Troubleshooting Windows: Internet Browsing (Part 3 of 4) (314465)

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Internet Explorer Crashes

Source of the problem

If you get an error message when you try to open a Web page, if Internet Explorer stops responding as you scroll through a page, or if Internet Explorer won't display a full page, you should systematically eliminate a number of possible causes, including clearing the Internet Explorer cache and history folders, which might contain a bad file; giving Internet Explorer more Windows resources; updating the display drivers for your video adapter; updating the DirectX software that helps display graphics; and removing old cookies, which keep a record of visits to each Web site. Any one of these items could cause Internet Explorer to crash. In addition, there could be a problem with the TCP/IP protocol that your computer uses to communicate with Web pages. If all else fails, you should delete and reinstall TCP/IP, as described in "Reinstalling TCP/IP," later in this article.

How to fix it

1. Start Internet Explorer, and on the View menu (in Internet Explorer 4) or the Tools menu (in Internet Explorer 5), click Internet Options.
2. On the General tab of the Internet Options dialog box, click Delete Files, click OK, click Clear History, and click Yes.
   
   
3. In Internet Explorer 4, click the Advanced tab, and under Browsing in the Settings list, select the Browser In A New Process check box.
   
   In Internet Explorer 5, select the Launch Browser Windows In A Separate Process check box. (Internet Explorer 5.5 does not have this option.)
   
   

In addition to these changes, you should make sure you've installed the latest driver for your display adapter as Internet Explorer uses the drivers to display Web page graphics.

1. Check the manufacturer's Web site for an updated driver.
   
   If an updated driver is not available, click Internet Options on the View menu (in Internet Explorer 4) or the Tools menu (in Internet Explorer 5). In the Internet Options dialog box, click the Advanced tab, and clear the Use Smooth Scrolling check box.
2. Install the latest version of DirectX after downloading it from www.microsoft.com/directx/homeuser/downloads/default.asp.

Check to make sure TCP/IP is working by following these steps:

1. Click Start, point to Programs (in Windows Me, also point to Accessories), and click MS-DOS Prompt.
2. In the MS-DOS Prompt window, type ping 127.0.0.1 at the prompt, and press ENTER.
   
   If you see a Request timed out or Transmit failed error message, go to "Reinstalling TCP/IP," later in this article.

Finally, if Internet Explorer still crashes, check to see whether a cookie is causing a problem by following these steps:

1. Double-click My Computer on the desktop, and in the My Computer window, double-click your hard disk.
2. Double-click the Windows folder to open it, click Show Files (in Windows 98) or View The Entire Contents Of This Folder (in Windows Me), and double-click the Cookies folder.
3. Select all the files in the Cookies window except index.dat, press CTRL+X to cut them, and close the Cookies window.
4. Right-click the desktop, point to New, and click Folder. Type Cookies, press ENTER, and press CTRL+V to paste the cookies in the new folder.
   
   If Internet Explorer now works without crashing, copy a few of the cookies back to the Cookies folder in the Windows folder and try browsing again. Continue to copy cookies back to the original Cookies folder until you get an error message. When this happens, cut the last few cookies you copied and copy them back one by one until you get an error message. Delete the last cookie you copied--it's the one causing the problem.
5. Delete the Cookies folder on the desktop.

Reinstalling TCP/IP

If none of the other solutions has prevented Internet Explorer from continuing to crash, it's possible that one of the files for the TCP/IP protocol that your computer uses to communicate with the Internet has been damaged. Because you can't repair or replace individual files, you should remove TCP/IP and reinstall it by following these steps:

1. Right-click Network Neighborhood or My Network Places (in Windows Me) on the desktop, and click Properties on the shortcut menu.
2. On the Configuration tab in the Network dialog box, click one of the network components that is labeled TCP/IP, and click Remove.
   
   
3. Repeat step 2, clicking other TCP/IP-related network components and clicking Remove until all are removed.
4. Click OK, and click Yes when you are asked whether you want to restart the computer.
5. Click Start, point to Settings, and click Control Panel.
6. In Control Panel, double-click Network. (In Windows Me, you might need to click View All Control Panel Options to see the Network option.)
7. On the Configuration tab in the Network dialog box, click Add.
8. In the Select Network Component Type dialog box, click Protocol and click Add.
9. In the Select Network Protocol dialog box, click Microsoft in the Manufacturers list, click TCP/IP in the Network Protocols list, and click OK.
10. Click OK to close the Network dialog box.
11. If you are asked whether you want to keep the newer version of each file, click No. Click Yes when you are asked whether you want to restart the computer.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES