Why does my system crash while on the internet?

Is there any settings I can change to reduce the number of program crashes occurring while on the internet? Message states illegal operation and program will be shut down. Sometimes it does not happen for days at a time other times several times within an hour.

This question was answered on June 30, 1999. Much of the information contained herein may have changed since posting.

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Many things can contribute to the lock-ups or freezing, but if the lock-ups occur only when you open your Web browser, especially Microsoft's Internet Explorer 4.x or the Outlook Express e-mail program, I may have a possible solution for you.

It has been documented that in some cases the video acceleration setting in Windows 95/98 can cause freezing in IE 4.x and Outlook Express To see if this is the problem with your system try this:

Click the Start button, then Settings, then Control Panel Double-click on the Display icon to open the Display Properties window Next, click on the Settings tab (far right, across the top), then click on the "Advanced" or "Advanced Properties" button Click on the Performance tab at the top to expose the Graphics Hardware Acceleration slide bar (See Image 1 ) Move the Hardware Acceleration slider to "None," then click on the OK button at the bottom The computer will need to restart in order for the change to take effect.

This setting will potentially slow down video performance in some gaming programs or anything that constantly updates video images If you are simply surfing the Net, balancing your checkbook or writing a letter to Mom, you should not experience any degradation in performance.

If the freezing problem goes away when set to "None" you can try moving it up one notch to the "Basic' mode, but I would only recommend this if you notice a difference in video speed If the Basic mode works, continue the increase until the system starts freezing again to figure out the optimum setting

About the author

Posted by Ken Colburn of Data Doctors on June 30, 1999

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