clicking on desktop IE icon occasionally won't open browser window but appears to run. also can't shut down.

Question

task manager shows IE IS running but the browser window won't open. all other non-internet apps work fine, but i can't shut down or re-start from the START menu (alternately, it takes several minutes to shut down). turning off manually and powering up again usually resolves problem, until the next time it happens. i've removed all programs i downloaded just prior to this mess and switched anti-virus (from Avast to AVG). no effect, no viruses. upgrading to IE 7 made no diff. i'm using an Acer Aspire 3634WLMi with Celeron M 380 .

Answer 1

I think the either the whole windows or just internet explorer is corrupt. You will need to properly uninstall it, restart and then install new IE. One more reason may be...the system is infected with Spyware or malware. Download some quality antispyware from http://www.pcsecurityworld.com/antispyware.php and run a check. You can try resetting IE to its default settings and see if that resolves the issue. Better would be to stop using IE and switching to either Firefox or to IE based browsers. Both are available at http://www.pcsecurityworld.com main page.

Answer 2

Don't worry - you deleted the icon, not the actual program itself. Usually the file is under your Program Files folder. On the start button, right-click and click explore. The C drive folder should be open (if not, just open it) and among the sub-categories you should be able to find Program Files. Look for the Internet Explorer folder and there should be another icon in that folder which you can just simply click and drag onto the desktop, creating a new icon opening the same program. If it's not there, go to the site where you installed it, and check where you saved the file to. Close it, and go to the folder via the Explore feature.

Answer 3

Did you run your anti-virus and anti-spy in Safe Mode? Click F8 continually while booting to get Safe Mode. If you see Windows flag shut off and reboot as you have gone too far. When you get to Safe Mode lay mouse on generic icons until you see the anti software and run it. Slow but worth it. Good luck. Also, try Firefox instead of IE.