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"IExplore.exe has generated an error." Now what?

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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.

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.

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.

"... not all crashes that look like IE are actually caused by 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:

  • 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?

  • 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?

  • 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?

  • 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.

  • 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.

  • 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:

More articles about: Internet Explorer

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Article 200 | Posted May 16, 2004

Recent Comments

iexplore.exe has generated some errors and will be closed automatically........... do you want to debug?
please help me out

Chuks Onwuka, Lagos, Nigeria

Posted by: Chuks Onwuka at February 14, 2008 09:42 AM

IE on my laptop crashes when I try to turn it on, so I can't get to the web to obtain any updates or other fixes! Any thoughts? The error code is 0xC8000711

Posted by: Bob at February 22, 2008 06:01 AM

this issue is happend because your exe has some issues replace the explorer EXE AND EXPLORER by going to C:\WINDOWS

Posted by: Mitto at March 6, 2008 12:47 AM

when i use a online translator the translation comes up as little boxes

Posted by: erdem at March 20, 2008 02:43 PM

Leo, hello I giovanni from Aruba. I have problem to reinstall the msn explorer, and he tell that the msn explorer is no install and I have to repair the msn explorer. I do very think, I have the problem and no msn explorer. Leo thankyou for you time. all best regards.

Posted by: giovanni at March 30, 2008 12:27 PM

Hi Leo,

My problem started ONLY after installing new HP 915 All-in-one printer and its software on my laptop (Win XP Pro SP2).

Now suddenly everytime I start the browser (IE 6.0) and surf a website and then close it, the following message pops up immediately:

The instruction at "0x02381990" referenced memory at "0x02381990". The memory could not be "read". Click on OK to terminate the program.

What could be causing this ?

On my toolbar it does display an icon of "HP Smart Web Printing Clip Book" and "HP Smart Web Printing Selection Mode".

Please help me out with this.

Thanks,
Prakash

Posted by: Prakash at April 24, 2008 08:39 PM

"Iexplorer.exe has generated errors and will be closed by window. you need to restart your program. an error log is being created." please help me solve this problem.

Posted by: johari at May 7, 2008 06:59 PM

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 01:41 PM

While browsing, all of sudden Iexplorer is generating and opening pages without my instruction and warning shows low virtual memory.
Please explain to overcome the problem

Posted by: Sivarama Prasad at May 11, 2008 07:51 PM

In my case is explorer and not iexplore, but the rest is exactly the same.

Posted by: Vamosnessa at June 11, 2008 11:57 AM

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