From 127.0.0.1 to Scary IE Error

[---Roberta---]

(Little old lady needs help! Be gentle, please.)

Windows 98, IE 6.0.

Two weeks ago, I was suddenly unable to use IE. Upon launching, the window
would open up but would be blank, and at the bottom of the screen a
quick message would flash: "Connecting to site 127.0.0.1". Then the message
"Done". The screen was empty, however. ( I found that I was able to go to
"https" sites with no problem, but nothing else.)

I tried to figure it out myself with no luck. Then I found this newsgroup
and after reading a lot and holding my breath, I tried a number of
suggestions. The good news is that the last thing I tried worked. I
stopped the AT&T Accelerator (stopped via Start> Programs> ATT
Worldnet Accelerator> Stop ATT Worldnet Accelerator.... I did not Uninstall
it.) Suddenly I was able to open up real web pages, BUT before the page had
completely loaded a big error message popped up saying:

Iexplore
X This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

Details:
Iexplore caused an invalid page fault in module KERNAL32.DLL at
015f:bff7a115.
Registers:
EAX=00eab078 CS=015f EIP=bff7a115 EFLGS=00010212
EBX=00fa1fa4 SS=0167 ESP=0064d2e0 EBP=0064d320
ECX=00100000 DS=0167 ESI=00eab078 FS=1967
EDX=00ea000c ES=0167 EDI=000f6f2c GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 03 a8 01 74 25 25 fc ff ff 0f 8b 53 08 03 f8

..... and IE did indeed Shut Down and continues to do so.

I'm wondering if I inadvertently tweaked something along the way among my
"fixes" that now needs to be reversed or untweaked. Or what? (I also
suspect my computer is laced with spyware and adware.)

I hope that someone knows exactly what is wrong and can help me understand
what to do to correct this. Remember... I can't access any of the helpful
websites that I have seen posted here, and the stack of books I have
borrowed from the library haven't helped at all, even the one that suggested
that KERNAL32 gets blamed for a lot of things and "restarting" often helps.
(Not in my case!!)

Please Help! And in easy-to-understand-for-a-rookie terms, please. This
old girl has run out of ideas and patience! Thanks in advance for any and
all suggestions.

Roberta

 

[Jan Il]

Hi Roberta

Let's take the problem a step at a time and see what is causing the problem.
It is likely being caused variety of things, including scumware (malware,
Trojans, paraties, and ickdipoohs), and it could be something very simple.
So, lets start with cleaning the system and make sure it is clean of any
scumware.

First, do the following:

Try this: Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Browsing
Uncheck the Enable 3rd party browser extensions

See if that lets you have free access to the Internet. If so, then your
system is very likely compromised by scumware, so do the following.

Please be aware...when your system is infected, doing a repair or reinstall
of your system or IE will *not* remove the scumware in any way, and may
cause more problems due to corrupted files. So, at this point, do not
attempt to repair or reinstall your Windows or IE.

Courtesy of PA Bear -

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/archive/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://aumha.net/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware. **Post
your log to http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**
(Note: You will have to Register before posting on these Forums. Please
follow all posting instructions carefully to avoid having your log deleted
or ignored. All responders are volunteers and they are very busy, so please
be patient.)

Be aware, your Anti-Virus won't detect all types of warez, Trojans, malware,
worms, etc., and neither can other adware or spyware related programs such
as AdAware and SpyBot. They don't have the proper definitions. They must
also be run in Safe Mode with Hidden Files enabled in order to fully scan
all files. Even if you have run such programs and nothing shows up, it does
not mean your system is clean. It takes a series of programs to fully clean
your machine. Some very aggressive and damaging variants of malware can
replicate themselves repeatedly, or mutate, if not removed properly.

If you cannot download the programs above to clean your system then you will
need to access the websites from another machine and download the files,
copy them to a floppy (or burn to a CD) an then copy the files to the
infected machine, install and then run them. So, you should print out this
information so that you know what and where you need to go to get the
downloads, or, forward this message to the other computer you will be using
to download from

It is not as complicated as it may seem, and we are all good at hand holding
and guided steps, so if you need help along the way, just post back here and

Hope this helps.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE/OE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

 

[Jan Il]

Hi Roberta

Here is something else you might try first:

Rename you HOSTS file:

Go to Win 98\ME… C:\WINDOWS
Scroll down to you find hosts (just "hosts" not hosts.sam or lmhosts)
You may have to enable the viewing of hidden files.

