Internet Explorer and Windows Explorer Crashes

[saetrum]

I just finished a clean install of Windows XP Home on my computer (see specs in signiture), and I am experiencing crashes in both Windows explorer and Internet explorer very frequently. Also seeing crashes in Help center, and when trying to install programs. Explorer even crashed when I was trying to run Quicken. I've also seen a message telling me that an .exe I was trying to run (to install the motherboard drivers) is corrupted. It is stored on my 2nd hard drive(Fat 32). I am really not sure what to do...the messages I get are simply the ones where they want me to send a report to MS about the error. I have had 2 "serious errors" that they claim are related to an "unknown device driver".

Please send suggestions. Does this sound like a RAM problem?

Edit: I have installed SP1 and all critical updates to Win XP.

[Grendel]

Any time I see errors with *.exe files I worry about Sircam virus.

Sircam eats *.exe files, and can bring a computer to its knees very quickly.

If yo look at the technincal information in the errors messages and find a think called modname, that is usually the culprit.

If it is a clean install, and NO OTHER software is installed besides XP, then it is usually a hardware/driver/compatibility issue.

It will only take a second put see if it could be sircam. It's probably not sircam, but you cannot mess around if it is.
Go to Start/Run and type regedit, and press ENTER.
If the registry key

HKEY_CLASSES_ROOT\exefile\shell\open\command

is set to

C:\recycled\sirc32.exe "%1" %*

your computer is infected with the W32/SirCam worm virus.

NOTE: If this registry setting is anything other than

"%1" %*

your computer may be infected with a different virus.

[saetrum]

Grendel,

Thanks for the tip. Luckily it is *not* sircam. You mentioned it might be a hardware issue? Any suggestions on how to narrow it down?

[Grendel]

I know nforce and XP can bump heads.

In the error message look at the technical informatoin. And look for an item called modname or modver. That should have a file name, then try to match the file to an item.

You BIOS has a few updates.
http://www.msi.com.tw/program/suppor...ail.php?UID=10

DOUBLE and TRIPLE check you MOBO with the BIOS, if you plan on updating it.

[saetrum]

I'll try to track down the device from your suggestions, and consider doing a bios upgrade...I'll post again with the results.
Thanks.

[saetrum]

I've done the bios upgrade...it didn't seem to change anything. However when I took out the 2nd stick of RAM the problems disapeared. I think I may have a bad stick of RAM. Any ideas on how to test this other than when it's in it doesn't work, when its out it does?

[Grendel]

www.simmtester.com has a downloadable ram tester.

You will need a good floppy disk and a floppy drive.