Internet Explorer shuts down pc, intermittantly.

[Doug]

Hi. I hope someone here can help me. On my wife's pc, running
WindowsXP home edition, service pack 2, with Internet Explorer Version
6.0.2, when she is surfing the net, she is on a website (no ONE in
particular, Ebay, yahoo, IN.gov,etc.) her browser will suddenly close
ITSELF, then the pc goes thru it's normal shutdown procedure (saving
settings, logging off, shutting down) ALL BY ITSELF. She then has to
restart the pc and start all over, bringing the pc up. This happens AT
LEAST once a night and all that she is doing is reading websites. It's
like a ghost takes over her pc, closes the browser, then shuts down
her pc.
I have run Adaware, spybot, windows defender, Zone Alarms spyware
scan, Norton utilities, and Norton Anti-Virus and they find things,
which I then remove, yet still this problem persists. Does anyone have
any ideas, before I format the HD and reinstall everything?

 

[Jon Kennedy]

One of the most common issues that causes this is video card problems.
Turn down the hardware acceleration on that card - Right click
desktop...Properties...Settings...Advanced...Troubleshoot tab. If this
helps, then go to the website of your video card manufacturer and download
and (re)install the latest drivers for your card. Also, get the latest
version of DirectX:
http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/AboutGFW/Pages/DirectX10.aspx
IE puts more strain on your video card/drivers than almost anything outside
of games and CAD/CAM-type programs.

Heat buildup can also cause spontaneous reboots. Make sure all vents are
clear and clean, all fans are running, etc. Also a bad power supply on the
system can cause this issue, or just bad line power. Using an
uninterruptible power supply (UPS, aka battery backup) like the ones from
http://www.apcc.com can help.

Third party programs associated with IE can also cause this issue. Go to
Tools...Internet Options...Advanced tab, Browsing section, uncheck "Enable
third-party browser extensions", click Apply, click Okay, reboot. If that
solves the issue, then it's time to narrow down exactly what is causing the
issue. Recheck the box, Apply, Okay, reboot. Then go to Tools...Manage
Add-ons, and disable a couple at a time to pinpoint the culprit.

If still no joy......

This may be caused by spyware/malware that's gotten installed on
your system.
The problem could be something new that the
spyware cleaners you've used don't have in their databases yet (and I take
it you've updated their definitions before scanning). In that case....
HijackThis direct download:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/hijackthis.zip
Tutorial on how to use HijackThis:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html
Then post it's output log to the forum here for analysis and feedback by the
parasite experts:
http://forums.spywareinfo.com/
http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30
Or one of the other HijackThis Logs forums listed here:
http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/forums.html

Or try this program to get some of the most nasty malware:
CWShredder direct download:
http://aumha.org/downloads/cwshredder.zip

An alternate resource for all of this and more:
http://www.aumha.org/secure.htm

 

[Doug]

One of the most common issues that causes this is video card problems.
Turn down the hardware acceleration on that card - Right click
desktop...Properties...Settings...Advanced...Troubleshoot tab. If this
helps, then go to the website of your video card manufacturer and download
and (re)install the latest drivers for your card. Also, get the latest
version of DirectX:http://www.gamesforwindows.com/en-US/AboutGFW/Pages/DirectX10.aspx
IE puts more strain on your video card/drivers than almost anything outside
of games and CAD/CAM-type programs.

Heat buildup can also cause spontaneous reboots. Make sure all vents are
clear and clean, all fans are running, etc. Also a bad power supply on the
system can cause this issue, or just bad line power. Using an
uninterruptible power supply (UPS, aka battery backup) like the ones fromhttp://www.apcc.comcan help.

Third party programs associated with IE can also cause this issue. Go to
Tools...Internet Options...Advanced tab, Browsing section, uncheck "Enable
third-party browser extensions", click Apply, click Okay, reboot. If that
solves the issue, then it's time to narrow down exactly what is causing the
issue. Recheck the box, Apply, Okay, reboot. Then go to Tools...Manage
Add-ons, and disable a couple at a time to pinpoint the culprit.

If still no joy......

This may be caused by spyware/malware that's gotten installed on
your system.
The problem could be something new that the
spyware cleaners you've used don't have in their databases yet (and I take
it you've updated their definitions before scanning). In that case....
HijackThis direct download:http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/files/hijackthis.zip
Tutorial on how to use HijackThis:http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/htlogtutorial.html
Then post it's output log to the forum here for analysis and feedback by the
parasite experts:http://forums.spywareinfo.com/http://aumha.net/viewforum.php?f=30
Or one of the other HijackThis Logs forums listed here:http://www.spywareinfo.com/~merijn/forums.html

Or try this program to get some of the most nasty malware:
CWShredder direct download:http://aumha.org/downloads/cwshredder.zip

An alternate resource for all of this and more:http://www.aumha.org/secure.htm

--

Jon R. Kennedy MS MVP/IE
Charlotte, NC USA
(e-mail address removed)






- Show quoted text -

Thank you SO much for your ideas and help. If it was a bad power
supply, wouldn't the pc just shut-down, like a light bulb that burns
out the second that you flip the switch? Rather than having the time
to go through the whole formal shutdown procedure?

 

[Jon Kennedy]

A failing power supply can introduce it's own line "noise" and "dirty up"
the power it's supplying to the processor and the rest of your machine. I'd
try other, easier things, like looking for malware, video card issues, heat
build-up, etc. before looking at hardware issues like replacing the power
supply or getting a UPS.

 

[Frank Saunders, MS-MVP OE/WM]

Hi. I hope someone here can help me. On my wife's pc, running
WindowsXP home edition, service pack 2, with Internet Explorer Version
6.0.2, when she is surfing the net, she is on a website (no ONE in
particular, Ebay, yahoo, IN.gov,etc.) her browser will suddenly close
ITSELF, then the pc goes thru it's normal shutdown procedure (saving
settings, logging off, shutting down) ALL BY ITSELF. She then has to
restart the pc and start all over, bringing the pc up. This happens AT
LEAST once a night and all that she is doing is reading websites. It's
like a ghost takes over her pc, closes the browser, then shuts down
her pc.
I have run Adaware, spybot, windows defender, Zone Alarms spyware
scan, Norton utilities, and Norton Anti-Virus and they find things,
which I then remove, yet still this problem persists. Does anyone have
any ideas, before I format the HD and reinstall everything?

Do a thorough check for malware following all of the steps at one of these
sites:
Help with malware
All MS-MVP Sites.
http://aumha.org/a/parasite.htm
http://aumha.org/a/quickfix.htm
http://www.elephantboycomputers.com/page2.html#Removing_Malware
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

So How Did I Get Infected Anyway?
For quite a few people it's by installing Messenger Plus, whose ads for
malware don't identify the malware as such and try to convince you that you
owe it to the author. See also:
http://www.wilderssecurity.com/showthread.php?t=27971
Don't ever do a "default" install of anything. Always choose Custom and see
what else is being carried along. Don't install any extras you're not sure
of.