Member Avatar for imokruok03

Windows XP system was running fine until IE (6) stopped working. On a fresh logon from powerup - IE will open like normal - but hangs up system and IE freezes if i clink a link or change the page. From then on I can't open new IE, I can't get this one to do anything. If i kill IEXPLORE.EXE the system comes back to life - other programs work fine including other browsers - except internet via IE.

Firefox works perfectly. This started happening back when i had a cable network - now I have FIOS with same problem - only faster :)

I run Norton IS which is flawless on this and the other 3 systems - i have also ran spy bot and ad-aware. i also ran hitmanpro

Why can't i run Internet Explorer. I need the program for those rare apps that don't wokr in Firefox AND to run Microsoft update programs and get MS downloads. One symptom seems ot be that MS update doesn't work - must use IE to download.

Help.

Imokruok

  • 6 Contributors
  • 7 Replies
  • 659 Views
  • 2 Years Discussion Span
  • Latest Post Latest Post by Jeff Watson

Dani AI

Generated

Short, practical follow-up for and others seeing the same behaviour.

The pattern you describe — IE opens once after boot, then after a few clicks the system stalls while an iexplore.exe process remains, yet Firefox works and the problem followed network changes — points away from the ISP and toward one of three things: a malicious binary masquerading as IE, a broken/hostile IE add-on (BHO/toolbar/ActiveX), or a corrupted user/profile-specific setting. You already ran virus/spy scans and SFC, and suggested reinstalling IE; since those didn’t fix it, try focused diagnostics next.

Non‑destructive checks to run now: inspect the running process (use Process Explorer or Task Manager) and confirm the executable path and digital signature — if iexplore.exe is not in the Internet Explorer folder or isn’t signed by Microsoft, treat it as suspicious. Start IE without add-ons to test whether a BHO/tool bar is the culprit (iexplore.exe -extoff). If that makes IE usable, disable toolbars/BHOs in Manage Add‑ons and re-enable them one at a time. Also check Tools → Internet Options → Connections → LAN settings for an unexpected proxy and try a fresh Windows user account to rule out profile corruption.

If you suspect malware: disconnect or isolate the PC, boot Safe Mode (with Networking if you need updated scanners) and run a full scan with a strong on‑demand tool (for example Malwarebytes) and a second‑opinion scanner; use Autoruns to remove suspicious startup items and BHOs. When backing up personal files, scan those backups from a known‑clean machine before restoring. The symptoms Jeff reported (ads opening repeatedly, audio being muted) are classic active‑infection behaviour — isolate and clean before reconnecting.

If all targeted removal fails, a repair install or clean reinstall is the last resort — but only after backing up and verifying personal data. Given that SFC and a reinstall were already attempted, the single most valuable next step is to identify the exact iexplore.exe image path/signature and remove whatever helper or startup entry is launching it.

Recommended Answers

All 7 Replies

Member Avatar for jbennet

go to run and type

sfc /scannow

you may need a windows cd. this command will check for corrupted / maliciously modified / missing system files and replace them with the correct ones. This should fix your problem, as it siunds to me like IE6 got corrupted

let it run and then reboot. it wont tell you the results.

Member Avatar for imokruok03

I ran this as you suggested and then rebooted. IE started but within 3 clicks IE was again stuck and my computer was stalled. As before IExplore.exe was running, using up memory but no window opened up and clearly it was hogging both memory and CPU.

I am running out of ideas. If I don't get help soon, my last resort may be necessary. I bought a backup device to save all my files after which I will just reinstall. This is truly a last resort as I've had this machine for 3 years and to reinstall all the apps will take plenty of time and patience.

Any other ideas smart folks out on Daniweb?

imok

Member Avatar for The Dude

Welcome to Daniweb :)

Try re-installing IE per instructions in this thread :)

Good luck!

Member Avatar for jbennet

As before IExplore.exe was running, using up memory but no window opened up and clearly it was hogging both memory and CPU.

are you sure its "IExplore.exe ??? . It should be "iexplore.exe" - anything else is spyware

Member Avatar for crippendale

I'm pretty novice when it comes to solutions. However, on another computer which I had to replace, I used Firefox and ended up having a problem which, right or wrong, I felt was Firefox related.

Since that computer has been replaced, I never knew for sure that Firefox was the cause. What could you lose by getting rid of Firefox and see if that helps? If nothing changes, you can always go back to using Firefox.

I have Explorer version 7.0 on this computer along with Windows XP and, following a few updates, have had good luck with it.

Good luck!

Member Avatar for BharatG

i am facing this problem in my laptop and my desktop both.
i get a process named IEXPLORE.exe in the startup that i cant kill.
it starts using up memory and processor and finally after sometime my pc is slow like hell...
i tried softwares like Spyware Search Destroy, Avast, EsetNod32, Lavasoft Ad-Aware.... but none of those detected this spyware.

PLease help
thanks

Member Avatar for Jeff Watson

I keep getting this as well. I've tried a thorough scan of my system with AVG, Ad-Aware, Spybot Search & Destroy, SUPERAntiSypware, nothing. I even went as far as to doing a repair re-install of Windows XP, but every single time, Internet Explorer runs. It's opening advertisement sites, then shutting down and opening again. If I close it, it immediately opens. No window, but I can tell it's opening ad sites because I can hear the ads - and here's the new thing about this: it's shutting off the sound. Wave volume is turned down all the way - automatically. That way, you can't hear the ads or the clicks. I found this out when wondering why something else was silent.

I'm at my wit's end here, folks. I've gone through these threads AND NO ONE HAS SOLVED THIS PROBLEM. PLEASE help!!

Be a part of the DaniWeb community

We're a friendly, industry-focused community of developers, IT pros, digital marketers, and technology enthusiasts meeting, networking, learning, and sharing knowledge.