Summary: IExplore.exe, aka Internet Explorer or 'IE', can crash but it's not always its fault. We'll look at some of the things that can cause IExplore.exe to crash, and steps you can take.
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I keep getting the message "IExplorer.exe has generated an error" when I browse the web, and my browser then shuts down. Why does this happen, and what do I do to fix it? |
IExplore.exe which is Internet Explorer, or more commonly "IE", is perhaps one of the most used pieces of software ever written next to the Windows operating system itself. 80% of all visits to http://ask-leo.com are from IE users.
Unfortunately, being such a big target, when it crashes a lot of people notice. And since not all crashes that look like IE are actually caused by IE, things get very confusing, and perhaps very frustrating.
Let's look at some of the clues to help identify the problem as well as some steps that may help resolve some of the issues we find.
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Let me start by explaining what I mean when I said that not all crashes that look like IE are actually caused by IE. There are two basic ways this can happen:
Add-ons: IE has what's called an extensibility model, meaning that it is possible to write software that becomes a virtual part of IE. A good example that I use myself is the Google Toolbar. It adds an additional toolbar to IE's standard set and does so by integrating tightly with IE.
If an add-on causes a crash it will be reported as having happened in IE.
Not all add-ons are obvious either. Many fall into the category of spyware - software that you didn't even know you had - perhaps something that was installed as a side effect of installing another program.
The second way a problem that is not IE's can be reported as if it was, is something called ActiveX. In reality it's gone by many names, but ActiveX is a technology Microsoft implemented some years ago that allows code to be downloaded from the websites you're visiting and executed on your machine. Within IE. So once again, if an ActiveX object has a problem and causes a crash it will be reported as having been IE.
And once again ActiveX objects are another way that spyware, viruses, and other forms of malware can land on your machine.
And finally, yes, it's quite possible that IE has itself caused the problem that's being reported as being within IE. It could be a bug or it could be some other problem.
So, what to do when you encounter such a problem?
Here's the order of things I would suggest trying:
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Perform a scan for spyware. This is probably the most common cause for unexpected crashes in IE that just start happening one day. This article will get you started: Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware?
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Perform a virus scan. Less likely than spyware to specifically cause IE crashes (you'd probably be noticing other problems), but still a possibility. This article would cover that: Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from viruses?
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If you're running Windows XP, I'd run the system file checker. SFC will detect and repair system files that have gone missing or somehow become corrupt, including those that comprise IE. See my previous article: What is the System File Checker, and how do I run it?
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If you're not running Windows XP you can attempt a repair of Internet Explorer. And to be honest the best repair is a reinstall. Visit Microsoft's Internet Explorer Site for the latest and greatest.
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Which brings up yet another good idea: visit Windows Update. Make sure you have the latest Windows components, IE components, drivers, and other updates for your system. When they're not about critical security updates, the majority of the fixes on Windows Update are often about fixing crashes.
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And finally, after all that has been done, if the problem happens only on certain websites, it's possible that the software being exercised by that website has a problem. Perhaps it's a downloaded ActiveX object or something else. It might be worth checking with other users of that same site to see if they have a similar problem.
Debugging crashes in IE can be a tricky proposition. The list above is a start, either towards resolving the problems you're experiencing or to narrowing down the causes by eliminating the common ones.
Related:
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Spyware: How do I remove and avoid spyware? There are some important steps to take to deal with the ever-present concern of how to remove and avoid spyware.
Viruses: How do I keep myself safe from Viruses? Computer viruses are a fact of modern connected life. Anti-virus software is required, and both it and the database it uses should be kept up-to-date.
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What is the System File Checker, and how do I run it? The System File Checker is a little known utility that validates that Windows own files are undamaged. It's a simple to run command line program.
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Internet Safety: How do I keep my computer safe on the internet? Internet Safety is difficult and yet critical. Here are the seven key steps to internet safety - steps to keep your computer safe on the internet.
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Microsoft - Windows Update
Article C1942 - May 16, 2004
The IEXPLORER.exe error I keep repeatedly receiving is due to the Flash Player. I did all of the things in the article. I googled the error and it seems there are quite a lot of people with this problem now that the Flash 9 is out. I think it is an Adobe problem and not IE. Unable to locate any fix for this on Adobe's site. I downloaded a stand alone from http://fileforum.betanews.com/detail/964714156/ after removing flash using this link http://download.macromedia.com/pub/flashplayer/current/uninstall_flash_player.exe and I wasn't receiving the IE error anymore but new problem, websites can't detect flash plug-in so I clicked on link to Adobe and loaded flash from there again now I get the IEXPLORE.exe error again.