To configure Windows to show all files

Do one of the following:
In Windows XP, on the taskbar, click Start > My Computer.
In Windows 2000/Me/98, on the Windows desktop, double-click the My Computer
icon.
Do one of the following:
In Windows XP/2000/Me, on the Tools menu, click Folder Options.
In Windows 98, on the View menu, click Folder Options.
On the View tab, uncheck Hide file extensions for known file types.
Do one of the following:
In Windows XP/2000/Me, uncheck Hide protected operating system files. Then,
under the "Hidden files" folder, click Show hidden files and folders.
In Windows 98, in the Advanced Settings box, under the "Hidden files"
folder, click Show all files.
If you see a warning message, click Yes.
Click Apply.
Click OK.

Rename your HOSTS file to OLDHOSTS, close out and then see if the problem
persists.

Hope this helps.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE/OE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

 

[Jon Kennedy]

In addition to what Jan and Rob have posted, the error message you mention -
the error in kernal32.dll - points to a virus or trojan infection, if you
spelled the file correctly:
http://www.symantec.com/avcenter/venc/data/backdoor.doly.html
The "real" file should be spelled kernel32.dll.

 

[---Roberta---]

Thank you, thank you! I unchecked the "Enable 3rd party browser extensions"
and I now seem to be back to normal. I have saved your messages so I can
take an orderly approach to some much needed housekeeping.

I can't tell you how happy I am to be back online, and how grateful I am for
your help. Thank you again!

Roberta

Hi Roberta

Let's take the problem a step at a time and see what is causing the problem.
It is likely being caused variety of things, including scumware (malware,
Trojans, paraties, and ickdipoohs), and it could be something very simple.
So, lets start with cleaning the system and make sure it is clean of any
scumware.

First, do the following:

Try this: Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Browsing
Uncheck the Enable 3rd party browser extensions

See if that lets you have free access to the Internet. If so, then your
system is very likely compromised by scumware, so do the following.

Please be aware...when your system is infected, doing a repair or reinstall
of your system or IE will *not* remove the scumware in any way, and may
cause more problems due to corrupted files. So, at this point, do not
attempt to repair or reinstall your Windows or IE.

Courtesy of PA Bear -

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/archive/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://aumha.net/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware. **Post
your log to http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**
(Note: You will have to Register before posting on these Forums. Please
follow all posting instructions carefully to avoid having your log deleted
or ignored. All responders are volunteers and they are very busy, so please
be patient.)

Be aware, your Anti-Virus won't detect all types of warez, Trojans, malware,
worms, etc., and neither can other adware or spyware related programs such
as AdAware and SpyBot. They don't have the proper definitions. They must
also be run in Safe Mode with Hidden Files enabled in order to fully scan
all files. Even if you have run such programs and nothing shows up, it does
not mean your system is clean. It takes a series of programs to fully clean
your machine. Some very aggressive and damaging variants of malware can
replicate themselves repeatedly, or mutate, if not removed properly.

If you cannot download the programs above to clean your system then you will
need to access the websites from another machine and download the files,
copy them to a floppy (or burn to a CD) an then copy the files to the
infected machine, install and then run them. So, you should print out this
information so that you know what and where you need to go to get the
downloads, or, forward this message to the other computer you will be using
to download from

It is not as complicated as it may seem, and we are all good at hand holding
and guided steps, so if you need help along the way, just post back here and

Hope this helps.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE/OE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other readers.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

(Little old lady needs help! Be gentle, please.)

Windows 98, IE 6.0.

Two weeks ago, I was suddenly unable to use IE. Upon launching, the
window
would open up but would be blank, and at the bottom of the screen a
quick message would flash: "Connecting to site 127.0.0.1". Then the
message
"Done". The screen was empty, however. ( I found that I was able to go
to
"https" sites with no problem, but nothing else.)

I tried to figure it out myself with no luck. Then I found this newsgroup
and after reading a lot and holding my breath, I tried a number of
suggestions. The good news is that the last thing I tried worked. I
stopped the AT&T Accelerator (stopped via Start> Programs> ATT
Worldnet Accelerator> Stop ATT Worldnet Accelerator.... I did not
Uninstall
it.) Suddenly I was able to open up real web pages, BUT before the page
had
completely loaded a big error message popped up saying:

Iexplore
X This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

Details:
Iexplore caused an invalid page fault in module KERNAL32.DLL at
015f:bff7a115.
Registers:
EAX=00eab078 CS=015f EIP=bff7a115 EFLGS=00010212
EBX=00fa1fa4 SS=0167 ESP=0064d2e0 EBP=0064d320
ECX=00100000 DS=0167 ESI=00eab078 FS=1967
EDX=00ea000c ES=0167 EDI=000f6f2c GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 03 a8 01 74 25 25 fc ff ff 0f 8b 53 08 03 f8

.... and IE did indeed Shut Down and continues to do so.

