Internet Explorer, please, does anyone have any idea what's going wrong

[bakedpotato]

Screen loads Apple home page, blue 'loading' bar freezes halfway across, and then I can't get onto any other page, it just gets stuck

I've rebooted, switched off modem, which seems to be fine (I can use another browser), but now I'm stuck, it's been like this for the morning

Heellpp, please, no idea what to do

I have an iMac

Have you looked on \link{http://support.microsoft.com/search/default.aspx?catalog=LCID%3D2057&spid=global&query=Internet+Explorer&adv=&mode=r&cat=False\here} for some help? Don't have an iMac but you might be of use.

I have Macs and I tend not to use internet explorer much cos it's pants. I use Netscape for my older 'puter and Safari or Firefox for the newer one.

Thanks for ideas. Oh hell. I don't know how to install a new browser. I've dowloaded (i think) both firefox and netscape, they're in my 'downloads' file, but they've got names ending with .exe and i can't open them.
Any thoughts on what I should do next?

Bump

You can bring up a 'kill tasks' window by pressing OPTION, COMMAND and ESCAPE at the same time. (Command is the Apple button). You will be able to kill any task that has crashed using that.

If that doesn't work, and the whole thing has frozen, press and hold the power off button for around 8 seconds and the Mac will switch off.

If the problem persists on reboot, the application's preference file (.plist) (I think that's the suffix - found in Library / Preferences) might be corrupt or else the application executable might be corrupt and require reinstallation.

HTH

PS - Your downloads can be 'activated' (ie installed / run) by double clicking on the file in the download window, but from what I remember firefox / opera etc. should all auto decompress and auto install.

It's a while since I did my downloads and don't want to risk upsetting the system by downloading new stuff that might confuse it.

But when you go to the downloads page on the relevant site there should be a bit that tells you which systems it's compatible with, and you need to make sure you download the version that's designed for Mac and whatever operating system you're using. I have a fairly elderly mac running an early version of OSX and there can be compatibility problems with newer versions of some software -- won't talk to firefox, for example. If you still have OS9 you need to be even more careful. There's usually a link called 'system requirements' which gives you the small print.

Once you've downloaded you should end up with an icon for the relevant program on your desktop (or wherever your downloads end up). You then need to install the program (as distinct from downloading it) which in OSX generally involves clicking on the icon. It will usually give you step-by-step instructions from there.

You can of course phone mac help, but they're in Bangalore and somehow not that much help iykwim.

hth

Many thanks. Very grateful.
I tried again and again and somehow I appear to have managed to install Firefox, and saved all my prefences which is a bit of a result.
No idea what I was doing differently that time...