Internet Explorer locks up

[Guest]

Lately Internet Explorer locks up as soon as I type in a URL and hit Enter.
I have to kill it with Task Manager. Same thing happens if I open it again.
Now here's the weird part. If I run System Restore back to when this didn't
happen, when the system finishes re-booting, System Restore says it cannot
finish because nothing has changed. And yet, Internet Explorer works again.
But the next day the problem comes back. At first it seems this problem
happened after a Windows Update, that's why I used System Restore in the
first place. Now I've turned off Automatic Updates, but this still happens
each day. What is going on, and how do I fix it once and for all?

The problem is occuring on 2 machines, my desktop and my laptop, both older
Dell models. A third PC, same model Dell desktop, has never run Windows
Update at all and is not having this problem.

I'm running XP SP2 and Internet Explorer 6.0 SP2. I did install Norton 360
on the desktop system a few days ago, and had an initial problem running Live
Update, but I resolved that. The Internet Explorer problem started a few
days later, and I first saw it on the laptop that hadn't had Norton 360
installed, although I did install Norton's help desk software trying to fix
the other desktop system's problem with Live Update.

Can anyone help?

-Leon

 

[Guest]

More weirdness, the laptop I've had a problem with can no longer access
shared files and a printer on the problem desktop, but the desktop CAN access
shared files on the laptop.

Once again, I just used the supposedly non-functional system restore to make
Internet Explorer functional again on the desktop, but that didn't work
making files accessible to the laptop. And yet, the laptop can access shared
files on my second desktop, and that second desktop can also access them on
the problem desktop. This really starting to baffle me.

To summarize how can A access files on C, but not on B, when B can access A,
and access C, and C can access A and access B? Obviously file sharing and
network connectivity are working on A and B, B just doesn't like A. If I
browse from B to A under Add a Network Place, I can see B but can't open it,
it won't add it. If I browse the same way from B, I can reach A without a
hitch. What's up?