I'm wondering if I inadvertently tweaked something along the way among my
"fixes" that now needs to be reversed or untweaked. Or what? (I also
suspect my computer is laced with spyware and adware.)

I hope that someone knows exactly what is wrong and can help me understand
what to do to correct this. Remember... I can't access any of the
helpful
websites that I have seen posted here, and the stack of books I have
borrowed from the library haven't helped at all, even the one that
suggested
that KERNAL32 gets blamed for a lot of things and "restarting" often
helps.
(Not in my case!!)

Please Help! And in easy-to-understand-for-a-rookie terms, please. This
old girl has run out of ideas and patience! Thanks in advance for any and
all suggestions.

Roberta

 

[---Roberta---]

Hi Rob,

Thanks for your input. I am happy to report that I unchecked the "Enable
third-party browser extensions" and seem to be back in business! Phew. And
thanks for the advice about an upgrade.... I think I had a feeling some
maintenance was in order!

Thanks again.
Roberta

 

[---Roberta---]

Hi Jon,

Thanks for the feedback. The good news (I think!) is that the typo was my
error. I see from my handwritten notes that the message did, in fact, refer
to "KERNEL32.DLL" and I goofed it up by typing it (incorrectly) before I
realized that I could copy and paste it properly.

Thanks for checking in.... and I'm happy to say that the Jan and Rob
suggestions worked!

Roberta

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE]

Then you should remove the malware that caused the problem.
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=27971

Help with Hijackware
All MS - MVP Sites.
(http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm)
(http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm)
(http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm)
(http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/darnit.html)
(http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm)

Unexplained computer behavior may be caused by deceptive software.
http://support.microsoft.com/kb/827315

--
Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE
Please respond in Newsgroup. Do not send email
http://www.fjsmjs.com
Protect your PC
http://www.microsoft.com/security/protect/

Thank you, thank you! I unchecked the "Enable 3rd party browser
extensions"
and I now seem to be back to normal. I have saved your messages so I can
take an orderly approach to some much needed housekeeping.

I can't tell you how happy I am to be back online, and how grateful I am
for
your help. Thank you again!

Roberta

Hi Roberta

Let's take the problem a step at a time and see what is causing the problem.
It is likely being caused variety of things, including scumware (malware,
Trojans, paraties, and ickdipoohs), and it could be something very
simple.
So, lets start with cleaning the system and make sure it is clean of any
scumware.

First, do the following:

Try this: Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Browsing
Uncheck the Enable 3rd party browser extensions

See if that lets you have free access to the Internet. If so, then your
system is very likely compromised by scumware, so do the following.

Please be aware...when your system is infected, doing a repair or reinstall
of your system or IE will *not* remove the scumware in any way, and may
cause more problems due to corrupted files. So, at this point, do not
attempt to repair or reinstall your Windows or IE.

Courtesy of PA Bear -

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/archive/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://aumha.net/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware. **Post
your log to http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**
(Note: You will have to Register before posting on these Forums. Please
follow all posting instructions carefully to avoid having your log
deleted
or ignored. All responders are volunteers and they are very busy, so please
be patient.)

Be aware, your Anti-Virus won't detect all types of warez, Trojans, malware,
worms, etc., and neither can other adware or spyware related programs
such
as AdAware and SpyBot. They don't have the proper definitions. They must
also be run in Safe Mode with Hidden Files enabled in order to fully scan
all files. Even if you have run such programs and nothing shows up, it does
not mean your system is clean. It takes a series of programs to fully clean
your machine. Some very aggressive and damaging variants of malware can
replicate themselves repeatedly, or mutate, if not removed properly.

If you cannot download the programs above to clean your system then you will
need to access the websites from another machine and download the files,
copy them to a floppy (or burn to a CD) an then copy the files to the
infected machine, install and then run them. So, you should print out this
information so that you know what and where you need to go to get the
downloads, or, forward this message to the other computer you will be using
to download from

It is not as complicated as it may seem, and we are all good at hand holding
and guided steps, so if you need help along the way, just post back here and

Hope this helps.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE/OE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other
readers.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

(Little old lady needs help! Be gentle, please.)

