I keep getting Explorer errors and my computer has been freezing up

I'm using Windows 98SE and Internet Explorer 6.0. I have not visited any funny web sites or downloaded anything out of the ordinary.

First I will notice that web sites are taking long to load up. Soon after that I will start getting error boxes saying Explorer preformed an illegal application and will close down. I might be able to continue what I'm doing but most of the time the error will reoccur. Even when I use the start button the error will pop up.
When this happens I reboot the computer. Sometimes when I get back into Windows it still happens and sometimes it gets worse. A few occasions a broken red bar will appear on my monitor and I will be frozen. Other times I get the blue screen of death and more often than not it wont let me reboot from there.
I was getting the feeling that it may be a trojan or a hijack so I downloaded spyware doctor. About 90% of the time when the errors begin I can run spyware doctor and Windows will run fine.
This is very frustrating. Does anyone have experience with this problem or does anyone know a good tool I can download that might help?

For the past 2 weeks I've been having this problem. It does not happen every time, probably every other day or so.


Thanks.

The first problem is that you're using IE and not firefox

Well I have no clue what wrong or how to fix this. Maybe one of the computer people can help.

ooops

[edit on 3/4/2005 by Scarab]

Umbrax

I used to get the same white box come up saying Internet explorer had performed an illegal operation and will have to close.
I am sure there was a way to veiw the details which took me to microsoft site and that told me the problem was driver related so all I did was update all my drivers and the problem seems to have cleared up.

Hope this was of somehelp.

I'm not expert and I run XP, but maybe I can help by asking a few questions. What does Spyware Doctor say? Do you have other utilities such as Spybot, Ad-aware, Spyware Blaster, BHODemon, and Microsoft Anti-Spyware? If not, you should. Their effectiveness overlaps and Spyware Blaster helps to keep malware from ever installing.

Do you have CCleaner or TweakNow RegCleaner? These are good free registry cleaners and help to get rid of registry entries that are no longer of use or are corrupted in some way and slow down your machine.

Do you have a firewall? If not there are several free ones. Here is one. Do a search and you will find more. CNet.com is one good place to find good free utilities.

Do you have anti-virus software? You should. There are a couple of free services available. Here is one. There are others.

Maybe these suggestions will help until a real expert arrives.


[edit on 05/3/5 by GradyPhilpott]

Do you use Kazaa or any other pier 2 pier program?

Have you tried to repair IE?




www.depts.ttu.edu...

Thanks for your help everyone. I will get working on all of your suggestions.

cpr12r, I think my first problem might be using Windows. I've had FireFox on my system for a little while, I'm slowly changing over.

Scarab,

Mindwalker, all it ever says is if the problem persists to contact the vendor.

GradyPhilpott, thanks for the links. I use many of those anti-spyware programs. I think there could be a problem in my registry as well. I will run those cleaners right away.

MickeyDee, I use LimeWire.

makeitso, thanks I'll try that.

Today I cleaned up my registry with TweakNow RegCleaner, reinstalled IE 6 and ran another spy doctor scan.
TweakNow helped me to get rid of 165 safe to delete files. I only ran spydoctor less than 24 hours ago and it found 8 bad files. One of the files was BlazeFind. I deleted BlazeFind on the last scan as well.

Anyway here is a detailed list of the craptacular events of the day. Thanks for taking the time to read it and helping me out.

I started up my computer and the first thing that happened when opening Windows was the return of the blue screen of death.
It read.

Windows
A fatal exeption 0E has occurred at 0028:C0005338 in VXD VMM(01) + 00004338.
The current application will be terminated.

It gave me the option to reboot so thats what I did.

As soon as Windows loaded up again it froze. It didn't even get to load up the task bar. I had to flip the switch and reboot manually.
After waiting for scan disk to run its coarse Windows came back on and immediately gave me this error.

Mnkeybd
This program has preformed an illegal operation.
Quit all programs, and then restart your computer, if the program persists, contact the program vendor.
Detailed,
MMKEYBD caused an invalid page fault in
module KERNEL32.DLL at 016f:bff8548b.
Registers:
EAX=00000000 CS=016f EIP=bff8548b EFLGS=00010246
EBX=00000000 SS=0177 ESP=0078f518 EBP=0078f62c
ECX=0078f750 DS=0177 ESI=00000000 FS=2e07
EDX=81ae4308 ES=0177 EDI=81b10000 GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
fc bf 68 02 00 00 80 68 11 00 01 00 e8 38 bf fe
Stack dump:
00000000 0078f563 00000104 0078f563 0078f530 13e20104 016fbff7 0078f574 00000054 81af3ac8 00000024 bff7a3a0 81ae1000 81af3aec 00000054 00000000

I closed everything down and rebooted through the Start button.

After rebooting Windows opened up and again it froze. I had to manually reboot again.
Then the same thing happened again. Then I went out side and yelled .

