Active X problem?

[Bill Pierce]

I have an older computer (400 MHz Pentium II, 512 MB RAM) running Windows 98
SE, IE 6.0 and Windows Media Player 9.0. All of the latest patches and
updates are installed. So are the latest versions and updates of Norton
AntiVirus and LavaSoft AdAware SE. None of them reports any viruses or
spyware. I operate behind a hardware firewall and have Norton Internet
Security installed as well. The computer has been very stable for a long
time--until the past month or two.

Periodically I am now receiving errors in both IE and Media Player, enough
that it shuts them down (with the accompanying option to report the errors
to Microsoft and restart the application) and I have to restart them, but
not so badly that I have to restart the computer (although I have also tried
that). The errors appear somewhat randomly and repeatedly, but often
restarting the application and revisiting the offending site or reloading
the offending file the third or fourth time solves the problem?

The only common thread I can see is that it seems to occur much more often
when I visit sites with Active X controls. Sites with fewer graphics and
less embedded media content are far more stable. Also, I know that Active X
technology is shared between IE and Media Player. I have tried uninstalling
and reinstalling Active X on my computer, but this hasn't solved the
problem.

The error messages are not sufficiently specific that they provide me with
many clues for troubleshooting. I don't even really know if Active X is the
source of the problem; it's merely my best guess at the moment.

Any assistance or suggestions would be appreciated.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE]

I have an older computer (400 MHz Pentium II, 512 MB RAM) running Windows
98
SE, IE 6.0 and Windows Media Player 9.0. All of the latest patches and
updates are installed. So are the latest versions and updates of Norton
AntiVirus and LavaSoft AdAware SE. None of them reports any viruses or
spyware. I operate behind a hardware firewall and have Norton Internet
Security installed as well. The computer has been very stable for a long
time--until the past month or two.

Periodically I am now receiving errors in both IE and Media Player, enough
that it shuts them down (with the accompanying option to report the errors
to Microsoft and restart the application) and I have to restart them, but
not so badly that I have to restart the computer (although I have also
tried
that). The errors appear somewhat randomly and repeatedly, but often
restarting the application and revisiting the offending site or reloading
the offending file the third or fourth time solves the problem?

The only common thread I can see is that it seems to occur much more often
when I visit sites with Active X controls. Sites with fewer graphics and
less embedded media content are far more stable. Also, I know that Active
X
technology is shared between IE and Media Player. I have tried
uninstalling
and reinstalling Active X on my computer, but this hasn't solved the
problem.

The error messages are not sufficiently specific that they provide me with
many clues for troubleshooting. I don't even really know if Active X is
the
source of the problem; it's merely my best guess at the moment.

Any assistance or suggestions would be appreciated.

Norton and Ad-Aware won't catch everything.
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

CAUTION!!!!! Before you try to remove spyware using any of these programs ,
download a copy of LSPFIX from any of the following sites:
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html
(if your OS is Win2k or XP) The process of removing certain malware may kill
your internet connection. If this should occur, this program, LSPFIX, will
enable you to regain your connection.

See
Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

Note that AdAware and SpyBot S & D will each catch some things the other
won't. Also, each needs to be updated with the program's update function
before every use, even when just downloaded. There's also a lot more to do
than just those two programs. CWShredder is also available here:
http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder
**Post your HijackThis log to
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/ or the Spyware forum at
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not here.**
Alternative download pages for Ad-Aware, Spybot, HijackThis and CWShredder
may be found on this page:
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.

See this link for information about malware:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/malware.ars

If nothing there helps, please post back to this thread.

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

 

[BillPierce]

Those were good suggestions. I downloaded and installed SpyBot S&D,
updated it, and ensured I had the latest version of Ad-Aware as well.
Then I ran them both. SpyBot S&D found a few errant tracking cookies
Ad-Aware had missed, but neither of them report any spyware, adware or
malware applications installed or running. I'm still left with the
problem (seemingly random closings of IE and Media Player). I suppose
the next thing to do is to unload as many applications and processes as
possible, both on startup and otherwise, and see if the situation
changes. Before I wade into the belly of the beast, I would benefit in
knowing if there are any usual suspects. Thank you for the assistance.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE]

Norton and Ad-Aware won't catch everything.
What You Should Know About Spyware
http://www.microsoft.com/athome/security/spyware/devioussoftware.mspx

CAUTION!!!!! Before you try to remove spyware using any of these programs
, download a copy of LSPFIX from any of the following sites:
http://www.cexx.org/lspfix.htm
http://www.spychecker.com/program/winsockxpfix.html
(if your OS is Win2k or XP) The process of removing certain malware may
kill
your internet connection. If this should occur, this program, LSPFIX, will
enable you to regain your connection.

