Internet Explorer 8 freezes (says not responding)

[skip41]

I click a Favorate what has worked for a year and IE 8 opens and hangs up (says not responding) . If I wait about 5 minutes it may open up; but more often then not it will open up to a completely different web site.
I sometimes can get it to work by opening Task manager and end the task. (clicking on the IE will do nothing; but make it more stubborn and often covering over with a light haze (like looking through a frosted window). I then opened up a new IE8 and it may or may not work correctly.
on recient example: I did notice the URL often did not enter in correctly. I had clicked the Icon that said http://www.megaplextheatres.com and what went into the Address was http://www.searchqu.com/web?src=404&...%3fth_code%3d3.
LATER:I manually entered the URL into the address and I got the site. I suspect Google was changing the address and not doing a good job of it. I turned off google and coppied the favorate and replaced it in my favorites.
Funny thing is that the correct address was in a small window below the URL or address space; but did not work.
I am hoping this will solve the problem; but why did it change by it self. I have not tried it on other icons yet.

Yes I have windows 7 and I use the 32 bit IE-8 but have both. This just started messing with me for no reason that I can figure (but I am a long way less that expert like many of you are).
Maybe I should stop using Google for a while, but I hate Bing. I checked IE 9 but it is so foriegn to me I put it back in the Pond. If it could look more like the Classic IE I maybe could use it.

I think I have added all the updates, and I do not get comments of a virus from my McAfee Security.
I will need to keep look for this in the future. Thank you for anyone that has any usefull comments or ideas to check.

[Medico]

Skip, Welcome to the Lounge

First try to empty your TIF and cookies. It's good to clean out old web pages periodically once in a while anyway. at times web pages change something and an old page still in history attempts to load and does not get redirected properly. Go to Internet Options and clear all history and cookies there.

You can also use an app such as CCleaner to do a more complete cleaning of your temporary files including internet files.

[JoeP517]

Often, strange occurrences in IE are a result of an issue with addons. Try starting IE with addons disabled - Start | All Programs | Accessories | System Tools | Internet Explorer (no add-ons). If that seems to resolve things then start IE normally and go to Tools | Manage Add-ons. Disable all and begin re-enabling one at a time until you find the culprit. Once identified either uninstall it, disable it, or find an update for it.

Joe

[Xircal]

"http://www.searchqu.com/web?src=404&...%3fth_code%3d3"

Searchqu is a browser hijacker owned by a company called Bandoo, Inc., based in Cyprus, It installs and hijacks your searches when you install a 'free' application from Bandoo which provides smileys.

Follow instructions on Bandoo's FAQ page to revert to your default search provider: http://www.bandoo.com/uninstall.php

If that fails to fix the problem, run Microsoft's Fixit to restore IE8 defaults: http://support.microsoft.com/kb/923737

If you were running the Firefox browser, it would have been blocked automatically, but unfortunately, Microsoft doesn't offer this kind of protection in IE: https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/blocked/i41

If you want to switch to Firefox which is a much safer browser to use, you can download it from here: http://www.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/fx/

[jwitalka]

You might also want to run Malwarebytes and SuperAntiSpyware to look for infections.

Jerry

[Xircal]

Here are details of registry changes that were made to the system when you permitted Searchqu to install.

Searchqu registry changes

What Jerry suggested which was to run Malwarebytes and SAS probably won't do you any good in this particular case since you're dealing with a browser hijacker which isn't classed as either malware or spyware. But there's no harm in having a go and they're both good security applications which might find something you're not even looking for.

[skip41]

Wow!!
Thank you for the many replies. I will work thru them all and I think the comment about Searchq is the problem. I tried TIF and I don't think I have many cookies as I just dumped them. I will use CCleaner.
I will check on addons but I do not think I have any; but I may have added something over the last couple of months. I don't have any smileys; but some time a go something wanted to add them. Maybe it added Searchq then. If I remember is was installing the stuff and I do not think I even clicked on anything.
Thank you all for your help. I really appreciate your help. You guys (and Gals) are really great.
skip

Skip41 1941 that is. :-)