Fix Internet Explorer 8's Crashes

Browser crashes can be tough to troubleshoot--especially when you don't provide information about your PC, operating system, and so on. (ahem). That's something everyone should remember when asking for help with system problems: the more details you can provide, the better.

The smart short-term workaround for any browser problem: try another browser.

Anyway, you've got two likely culprits here: a corrupted add-on or a bad Flash plug-in. I suspect the latter, so let's start with that.

You'll need to uninstall the Flash Player plug-in and its ActiveX component, which you can do with a small utility from Adobe. Reboot after you've run the utility.

Next, close Internet Explorer and reset it to its default settings (which will also remove any problematic add-ons). Now, click Start, type Internet Options, and then press Enter. Click the Advanced tab, then click the Reset button at the bottom of the window. Make sure that you do not select the box marked "Delete personal settings." Click Reset to complete the process.

(Note: This process works for Vista and Windows 7.)