After returning to Windows it gave me the same error for Mnkeybd again, this time I did not reboot and decided to open Wordpad to type this out before going online. After writing my first paragraph I got the same error message but this time for Wordpad.

Wordpad
This program has preformed an illegal operation.
Quit all programs, and then restart your computer, if the program persists, contact the program vendor.
Detailed,
WORDPAD caused an invalid page fault in
module RICHED20.DLL at 016f:48002821.
Registers:
EAX=00000000 CS=016f EIP=48002821 EFLGS=00010213
EBX=00000000 SS=0177 ESP=0056ed98 EBP=0056ef08
ECX=0000005c DS=0177 ESI=00500d10 FS=2b9f
EDX=00000000 ES=0177 EDI=0056f7e0 GS=0000
Bytes at CS:EIP:
0f 84 76 03 00 00 e9 db d2 04 00 ff 75 10 8b ce
Stack dump:
0056f7e0 00000363 005006c8 0056eda8 00000000 0056edd4 4800a464 4800a7a5 04090409 48014af2 ffffffff 00110001 00000102 0056ed30 00000000 00000000

With out rebooting I went ahead and tried again to write this on Wordpad. I managed to get it done with out any more problems.

Needless to say I really want to format my computer right now before I smash it instead .

I think this is the point in time that it would just be easier to get a new computer. Rest in peace cpu we knew ye well

Before you spring for a new computer try this forum for some answers.

You may need to register:

www.techspot.com...

The first one:

A fatal exeption 0E has occurred at 0028:C0005338 in VXD VMM(01) + 00004338

From this site
Try this: go to Start/Run menu and type
msconfig and click OK. On the General Tab click the Advanced button and check the box to Disable Fast Shutdown.

The second one:

MMKEYBD caused an invalid page fault in

Fr om this site:
This error is your multimedia keyboard. Everything I see about this is an HP Pavilion pc with a Netropa Multimedia keyboard. Maybe you have a c:\Program Files\Netropa\One-touch Multimedia Keyboard\MMKeybd.exe. Perhaps it is in your startup menu? Take it out of your startup menu if you continue to see this message I think.

If that is not it, you could try to reinstall the the software for the keyboard.

The third one:

WORDPAD caused an invalid page fault in module RICHED20.DLL at 016f:48002821

From this site:
Try this: Replace riched20.dll with a new one from your Win98 CD or cab files using SFC. It belongs in the C:\Windows\system folder.
Instructions for SFC here
Or see this page for more details on extracting single system files:


Having reread your posts, I am a little concerned that you are having a problem with your cpu overheating. If none of the above helps, and If I were you, I might pull the cover off the pc, and put a strong fan pointed at the pc, and run it like that. If the errors dont occur, then you are having an overheating problem. Try to see if the internal fan is working. Please DONT TOUCH.

If it is overheating, it is probably the fan malfunctioning. They are very inexpensive, and easy to install. Also take a can of compressed air and blow the dirt out of that old HP (if it is an HP).

Caution: Never put your hands (or any other body part) inside a computer while it is plugged into the wall outlet. :-)

However it is just as likely that some of the cleanup efforts you did accidentally removed a couple of needed drivers/system files.


These are all just a few things to try. They may or may not address the underlying cause, and more work may need to be done once you get it running better. For instance, the riched.dll error can sometimes indicate the nimda virus.

Best of luck

[edit on 5-3-2005 by makeitso]

Join the club, I dont want to start a new post on the same idea but maybe someone can help me aswell.. ive been getting programs that install on its own when i start my computer and popups by the dozen also now when i try to open aol it freezes up and the hourglass comes up then it goes into not responding mode which means i cant get on.. i never use IE anymore only AOL. After this i uninstalled AOL then Reinstalled it back with the same problem. I then resulted to deleting all my computers accounts and reinstalling it again and still nothing.. and still cant access IE due to pop ups.. I dont want to hear "ohh because you dont have firefox,netzero"
and all that.. it doesnt really matter to me which i have its just that i prefer AOL, If your wondering how im posting.. im in safe mode and on IE, If anyone can assist me i would appreciate it. Btw i use mcafee and Microsoft Antispyware to remove pop ups,adware,spyware,virus'. Also the same problem is with IE aswell. Also be advised this is a new Dell Dimension 3000.

[edit on 5-3-2005 by ShadowMan]

Didnt you post the same thing here? What happened when you tried these?

BTS Ad's and Pop up problems

This can be caused by an XML file that uses an XSL file to create either an anchor tag (A) set to change the right frame or element that calls Window.open ("URL", "rightframe").

This only happens if the right frame is currently pointing to a page located on another domain. If the page is on the same domain, it works fine until the page changes to a separate domain.

RESOLUTION
To resolve this problem, install the version of Microsoft Internet Explorer 5.5 from either of the following Microsoft Web sites:
windowsupdate.microsoft.com...

