Internet browsers keep crashing - please help!

[Ariel]

I bought a new laptop about three weeks ago. Its a HP Pavillion g6 and comes with Windows 7 Premium. It came with Norton 2012. Ever since I connected to the internet - wirelessly - my laptop loads the page but won't let me scroll down so I have to close the browser, or reload the website a few times before it lets me scroll down. This happens on most of the websites I use.

Norton Identity Safe keeps crashing and freezing. I have transferred my Norton account protection onto my new computer so I am now using Norton 360 but the same thing still happens. I don't know what version it is and I'm trying to find out how but I have no clue as to what version of 360 I've got.

Yesterday I was using the internet on Google Chrome and it froze on me completely. I could only move the mouse but it didn't do anything. CTRL, ALT + DELETE didn't work so I had to turn it off at the power button. Rebooted the computer and it came up with windows didn't shut down properly etc... After it was rebooted I started to use Internet Explorer. I went on one website and the computer crashed. It went to blue screen and it came with a message saying 'For the safety of the computer's hard disk we have had to unexpectedly shut down the computer'. Rebooted the computer and Google Chrome worked fine for rest of the night - no problems.

Today I've gone on the internet and the first website I go on, I can't scroll down or select things so I have to reload the website. Still doesn't work. Close the browser. Start again. Still doesn't work. I have to do this several times before the website works properly for me.

This is very frustrating as this is happening with mostly all the sites I go on. With a new laptop I do not expect this problem.

Could Norton be the problem? As all the other programmes work fine on the laptop and I've had no problems with them yet.

 

[Core]

I would remove Norton and replace it with something else, perhaps Microsoft Security Essentials. Norton has a tendency to cause BSODs and application crashes. Not always, but more often than not.

 

[Ariel]

Is there a way to temporarily disable Norton without removing it to test out other internet security first just in case Norton isn't the problem? Other then Microsoft Security Essentials what other ones could I use? I've been recommended AVAST by a friend for months but since I've had no problems with Norton before I've never changed it....

 

[Core]

Avast is alright. Primarily the big three I would personally stay away from are Norton, McAfee, and AVG.

If you don't want to remove Norton, then you could try disabling its browser plug-ins/add-ons, that alone may help.

 

[TrainableMan]

You can always reinstall your Norton if that isn't the problem, simply make note of the product key before you uninstall. But disabling Norton is not good enough because it leaves the links/hooks in memory that generally cause the problems. If it is only when browsing then I suppose you could try uninstalling just those pieces related to browsers (Internet Security, Identity safe) and see if it makes a difference.

The truth is many A/Vs cause issues for some, yet work fine for many others, AVAST and AVG come to mind. Sometimes you just have to try them out.

 

[Ariel]

You can always reinstall your Norton if that isn't the problem, simply make note of the product key before you uninstall. But disabling Norton is not good enough because it leaves the links/hooks in memory that generally cause the problems. If it is only when browsing then I suppose you could try uninstalling just those pieces related to browsers (Internet Security, Identity safe) and see if it makes a difference.

The truth is many A/Vs cause issues for some, yet work fine for many others, AVAST and AVG come to mind. Sometimes you just have to try them out.

Well, I did a bit more research and I found that there has been a lot of problems with Norton Identity Safe which is the part that keeps crashing and I assume is the problem for why I can't use the internet properly and can't scroll down on some websites and have to keep on reloading till it works...They have released a patch but it didn't work apparently so I found out how to disable/turn off that extension on Chrome and touch-wood it seems to have done the trick though of course its probably not a permanent solution.

 

[LarrySDonald]

I've been experiencing the same problem with Chrome the past three days (wound up here via google) over three computers, mine, my wifes and my daughters. All run Windows 7, Microsoft Security Essentials (what I recommend and thus install for anyone wanting to run windows). Both Windows 7 and Google Chrome pushed an update just before, both of which were installed. Other computers in the house running other OSes do not appear to have changed. I'm not sure what, if anything, changed. MS pushed another update today (it's being downloaded right now here).

I run a few extensions, though nothing from Norton nor does any of the others. Other browsers seem to work fine. None of the setups are even remotely similar except running W7, Chrome and Firefox as a rarely used backup (it still seems to work, but not heavily tested).

 

[Ariel]

Ok, well, another update on this... Computer runs fine but I keep getting an error message from Norton. Apparently its not something they can even fix, its difficult to explain but I still have my protection but I keep getting an error message. So on Friday I'm ditching Norton and getting Windows Security Essentials. It seems to be the one that is recommended the most.

Though I do have another question. When I go on a site to download WSE it says select your version: Windows 7 32-bit or Windows 7 64-bit. I don't know what mine is... how do I find that out?

 

[Core]

Click Start, Computer, select System Properties, it should show 32-bit or 64-bit operating system under System type.

 

[Ariel]

Click Start, Computer, select System Properties, it should show 32-bit or 64-bit operating system under System type.

Thanks! It's a 64-bit operating system. Hopefully once I get rid of Norton, this will solve my problems. Shame that after such good service from them its come to this. I assume the legitimate site to download MSE is www.microsoft.co.uk and then click on security and to not download from a site that isn't Microsoft.