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This started a couple of months ago, probably and it has me baffled.

I primarily use Firefox 3 as my browser, but also have IE 7 installed. From time to time, if I go to MySpace (using FF) and then try to leave, everything hangs up for a few seconds, then all of a sudden, an IE window will open up and MySpace will start opening up in tab after tab. During this, the computer is totally useless, locked up. All I can do is stare at the tabs opening up in the IE window. The only way I can get out of it is either to just power down the computer (using the power button) or to bring up task manager (it will come up, but it takes a minute). I will end the process for IE, only to have it come right back. If I keep on ending the processes, sometimes I can eventually get it to quit, but more often than not, I just have power down.

Does anyone have ANY clue what this could be from? I assume it's related to MySpace in some way, because it's never happened with any other site. I have run numerous spyware, adware and virus scans since this started and never find anything.

Thanks in advance! :)

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Dani AI

Generated

The behavior described — browsing MySpace in Firefox, then an Internet Explorer window spawning many MySpace tabs and locking the machine — is not normal browser behavior. That pattern commonly points to a background process, a browser helper object/toolbar, scheduled task, or adware that is launching iexplore.exe outside of Firefox. noted that killing processes only helps temporarily, and suggested additional scanners; the checklist below focuses on targeted scanners plus diagnostic tools that identify what is actually launching IE.

Begin with dedicated anti-adware/rootkit scans (run from Safe Mode with Networking or with an offline rescue image). Recommended tools include Malwarebytes (https://www.malwarebytes.com/), AdwCleaner (https://www.malwarebytes.com/adwcleaner/), HitmanPro (https://www.hitmanpro.com/) and the Microsoft Safety Scanner (https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/security/threat-protection/intelligence/safety-scanner-download). Run full scans with current definitions; remove quarantined items and reboot before retesting.

Use live diagnostics to catch the culprit when it happens. Download Autoruns and Process Explorer to inspect startup items, BHOs and which process is the parent of iexplore.exe (Autoruns, Process Explorer). Capture a short trace with Process Monitor filtered for process-creation events to show which process spawns iexplore.exe (Procmon). Identifying the parent process points to the offending program or service.

Also isolate the browser: restart Firefox with extensions disabled (firefox -safe-mode or the profile manager), create a fresh Firefox profile, and disable all plugins (Flash/Java). Reset IE add-ons and inspect Scheduled Tasks and Run entries (msconfig or Autoruns). Make a system restore point or full backup before deleting items. If scans and tracing do not reveal the source, a bootable offline rescue scan or clean OS reinstall is the usual next step.

Member Avatar for NervousNellie

Thanks for responding!

Actually Spybot S&D is one of the ones I've run. And it comes up with nothing. My husband found that the only way to really get out of it quickly when it happens is to open up task manager and end iexplorer.exe, firefox.exe and explorer.exe.

I am still at a loss here! :-/

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