Error Message
Iexplore has caused an error in Mshtml.dll. Iexplore will now close.

Mshtml.dll


Cause
There is a problem in Internet Explorer version 5.5 for Windows Me. see above.

Solution

Upgrade Internet Explorer by downloading a newer version of 5.5 from windowsupdate.microsoft.com... or www.microsoft.com...


www.microsoft.com...
NOTE: The version of Internet Explorer 5.5 that is included with Windows Millennium Edition (Me) is 5.50.4134.0100. The version of Internet Explorer 5.5 that is available on Microsoft Web sites is version 5.50.41.34.0600.

Source:

support.microsoft.com...


-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

www.gank.com..." target="_blank" class="postlink" rel="nofollow">MMKEYBD SpyWare Report

Hewlett Packard Pavilion computers come pre-installed with "phone-home" spyware made by Netropa. This nasty phone-home software is named the "One touch multimedia keyboard". This spy ware is located in a computer file executable named mmkeybd.exe which drives the HP Pavilion pre-installed internet enabled keyboard.

The internet enabled keyboard is actually pretty cool because with one-touch of a keyboard button you can access the internet, your favorites and other stuff.

Only thing is that the keyboard is spyware! Not unlike a lot of other trojan horse programs, it gives you something cool and then piggybacks its dangerous payload. All without your knowledge. So this program operates in the background of your HP Pavilion, hijacking the internet connection without the user's knowledge.

The "One touch multimedia keyboard" generates TCP, UDP and ICMP pings about once every second.

Of course not only does this invade an HP customer's privacy by phoning home every few seconds, it greatly slows down internet connections with unnecessary bandwidth. HP should be taken to task for not disclosing these privacy violations. I am surprised the news media has not jumped on Hewlett Packard for this. This seems to pale in comparision to the Real Networks privacy violations of late.

Attempts to uninstall the program only make life more difficult and inconvenient. You have to remember that the MMKEYBD.exe program drives the keyboard. Which means that the keyboard becomes useless without the driver. Ever tried to use a computer without a keyboard? Remove the driver and you are left with a keyboard-less computer.

Source:
www.gank.com...





[edit on 5/3/2005 by Sauron]

First, if you can I suggest you install the programs I suggested to Umbrax. Check and make sure your firewall is on.

What program installs?

Also, I don't have any popup problems, but I have multiple programs that defeat them. I can't even remember what they all are. Here are some popup blockers:

www.webattack.com...

Here's an article about AOL that might be useful:

www.earthtimes.org...

Is the offending software Forbes? I have gotten that one and Spyware Doctor gets rid of it.

Here are some instructions on how to get rid of it.

www.spyany.com...

Thanks a million you guys. I've learned a lot here. My computer is five years old and all I've ever upgraded on it is the RAM. Over this time I've managed to keep evil at bay .
These past few days have been driving me nuts I almost took my keyboard and smashed it on my monitor

cpr12r, Although I do want to get a new computer, I probably wont be able to afford one for another year.

makeitso, I think the sun has been cooking my box a bit. I think that is the cause of the freeze ups. I actually just finished putting stuff back together. I had my case taken off and was sitting in the kitchen for about an hour. My fan is working, however it has been sunny this past week. I think I will have to rearrange my desk a bit. Thanks for all the links.

Sauron, thanks for the links.I've never used the multi keyboard's buttons aside from the volume. Can't I just get a new keyboard, or does HP screw me that way too?

GradyPhilpott, thanks I downloaded what you suggested. I couldn't believe how bad my registry was. I've never had much trouble with those pesky pop-ups. Not so long ago I was using a 56k modem and I had to be sure that no pop-up or hijacks were going to slow me down

Thanks again everyone so far so good I've been online for about half an hour and I have not run into any problems.
I know who I will be coming to next year when I want advice on buying a new tower (or putting one together).

Cheers.

Wow,

That HP stuff burns me up!
Looks like I didnt look into it far enough.

Sauron and Grady are great arent they?

Yes you should be able to replace your keyboard, but you will still need to remove the software for it.

May I suggest that you read this thread about it.


Thanks for letting us know how it went. Glad that you are up and going again!

[edit on 6-3-2005 by makeitso]

Originally posted by Sauron
Attempts to uninstall the program only make life more difficult and inconvenient. You have to remember that the MMKEYBD.exe program drives the keyboard. Which means that the keyboard becomes useless without the driver. Ever tried to use a computer without a keyboard? Remove the driver and you are left with a keyboard-less computer.

Wrong, keyboard doesn't require special drivers, only those "includes kitchen sink" features.


Also use regedit to check HKEY_Local... > SOFTWARE > Microsoft > Windows > CurrentVersion and keys whose name starts with "Run".
That's the place where all sh*t puts its "startup command". (just use filenames to search more information in Google)