Problem: Typing a URL into the address bar of Internet Explorer causes the browser to freeze up. If you open task manager, you see that the process ‘IEXPLORE.exe’ causes CPU usage to spike to 100% .

I’ve seen a lot of discussion on this one and I’ve dealt with it a couple of times. Keep in mind that this is just one solution to a problem that can have many causes, but if you’ve been struggling with this problem, then you’ll know it’s worth a look. First of all you should try to eliminate any malware that may be lurking in your PC. Make sure your virus protection is up to date. Run scans for spyware/adware with ‘Spybot Search and Destroy’ or ‘Ad-aware’ (or BOTH!) It’s probably also a good idea to scan for any rootkits to make sure that your AV software is picking everything up. If, after that, you’re satisfied that your PC is clean, then you may be dealing with some incompatible IE Add-ons.

It’s a reasonable assumption that when your computer suddenly starts acting strangely that you are under attack by some rogue malware. Believe me, as a PC repair tech, that’s always the first thing that comes to my mind. However, sometimes the problem is not malicious at all. Many times, it’s just bad coding by an otherwise well-intentioned software developer. The problem of virus’s and Spyware, though has become so pervasive that we tend to get caught up in that mentality that it just has to be a virus, so we wind up chasing shadows and never really entertain the idea of a less sinister cause.

Anyway, if you’re sure that all of your bases have been covered with Spyware and viruses, then try this:

Solution: In Internet Explorer, click on “Tools” > “Internet Options”. Select the “Programs” tab. Click “Manage Add-Ons”. Make sure you have selected ‘Add-ons that have been used by internet explorer’ in the drop-down box. Now, go down the entire list selecting each entry and checking the ‘Disable’ radio button. You will get a message for each one telling you that you have to restart Internet Explorer. Just click ‘OK’ and keep moving down the list until all entries are disabled. Then you can restart Internet explorer, type a URL in the address bar and see if the freeze-up problem has disappeared.

If IE doesn’t freeze then you’ve just discovered the source of the problem! Now go back to the ‘Manage Add-ons’ dialog box and start re-enabling the BHO’s. Don’t enable all of them at once. We need to find the “guilty party”. Enable two or three at a time, restarting IE after each time and try typing in an address. When your browser freezes, you’ve found the culprit. Leave any entries that are having a problem set to ‘Disabled’

Other than a few minor cosmetic differences in the interface, this procedure is pretty much the same for all versions of Internet Explorer.

If you’re dealing with this problem I know how frustrating it can be. I hope this article has been helpful.

By: Scott Drinkard