Posted by: Brenda at May 8, 2008 1:41 PMi reinstalled win98se and i had went to microsoft to get updates,i had downloaded IE6.0 service pack1.Now i went to add/remove programs to repair IE and it starts to scan and an error comes up "VERSION 5.0.0.3715 OF FILE VBSCRIPT.DLL Exists but the version needs to be greater then 5.5.0.5207/ version 5.0.03715 of the SCRRUN.DLL exists but the version needs to be greater than 5.1.0.5010
Posted by: jessica at July 6, 2008 10:01 PMActually i use a back office software TECHEXCEL. it is an ie based java software. now some has entered into my back office and played some game i.e. he has tried to do some sort of RND and now i want to know from which ip address he had logged in. i have checked the timings and i am geting the result that the error has occured at 6:48 pm. this data i have received from the server but can you help me to know more on it.
i mean he had logged in my server and tried to do some import. i want to know what actually he has done.
i hope the windows keeps a track record for the same somewhere within. please tell me where shall i get this details.
incase you need to talk kindly call me on [phone number removed] or you can send me your no. and ill call you back. myself Nainesh H Jatania. Director of the firm AMI STOCK AND SHARE BROKERS PVT. LTD.
Posted by: Nainesh H Jatania at September 22, 2008 10:15 AMMany errors with internet explorer are caused by bad registry settings (it's just another application like any other on your computer). Try using a free windows registry cleaner such as CCleaner. If that doesn't work than go for the ones that'll set you back 20$ - RegistryCleaner.
Posted by: daniel waspon at November 17, 2008 6:50 AMi had many ie errors i fixd them with ms-errors great app for ie errors and registry problem.
Posted by: IE Errors at December 12, 2008 5:39 AMi bought it 2 mounth ago and since that day i had no such errors.
I get the following error message from iExplore when I try to exit Internet Explorer:
The instruction at "0x04965678" referenced memory at "0x057005a0". The memory could not be "read".
Any suggestions on what this is and/or how I can get it to go away?
17-Mar-2009
I was getting "The Application has requested the Runtime to terminate in an unusual way" error in IE today also. It turned out to be Google Tool Bar. Here's how I fixed it:
Click Start/Programs/Accessories/System Tools/Internet Explorer (No Add-Ons). If IE starts and works OK, that means an add-on is causing the problem.
Now that you can use IE, click Tools/Internet Options/Programs/Manage add-ons. Here you can disable add-ons individually to find out which one is causing the problem. If you are running Google Tool Bar, I would start with disabling everything that says Google on it. There will be about four entries. Click on each one and click the "Disable" radio button. Click OK when finished.
Now start up IE again in the regular way. If the problem is gone, then Google Toolbar was the culprit. Sometimes I have found that I could uninstall it and re-install to fix the problem (my favorites etc. were still there).
If IE still does not work, then it's another add-on. I would disable about half of the add-ons and test again. Keep disabling half of the remaining enabled add-ons until it works. Then the problem is in the batch you just disabled. So you can gradually narrow it down until you find the specific one that is bad.
Posted by: Dave Hirschman at March 26, 2009 3:24 PMI was getting the above error message after I installed IE 8. After trying many things I uninstalled IE 8 and reinstalled IE 7 and the error message stopped.
Posted by: Jim Long at April 15, 2009 8:55 PMI switched to using Google Chrome for a few months now. It is quicker and has never crashed. If a web page misbehaves, you can close only that tab and the others keep going. This is one way of getting rid of IExplore errors once and for all.
Posted by: Sri Aiyar at April 30, 2009 5:12 PMi suffer from the same problem.
Acrobat IEHelper: iexplore.exe - Application Error saying:
The instruction at "0x7c9105f8" referenced memory at "0x01440010". The memory could not be "read". Click on OK to terminate the program.
i removed acroboat and then it just started to do
iexplore.exe - Application Error saying:
The instruction at "0x7c9105f8" referenced memory at "0x01440010". The memory could not be "read". Click on OK to terminate the program.
any fix for this problem?
amd64 - 3000+
Posted by: Rahul Solanki at November 12, 2009 5:08 AM1gig ram
9600xt