iexplore.exe.

safe to end?

[la1398]

this program is spiking my CPU performance to 100% & causing computer to freeze. Can I safely end this process?

[kodaks]

Greetings!

That is Internet Explorer, if you end that process you will not be able to access the web with it.

[DaveAtIFG]

It sounds as if you may have acquired some malware on your system, a BHO (browser helper object) or spyware. Internet Explorer has its share of detractors, but it won't crash your system unless it's infected by some malicious software. Using a different browser and adding a firewall will prevent nearly all of this type infection.

[Chaos]

right on DaveAtIFG! sounds like a bad case of BrowserHelperObjects or Spy/Malware. You may want to try this little trick. It won't remove the malacious code, but it may enable your computer to operate correctly under non-browsing circumstances.

Go to
My Computer -> Tools -> Folder Options
Click on the 'View' tab
Check the option that says 'Launcher folder windows in a seperate process'

You may also want to try the Mozilla FireFox web browser. It is quickly rising in popularity amidst the large amount of security holes in IE.

[mozilla.org...]