IE problem, flashing stuff and no right click menus!

Okay, I just got this PC from Dell a month ago and have had nothing but problems with it. From blue screens, now this.

You see, when I use IE, after it being open for so long, it seems to make the PC go insane. When I first open it, it works normally. After that, I have to close it every 2 hours or nothing works.

When it starts going insane, my right click menus stop working. Not just in IE, but on my desktop, and MSN messenger. It seems to only affect microsoft products, as I can go into, say a 3rd party text editor and the right click menu works fine.

Additionally, It will stop opening new tabs / browser windows. They just won't pop up. My Alt Ctrl Del stops working, won't come up at all. Sometimes it comes up, and when it does, it causes my desktop icons to start flashing?!?! Additionally my google desktop search bar starts flashing and so does the icon to expand the inactive icons in the taskbar. If I open the start menu, that is also flashing along the sides. Additionally, the menus at the top of IE, like File --> Edit, etc, disappear, and sometimes my google toolbar disappears too.

The only way to make the PC go back to normal is to close IE, the flashing stops, all menus start working again, and all is fine til the next round comes. It did this with IE 6 so I stopped using it and went to another browser. The PC doesn't do it then, but IE 7 came out and I really like it since I upgraded, but it still does it.

I have scanned for viruses, there are none. Any idea whats wrong with this crazy thing?

 

Hello Toxic22 and welcome to the Board,

If that's the case - nothing but problems with a new Computer, I would go back to Dell.

If you don't want to do that, then - if you have a XP OS disc, not just a recover to factory disc - re-install the OS. See if the problem is absent w/o any apps other than your ISP software along with an Anti-Virus. XP comes with a built in firewall, quite adequate for temporary use.

When re-installing the apps, do so one by one. Dell and other OEM's are notorious for pre-loading problematic and gratuitous software, one of which may be causing this problem.

Another cause may be a program you loaded which adds a Browser extension to IE, have you looked into that? The tools bar in IE7 > manage Add-ons.

Regards - Charles

 

Thanks much for the welcome!

I have been back to Dell to fix the blue screen issues, which they did fix after 6 hours a day on the phone for 2 days.

Dell pre-loaded just about everything running on this PC at the moment... However, there are several Yahoo things running with IE because my internet service provider is affiliated with Yahoo. When I installed my service providers browser, the blue screens started, which dell fixed, so i'm willing to bet one of those are doing it. I've also been wondering if perhaps this google toolbar they put on here is doing it, but I doubt there'd be problems with google.

I don't really want to reinstall the OS. (Not even sure if I can, don't really know which disc they gave me, although I recall requesting a OS reinstallation CD.) It's only a month old and after paying what I paid I figure Dell should of done it right the first time, but we can dream right?

I shall disable all my Yahoo addons listed and see exactly what happens. If all else fails I think i'll just fire up my copy of firefox.

I'll play with the addons for a few days and let you guys know what happens. Thanks for your help and good job on the forum guys, keep up the good work.

 

I would disable it, if only to eliminate the possibility. When trying to troubleshoot this kind of problem, it is a process of elimination.

FYI, the OS reinstallation CD is the standalone OS.

Keep us posted.

Regards - Charles

 

Charles,

I disabled all the addons that came with my internet provider... The problem no longer exist. Boy first their software causes blue screens, and then that. I'm considering a new ISP now, they scare me.

Thanks for your help.

 

Toxic, thanks for letting us know what the problem is

Regards - Charles