Step by Step

Eradicate Browser Crashes.

Reprinted from PC World, April 2001 , pg 90 by Steve Bass
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I found this article helpful to me and since URLs change on other websites I decided to make a copy of the text below. I will claim the additional links added are my work but the bulk of the information come from the article by Steve Bass. I suspect that many who complain about their browser crashing would have great improvement if they do what is suggested in this article. I know I did. - Jo



Your going to laugh, but sometimes even my browser crashes. It's an Internet fact of life. Poorly written JAVA applications are often the culprits, as are imperfectly designed Web pages, ( and maybe errant sunspots). You can either stop browsing altogether, or step through these tips:





1. Cache in the History.   
Corrupt files in both Internet Explorer and Netscape can lead to errors and subsequent crashes. Deleting the Cache, and History files may help. In Internet Explorer 5 select, Tools * Internet Options, and in the Temporary Internet Files area check Delete Files . ( In older versions of Internet Explorer, go to the View Menu to find Internet Options. ) Next, click Clear History . Myself, I keep the history trimmed down to ten days, helping to reduce the chance of corrupt files. It's just as easy in Netscape: Simply go to Edit * Perference, click Navigator (History in Navigator 6 ) in the three on the left, and then select Clear History when it appears on the right. Double click Advanced , select Cache , and click Clear Disk Cache.




2.   Inactive ActiveX.
  I still get anxious when I see the "invalid Page Fault in Kernel32.DLL" errors. For a while, whenever I exited Internet Explorer the message would gleefully pop up. A corrupt ActiveX control was causing the error. In Internet Explorer select, Tools * Internet Options and click the Settings and View Objects buttons. Once there, choose View * Details . If you see ActiveX items that are listed as "damaged", right - click each one and remove it. No damaged items? Update each by right - clicking it and selecting Update (you will be prompted to go online,).
Netscape users should first close the browser and use Windows Explorer to head for the
C:\Program Files\Netscape\Navigator\Program folder.
Rename the Plugins folder "Plug_safe" (highlight the file and press F2) , and then Reload Netscape. If you experence no more crashes, copy one file at a time from the Plug_Safe folder into the new Plugins folder Netscape created when you reloaded it. After you add each new file, restart Netscape and watch for crashes, so you can spot - and remove - the culprit.





3.  Update Vitriolic Video Drivers.
  If you're still getting Page Fault Errors, and General Protection Faults, there's a chance your video drivers are corrupt or out of date. Get fresh video drivers from Frank Condron's Web site www.worldowindows.com it has driver details with links to vendors.





4.  Check the Desktop for DLLs.
  It's a long shot, but stranger things have happened: Make sure you haven't inadvertently dragged and dropped any DLLs on your desktop. Check by right clicking on each icon and selecting Properties , and examining the "Target" field for the .dll extention.




Other useful Links

www.lavasoftusa.com   AdAware Software. ( for removal of spyware )

Internet Explorer Repair information   Applies to:
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 95
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows 98
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows NT 3.51
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5 for Windows NT 4.0
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer version 5.5 for Windows 2000


Virtual Machine Update Page   Microsoft Virtual Machine Update Page ( for Internet Explorer Browsers only )

www.opera.com   Opera Browser webpage site.

Netscape Smart Update   ( update for Netscape Browser )


Please keep in mind these site links are under sites I do not have any control over. URLs may change without notice. If a link does not work email me and I will try to update the page and URL. - Thanks.




This was from an article by Steve Bass for PC-World , April 2001 issue.
(typos by me)

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Last Noted Revision: 9-12-01