I have been fighting the following error:"Microsoft Visual C++ Runtime Library RuntimeError "Program : C:\Windows\Explorer.exe" Abnormal Program Termination, then it locks up. I have this problem when I go to a site that has a "Form" or requires a "Username & Password" or a Secure Site. It was posted that "CommonNames" will do this, I removed it with Add/Remove Programs, but it's still there...I downloaded the new IE6sp1. Still no help...I have ran "Spybot" it found alott, but when I told it to clean up files, I lost my Winsock and all my network settings and could'nt connect to the Internet at all (had to do a restore)..Can you Please help me with the "Runtime Errors", Removing "CommonNames" and why "Spybot" messed with my Winsock and network settings for my Cable Modem???? Thanks

I had this problem with Adobe Photoshop, I got the same message. I tried for several hours a day for several days to fix it. Tried to find documentation on it and all that. The only way I figured out to fix it was to reinstall the OS.

Spybot didn't mess with your Winsock files... the spyware you cleaned up using Spybot messed with your winsock files. When you remove the spyware, you are no longer browsing "through" the marketing website, but your registry thinks you should be. Try running Spybot again and then cleaning up your Winsock2 key in the registry. It is the key that is most often messed with by spyware. To do this: 1. Run Spybot. 2. Go to start>>settings>>control panel. 3. Double click add/remove programs. 4. Go to the Windows Setup tab. 5. Uncheck Communications. 6. Click apply>>ok. Say NO when you are asked to reboot. 7. Leave the control panel up and go to start>>run>>scanregw. This will tell you that your registry has been backed up already today and would you like to back it up again. Say YES. 8. Go to start>>run>>regedit. 9. Browse to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\System\CurrentControlSet\Services 10. At the bottom of the services list there is a folder (or key) called Winsock2. 11. Right click on Winsock2 and choose delete. 12. Say YES to confirm the deletion. 13. Close regedit and go back to the control panel. 14. Double click add/remove programs. 15. Go to Windows setup. 16. Highlight Communications by clicking on the word, then click Details in the bottom right. 17. Put a check in Dial up Networking. 18. Click ok>>apply>>ok. You will be asked to reboot the computer. Say YES this time. Upon reboot, check your ability to get on the internet and browse. If anything went wrong, boot with a startup disk. At the a:> prompt type: scanreg /restore Choose the date of the backup you created in step 7 of the instructions above.

Thanks for the reply, Gladis. I will try this. What do you think about the "Runtime Error"??????

I think the Runtime error will go away once you remove all of the spyware. Programs like Commonname toolbar hook into the underlying code (API's) in internet explorer. If they break, they will break internet explorer/explorer. I have seen the C++ error you are getting most often when Gator is broken. Gator is another silly piece of spyware that hooks onto the APIs in internet explorer. Clean up, then see where you are.

Should I let "Spybot" clean up everything it finds??

Can I let "Spybot" clean up everything, that it finds???