CCleaner is pretty safe and a good suggestion for routine maintenance. But something else is going on that CCleaner won't help.
You probably have a virus/trojan that has altered your HOSTS file and/or an IE Add-On/Extension that causes IE to lock up. The fact that Task Manager cannot kill the process makes me suspect the problem goes beyond IE.
I suggest these steps which will take some time but probably will help:
-- Clear IE's cache: Tools--> Internet Options--> Browsing --> Delete.
Uncheck the first box and check all the others then click "DELETE". Go to "Advanced" tab
and click RESET. Close window. You have now disabled all add-ons and restored IE to "new"
condition. Later, you can re-enable add-ons one-by-one to see which might be causing a
problem.
-- Make sure all Windows updates are installed.
-- Update JAVA by going to START --> Control Panel --> Java --> Update --> Update Now.
-- Do you have GOOD firewall and anti-virus/malware programs installed and updated? Even if
the answers are Yes, which they should be ; -) ....
-- Use an online scanner, like TrendMicro's Housecall
http://housecall.trendmicro.com/ is
a good idea in case your system's protection has been compromised. Follow on-screen
instructions. It will take quite a while. So, be patient and let the scan finish.
Try this and let us know if it helped. If not, don't panic... We have other tricks up our sleeves. :wave:
--- JMJ