Windows 98, IE 6.0.

Two weeks ago, I was suddenly unable to use IE. Upon launching, the
window
would open up but would be blank, and at the bottom of the screen a
quick message would flash: "Connecting to site 127.0.0.1". Then the
message
"Done". The screen was empty, however. ( I found that I was able to
go
to
"https" sites with no problem, but nothing else.)

I tried to figure it out myself with no luck. Then I found this newsgroup
and after reading a lot and holding my breath, I tried a number of
suggestions. The good news is that the last thing I tried worked. I
stopped the AT&T Accelerator (stopped via Start> Programs> ATT
Worldnet Accelerator> Stop ATT Worldnet Accelerator.... I did not
Uninstall
it.) Suddenly I was able to open up real web pages, BUT before the
page
had
completely loaded a big error message popped up saying:

Iexplore
X This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

Details:
Iexplore caused an invalid page fault in module KERNAL32.DLL at
015f:bff7a115.
Registers:
EAX=00eab078 CS=015f EIP=bff7a115 EFLGS=00010212
EBX=00fa1fa4 SS=0167 ESP=0064d2e0 EBP=0064d320
ECX=00100000 DS=0167 ESI=00eab078 FS=1967
EDX=00ea000c ES=0167 EDI=000f6f2c GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 03 a8 01 74 25 25 fc ff ff 0f 8b 53 08 03 f8

.... and IE did indeed Shut Down and continues to do so.

I'm wondering if I inadvertently tweaked something along the way among my
"fixes" that now needs to be reversed or untweaked. Or what? (I also
suspect my computer is laced with spyware and adware.)

I hope that someone knows exactly what is wrong and can help me understand
what to do to correct this. Remember... I can't access any of the
helpful
websites that I have seen posted here, and the stack of books I have
borrowed from the library haven't helped at all, even the one that
suggested
that KERNAL32 gets blamed for a lot of things and "restarting" often
helps.
(Not in my case!!)

Please Help! And in easy-to-understand-for-a-rookie terms, please. This
old girl has run out of ideas and patience! Thanks in advance for any and
all suggestions.

Roberta

 

[Jan Il]

Hi Roberta

Thank you, thank you! I unchecked the "Enable 3rd party browser
extensions"
and I now seem to be back to normal. I have saved your messages so I can
take an orderly approach to some much needed housekeeping.

I can't tell you how happy I am to be back online, and how grateful I am
for
your help. Thank you again!

Roberta

You're very welcome! I'm very glad to hear you were able to resolve your
problem. Good job!

Thank you very much for posting back and letting us know what worked for
you, and for the benefit of other readers who might have a similar problem.

Now that you are able to access the Internet, please do follow through now
with the housekeeping as soon as possible. It is also very important that
you follow the directions carefully and to letter, as there are some types
of malware that can come back over and over if not properly and thoroughly
removed.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE/OE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Hi Roberta

Let's take the problem a step at a time and see what is causing the problem.
It is likely being caused variety of things, including scumware (malware,
Trojans, paraties, and ickdipoohs), and it could be something very
simple.
So, lets start with cleaning the system and make sure it is clean of any
scumware.

First, do the following:

Try this: Tools > Internet Options > Advanced > Browsing
Uncheck the Enable 3rd party browser extensions

See if that lets you have free access to the Internet. If so, then your
system is very likely compromised by scumware, so do the following.

Please be aware...when your system is infected, doing a repair or reinstall
of your system or IE will *not* remove the scumware in any way, and may
cause more problems due to corrupted files. So, at this point, do not
attempt to repair or reinstall your Windows or IE.

Courtesy of PA Bear -

Checking for/Help with Hijackware
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://aumha.net/viewtopic.php?t=5878
http://wiki.castlecops.com/Malware_Removal_and_Prevention:_Introduction
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/data/prevention.htm
http://inetexplorer.mvps.org/archive/tshoot.html
http://www.mvps.org/sramesh2k/Malware_Defence.htm
http://defendingyourmachine.blogspot.com/
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware

When all else fails, HijackThis
(http://aumha.net/downloads/hijackthis.zip) is the preferred tool to use.
It will help you to both identify and remove any hijackware/spyware. **Post
your log to http://forums.spybot.info/forumdisplay.php?f=22,
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html,
http://forums.subratam.org/index.php?showforum=7,
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30, or other appropriate forums for expert
analysis, not here.**
(Note: You will have to Register before posting on these Forums. Please
follow all posting instructions carefully to avoid having your log
deleted
or ignored. All responders are volunteers and they are very busy, so please
be patient.)

