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problems with video media players and internet explorer
My PC is a Dell M1330 with Windows Home Vista and stock 320GB 5400RPM HD, which has worked well for 2 years. In the past 3 days, I have been encountering two problems that are rapidly becoming hindrances to using the PC. The first and more serious problem is when I am viewing videos with either Windows Media Player or VideoLAN media player, the player and entire PC freeze about 15-30 minutes after the video starts. When this occurs, I cannot restart the video or even close the video and media player. Moreover, the PC as a whole freezes--I cannot open or close any windows, open any other programs, close the errant player or any other windows with Windows Task Manager, or even activate the shut-down or restart sequence from the "start" key. I have to resort to a crude and cold shutdown of my PC using the power button and powering the PC back on again. The second problem occurs when browsing the internet with Internet Explorer (IE), during which when I click on a URL that opens another window and then attempt to close that window, I receive an error message stating IE has stopped working and both the original and secondary windows close, and a new IE window opens. This also occurs when I try to close a primary IE browser window--the error message stating that IE has stopped working appears and the window closes a few seconds later and a new IE window opens.
The IE is version 7, which I have been using for at least 6 months without problems. I have installed all Vista updates (except for IE 8). All drivers are also up to date. I installed Windows Live Messenger a week ago, but usually do not log into it during PC use. I have not installed any other new programs or software for several months. l use Microsoft Security Essentials for anti-virus and Malwarebytes for malware protection; both are up-to-date, I ran full scans with both and have not detected any viruses or malware. I used the add-ons manager in internet options to disable any add-ons that were not necessary or part of any program I used, but this did not rectify the problems. Any suggestions for correcting these hang-ups, especially the first one with the videos?
Thanks for reading and any help.
PG
Mary G
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October 31st, 2010 09:00
Have you checked the video card? Try updating or reinstalling the video drivers. Once you install windows live messenger it always runs constantly whether you use it or not. Uninstall it, reboot and see if your problem goes away.I found the new Windows Live Essentials (includes Messenger) very buggy and slowed the computer to a crawl. Uninstalling it was the cure.
PS Vista really should be running IE 8. It's safer. You should consider updating.
paradoxguy
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October 31st, 2010 12:00
Thanks for your suggestions, Mary G. I will delete the Windows Live Essentials and consider updating the IE 7 to IE 8. Admittedly the reason I have hesitated about upgrading the IE is I prefer IE 7's management/format of bookmarks/favorites to that of IE 8. I'll probably try IE 8 again and see if I can manage with its handling of favorites.
I'm trying to check the drivers for my video card through control panel, but I am having difficulty. How do I identify the video card (I presume it's the same as the GPU)? Could it be part of the Intel 965 chipset? If it is, are drivers updated through the automatic Windows updates or are its drivers updated manually?
Thanks much,
PG
paradoxguy
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October 31st, 2010 22:00
Today I was able to solve both problems discussed in this thread (see first post for details). Mary G's suggestion to update my Internet Explorer 7 (IE 7) to IE 8 made me consider the possibility that the code for IE 7 was corrupted by unknown factors. Initially I considered simply re-installing IE 7, but I did not know quite how to find an intact IE 7 code, especially since it is outdated. I then installed IE 8 via Windows updates without incident, which apparently resolved both problems. The only other changes I made was deleting Windows Live Essentials and a climate desktop indicator. I am puzzled why the IE install/upgrade would solve the issue of Windows Media Player and VideoLan media player freezing and all PC functions freezing after 15-30 minutes of play and necessitating a crude PC shutdown/restart with the power button. Perhaps this indicates the IE code interacts with many aspects of the Windows OS and possibly other codes. I am happy, however, the situation has been resolved. Thanks to Mary G for her suggestions, including the IE upgrade which inadvertently resolved the media players freezing problem.
PG
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