-Smith