See
Dealing with Unwanted Malware, Parasites, Toolbars and Search Engines
http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm

Note that AdAware and SpyBot S & D will each catch some things the other
won't. Also, each needs to be updated with the program's update function
before every use, even when just downloaded. There's also a lot more to
do than just those two programs. CWShredder is also available here:
http://www.intermute.com/products/cwshredder
**Post your HijackThis log to
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/
http://forums.tomcoyote.org/
http://castlecops.com/forum67.html
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/ or the Spyware forum at
http://forum.aumha.org/viewforum.php?f=30 for expert analysis, not here.**
Alternative download pages for Ad-Aware, Spybot, HijackThis and CWShredder
may be found on this page:
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm.

See this link for information about malware:
http://arstechnica.com/articles/paedia/malware.ars

If nothing there helps, please post back to this thread.

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

Go to: http://mvps.org/winhelp2002/unwanted.htm
Download "Hijack This!" [freeware]

Unzip, double-click "HijackThis.exe" and Press "Scan".

When the scan is finished, the "Scan" button will change into a "Save Log"
button.
Click: "Save Log" (generates: "hijackthis.log")

Next, go to the below location:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/forums/

Sign in, go to the "Spyware and Hijackware Removal" section.
Press "New Topic" and post a description of your symptoms. If they need to
see your log they will ask for it.

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

 

[BillPierce]

Thanks for the advice. I have a copy of Hijack This, which I will run
and submit the log to the Spyware.com forum.

I will defer to your judgment that the problem is indeed spyware. It
if is, it's integrated into IE 6.0. I have gone over all the
applications loaded on startup and the currently running processes with
a fine tooth comb, and nothing at all seems amiss there. Performance
is very good considering that it's an older, slower computer. It's
only IE and Media Player that give me any problems. Everything else
runs quite well.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE]

Thanks for the advice. I have a copy of Hijack This, which I will run
and submit the log to the Spyware.com forum.

I will defer to your judgment that the problem is indeed spyware. It
if is, it's integrated into IE 6.0. I have gone over all the
applications loaded on startup and the currently running processes
with a fine tooth comb, and nothing at all seems amiss there.
Performance is very good considering that it's an older, slower
computer. It's only IE and Media Player that give me any problems.
Everything else runs quite well.

I'm not saying it IS spyware, I'm saying that spyware can cause this.

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

 

[BillPierce]

Well, I'm back. After extensive diagnostics and investigation, I (and
the people at several sites and newsgroups) am fairly convinced the
source of the problem is not a virus/spyware/adware/malware/browser
hijack issue. So that brings me back to my original question. The
problem (IE 6.0 shutting down) seems to occur, albeit intermittently,
with sites containing somewhat complex ActiveX controls and content.
How do I go about troubleshooting this?

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE]

Well, I'm back. After extensive diagnostics and investigation, I (and
the people at several sites and newsgroups) am fairly convinced the
source of the problem is not a virus/spyware/adware/malware/browser
hijack issue. So that brings me back to my original question. The
problem (IE 6.0 shutting down) seems to occur, albeit intermittently,
with sites containing somewhat complex ActiveX controls and content.
How do I go about troubleshooting this?

You could delete all of the ActiveX components and download them again when
asked. Other than that I have no idea.

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

 

[BillPierce]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I have already deleted and
reinstalled ActiveX, and the problems persist. Is there a way to
diagnose the error report that is sent to Microsoft if you choose that
option when IE shuts down? Or might you be able to suggest another
forum that deals specifically with ActiveX issues?

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP IE/OE]

Thank you for your reply. Unfortunately I have already deleted and
reinstalled ActiveX, and the problems persist. Is there a way to
diagnose the error report that is sent to Microsoft if you choose that
option when IE shuts down? Or might you be able to suggest another
forum that deals specifically with ActiveX issues?

There probably is a way, but I don't know it.

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