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Web sites do not display or work correctly, or Internet Explorer stops responding, stops working, or restarts 

Introduction | Your environment | Symptoms
Symptoms To know which method you should try first, we must first know how frequently you experienced any of the following symptoms.
1 So, please determine which of the following symptoms you were seeing.
  • Internet Explorer stops responding. That is, it "hangs," "freezes," or "locks up."
  • Internet Explorer closes or restarts unexpectedly.
  • You receive an "Internet Explorer has stopped working" error message or an "Internet Explorer has encountered a problem and needs to close" error message, or Internet Explorer crashes with an access violation error.
  • Internet Explorer closes, and you are asked to send an error report to Microsoft. You may receive an error message that resembles the following:
    • Internet Explorer has stopped responding...
    • Internet Explorer has stopped working...
    • Internet Explorer is restarting...
2 Given your symptoms, which of the following cases best describes your situation?

Case 1: I occasionally experience these symptoms in Internet Explorer. Most of the time, Internet Explorer works fine.

If this describes your situation, you should first use Method 1 to check for updates on the Windows Update Web site. Then, you should use Method 2 to scan your computer to see whether it has any malicious software such as viruses on it. If you have already tried method 1 and Method 2, you should continue on to "Method 2 verification and next steps."

Case 2: I constantly experience these symptoms to the point where Internet Explorer is barely usable.

If this describes your situation, you have to make a decision. Would you mind losing all your Internet Explorer customizations to resolve this problem? Or do you want to save as many of your Internet Explorer customizations as possible?

  • I do not mind losing my customizations

    If you can barely use Internet Explorer, the fastest way to try to resolve the problem is to remove all the customizations that you or a Web site may have made. Besides being fast, there is also a good chance that this method will be the one to resolve the problem. However, this method will restore Internet Explorer to the state it was in when it was first installed. This means that you may lose customizations for Web sites, that your home page and search provider may be reset, and that toolbars or other add-ons that you may have installed will be disabled. Some examples of add-ons that may be disabled include the Windows Live toolbar, the Google toolbar, RoboForm, or ieSpell.


  • I want to try to save as many customizations as possible

    If your Internet Explorer customizations are important to you and you want to try to save as many of them as possible, you can test Internet Explorer settings one at a time to see which one might be causing the problem. This process will take more time, and success is not certain. But if your customizations are important to you, this process may be worth a try.


Case 3: I am experiencing different symptoms in Internet Explorer.

If you are experiencing different symptoms, this content might not help you resolve your Internet Explorer problem. In this case, you might want to view similar problems and solutions, ask someone for help, or contact support.

View similar problems and solutions, ask someone for help, or contact support.

Last Review : October 14, 2008

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