Applications crash when access internet

June 23, 2006 12:40 AM

While I was using Spybot Search and Destroy, the computer became very slow. I rebooted using the hardware button, and since then whenever an application tries to use the internet (IE, Firefox, MSN Messenger etc) the application crashes, saying the application needs to close as an error occurs. Even the Windows Genuine Workaround app crashes! When not using the internet, everything works fine. How can I fix this?
posted by wibbler to Computers & Internet (8 answers total)

not knowing your system or your setup, quick answer: there are a lot of things to check, among them try the following:

1) Check to see if you have a valid ip address: control panel>network connections; right click the one you're using, select status/support. See an ip? Try clicking 'repair'.

2) control panel>internet options>connections. click on lan settings: check 'automatically detect'; uncheck the rest.

3) on same 'connections' page, click 'setup' and set it up again.

try it, maybe reboot first. if still not working:

4) if you have IE6: add/remove programs>select ie6, you'll see an option for "repair" (instead of remove) when you click on it. Try that. Reboot.

5) unless someone more knowledgeable shows up here, google it!
posted by jak68 at 1:59 AM on June 23, 2006

If it's XP, do a system restore to a time previous to the S&D install.
posted by stupidsexyFlanders at 4:40 AM on June 23, 2006

Click start/run

Type "msconfig"

Go to the "startup" tab

Uncheck anything that says "teatimer" (bundled crap with spybot)

Click ok, reboot :)


Oh, while you're on that startup list, feel free to remove anything that doesn't look right...you can always recheck it after a reboot if it was a startup program you needed.
posted by samsara at 6:02 AM on June 23, 2006

I'd guess that the slowdown is coming from "spyware" and other malware installations. Download and install (and update) Spybot S&D, Ad-Aware SE and Microsoft Defender. Reboot your computer into safemode (Choose restart from the start menu and tap the F8 key while the computer reboots).

Run these programs in safemode as "full" or "complete" scans. Delete everything that they find.

Then reboot the computer into "normal" mode. Go to the control panel and Add/Remove programs. Remove any search/deals/savingzzzz/Survey/Moneysaverzz applications. Restart.

That should work. I say all of this assuming that you have all of the current windows updates.
posted by vkxmai at 6:21 AM on June 23, 2006

Response by poster: Hi,

Thanks for the replies so far.

As an example, I open IE6 on a blank page, and it doesn't crash. When I go to a web link, it throws up the error below. However, despite it crashing, the pages still
load in the background, and I can still navigate round the internet. For example, I'm writing this with an error message up on screen now! Bear in min that this happens
with ANY internet application that tries to access the internet - MSN Messenger, Firefox, Norton Antivirus updates, anything. I have done all the recommendations
here and they haven't fixed it!

The error message this time is:

AppName: iexplore.exe AppVer: 6.0.2900.2180 ModName: unknown
ModVer: 0.0.0.0 Offset: 0014072f

I would be so glad if someone could help!
posted by wibbler at 10:58 AM on June 23, 2006

have you tried system restore? or reinstalling the sound card? or scanning for bugs in safe mode?
these things usually work. almost always.

you can also google the error message...
posted by jak68 at 11:50 AM on June 23, 2006

Response by poster: Well, it was spyware after all, and one which as yet isn't found by Norton, Spybot or Adaware. Look here for the answer...

http://www.annoyances.org/exec/forum/winxp/1151120371
posted by wibbler at 2:13 AM on June 24, 2006

Response by poster: Oh, thanks to everyone that posted, though!
posted by wibbler at 2:13 AM on June 24, 2006