Be aware, your Anti-Virus won't detect all types of warez, Trojans, malware,
worms, etc., and neither can other adware or spyware related programs
such
as AdAware and SpyBot. They don't have the proper definitions. They must
also be run in Safe Mode with Hidden Files enabled in order to fully scan
all files. Even if you have run such programs and nothing shows up, it does
not mean your system is clean. It takes a series of programs to fully clean
your machine. Some very aggressive and damaging variants of malware can
replicate themselves repeatedly, or mutate, if not removed properly.

If you cannot download the programs above to clean your system then you will
need to access the websites from another machine and download the files,
copy them to a floppy (or burn to a CD) an then copy the files to the
infected machine, install and then run them. So, you should print out this
information so that you know what and where you need to go to get the
downloads, or, forward this message to the other computer you will be using
to download from

It is not as complicated as it may seem, and we are all good at hand holding
and guided steps, so if you need help along the way, just post back here and

Hope this helps.

Jan
MS MVP - Windows IE/OE [DTS/AumHa]
Smiles are meant to be shared,
that's why they're so contagious.

Replies are posted only to the newsgroup for the benefit or other
readers.
How to make a good newsgroup post:
http://www.dts-l.org/goodpost.htm

(Little old lady needs help! Be gentle, please.)

Windows 98, IE 6.0.

Two weeks ago, I was suddenly unable to use IE. Upon launching, the
window
would open up but would be blank, and at the bottom of the screen a
quick message would flash: "Connecting to site 127.0.0.1". Then the
message
"Done". The screen was empty, however. ( I found that I was able to
go
to
"https" sites with no problem, but nothing else.)

I tried to figure it out myself with no luck. Then I found this newsgroup
and after reading a lot and holding my breath, I tried a number of
suggestions. The good news is that the last thing I tried worked. I
stopped the AT&T Accelerator (stopped via Start> Programs> ATT
Worldnet Accelerator> Stop ATT Worldnet Accelerator.... I did not
Uninstall
it.) Suddenly I was able to open up real web pages, BUT before the
page
had
completely loaded a big error message popped up saying:

Iexplore
X This program has performed an illegal operation and will be shut down.
If the problem persists, contact the program vendor.

Details:
Iexplore caused an invalid page fault in module KERNAL32.DLL at
015f:bff7a115.
Registers:
EAX=00eab078 CS=015f EIP=bff7a115 EFLGS=00010212
EBX=00fa1fa4 SS=0167 ESP=0064d2e0 EBP=0064d320
ECX=00100000 DS=0167 ESI=00eab078 FS=1967
EDX=00ea000c ES=0167 EDI=000f6f2c GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
8b 03 a8 01 74 25 25 fc ff ff 0f 8b 53 08 03 f8

.... and IE did indeed Shut Down and continues to do so.

I'm wondering if I inadvertently tweaked something along the way among my
"fixes" that now needs to be reversed or untweaked. Or what? (I also
suspect my computer is laced with spyware and adware.)

I hope that someone knows exactly what is wrong and can help me understand
what to do to correct this. Remember... I can't access any of the
helpful
websites that I have seen posted here, and the stack of books I have
borrowed from the library haven't helped at all, even the one that
suggested
that KERNAL32 gets blamed for a lot of things and "restarting" often
helps.
(Not in my case!!)

Please Help! And in easy-to-understand-for-a-rookie terms, please. This
old girl has run out of ideas and patience! Thanks in advance for any and
all suggestions.

Roberta

 

[Rob Parsons]

Hi Roberta,

Its a bit hard to answer your problem as there seems to be a multiplicity of
events that led to your current situation.
This may fix it.

1. Open your Internet Options Control Panel (Start>Settings>Control
Panel>Internet Options) (these menu directions may be different on your 98
machine)
2. On the General tab check the home page setting (it probably has something
like http://localhost/ or 127.0.0.1) and change it to about:blank
3. On the Advanced tab find the option 'Enable third-party browser
extensions' and ensure that it is unchecked.
Save your changes by pressing the Apply button.

Try starting Internet Explorer again.

One important note is that the older operating systems like your Windows 98
are no longer supported by Microsoft and they are vulnerable to attack from
malicious software and virus. You should consider an upgrade.