Internet Explorer: Fix IE8 DEP Crashes

Well, now we have IE8.  Wonderful.  I was bored of the mere half-dozen browsers we had to test against before. And there’s nothing to inspire confidence in a new version of IE like inexplicable crashes when it’s installed on a clean Windows XP SP3 machine:

image

(To the nitpickers out there: yes, that’s Windows 7, not Windows XP.  And no, this problem might not happen under Windows 7.  I’ve just browsed to res://ieframe.dll/acr_depnx_error.htm to get a screenshot of the error.  Trust me, under WinXP SP3, it happens.)

The error text is:

Internet Explorer has closed this webpage to help protect your computer

A malfunctioning or malicious add-on has caused Internet Explorer to close this webpage.

Windows Data Execution Prevention detected an add-on trying to use system memory incorrectly. This can be caused by a malfunction or a malicious add-on.

Ask Microsoft or Google, and they’ll just tell you exactly what the error itself tells you: an add-on screwed up.  And you know what?  They’re right.  Kind of.  Hell, maybe Flash or Acrobat is to blame for some of you out there.  Try disabling add-ons, see what happens.

But on a clean install of XP (read: no Adobe bullshit), I still got that message.  I disabled every add-on listed.  Same shit.  So what’s going on here, and who can I blame?

Believe it or not, I’m blaming this one on Sun!  I tracked the problem down to the Microsoft Virtual Machine, the old Java VM Microsoft was forced to stop developing and supporting thanks to Sun’s pointless legal assault.  God only knows why Sun would want Java less supported.  Perhaps it’s so the only way to run Java these days is through Sun’s VM, which reminds you, every fucking month like clockwork, that THERE’S A JAVA UPDATE AVAILABLE AND SUN IS AWESOME AND DOWNLOAD OPEN OFFICE NOW NOW NOW!

The solution: uninstall the Microsoft VM (which you should do anyway, it’s old and unsupported).  That fixes IE; I leave to you the decision whether it’s easier to live without Java or put up with Sun’s bullshit.

Luckily, there’s a tool Microsoft has that will remove the VM.  Get it here:

http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826878

Ha!  And you thought Microsoft had your back here!  You should know by know the entire IT world is against you all the time.  Try here:

http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/MSJVM-Removal-Tool.shtml

Anyway, once you get this tool, just run it and pray you didn’t have anything that depended on that tool, because there’s no going back.

Posted by Paul on Wednesday, March 25, 2009
Labels: ,

56 comments:

  1. I had the same problem and the MSJVM Removal Tool solved it.
    ReplyDelete
  2. This didn't fix my problem, unfortunately.
    ReplyDelete
  3. John: IE8 DEP issues fall into three categories: add-ons (almost always the problem), bad hardware (not likely if everything else works reliably), or a corrupted install of Windows or IE (possible, but again, not likely if everything else works fine). Have you tried running IE in 'No Add-ons' mode?
    ReplyDelete
  4. Had the same problem in a brand new XP SP3 build - just Enable the ActiveX controls in Internet Options, Security. Change the Security Settings for the Internet Zone to Custom and Enable the download of signed and unsigned ActiveX controls. I got dumped out on DEP again but when I opened up IE8 and when back to Microsoft Update the ActiveX contol had been downloaded and installed hence the Update tool worked.
    ReplyDelete
  5. PS - after the ActiveX control is downloaded make sure you return to your original settings!!!
    ReplyDelete
  6. There could be an other reason!
    I got the same Problem with a Java-Script i often use and got the Error: "Internet Explorer has closed this webpage to help protect your computer" every time. I have a dual core processor with a "special" feature named "...memory protection...". So go to Tools->Internet Options->Advanced->Settings->Security->"Enable memory protection to help mitigate online attacks*" DISABLE this!!! if you have it and restart IE8. Does this help?
    ReplyDelete
  7. bernibaerchen,

    you're 100% correct - this solved it - thanks!
    ReplyDelete
  8. bernibaerchen: This might fix the error you're having, but it's a really bad idea.

    DEP (or 'memory protection') is a feature that prevents the processor from executing code stored in non-executable memory regions. This helps prevent many exploits caused by buggy code, such as buffer overflows and the like.

    Turning off this feature in response to a crashing program is like removing the batteries from your smoke detector in response to the alarm going off: it may fix the immediate problem, but it's probably not the solution you're looking for.
    ReplyDelete
  9. Microsoft should issue a KB article that details the incompatibility of IE8 + XP SP3 + DEP + ActiveX CAB Install
    ReplyDelete
  10. The same problem may happen due to other reasons, like a plug-in such as a stealthy toolbar from Baidu.com (happened to me).
    ReplyDelete
  11. It is all very easy realy. Microsoft should dump IE8 in the same carbagecan as it did with vista. Reinstall IE7 and you have no problems at all.
    ReplyDelete
  12. Spot On! Worked like a charm!
    ReplyDelete
  13. This was very helpful as I ran into the MS Java VM DEP error on the first website I went to that had Java code executing after "upgrading" to IE 8. So, I just went ahead and installed the Sun VM. It replaces the MS VM so no need to uninstall it if you don't want to. Thanks for the tip.
    ReplyDelete
  14. but Sun's Java doesn't support the same GUI stuff as Microsoft's Java did, so some really old intranet sites are broken by IE8 killing MSVM. is there a Sun java somewhere that is actually compatible with the MSVM?
    ReplyDelete
  15. You might find different VMs out there, but they will be less compatible than Sun's, not more. If you need to support applications that are that old, perhaps you should look into virtualization. You could, for example, run the MSVM and IE6 on Windows 7 using Virtual Windows XP.
    ReplyDelete
  16. i uninstalled back to ie6, and the MSVM was still broke. then i re-enabled every addon in manage add-ons, and installed IE7 then IE8, and now MSVM works again. i'm not sure if uninstalling back to ie6 first was necessary or not, but that's how i did it.
    ReplyDelete
  17. then after going to ie8 again, i disabled every add-on to isolate the ones needed for MSVM, and its the Sun Java Console and the associated SSVHelper Class, which seems weird.
    ReplyDelete
  18. i'm very happy now. but now somebody's got to repeat this step for a bunch of other people in my company, and i'm glad its not me. hehe
    ReplyDelete
  19. works great, thanks a lot!
    ReplyDelete
  20. Turning off the ->"Enable memory protection to help mitigate online attacks*" worked like a charm...brand new install of xp sp 3. probably because the laptop i am working on only has 500 meg of memory
    ReplyDelete
  21. But turniong off memory protection is not a fix - you have just made your computer more vulnerable to a variety of malware viruses.
    ReplyDelete
  22. thank you so much! i don't understand how or why it worked, but fuckin' a, it worked!

    -Adam
    ReplyDelete
  23. btw, removing the microsoft VM is what worked.

    -Adam

    anyone here wondering, it's the 2nd link he posted..the softpedia one.
    ReplyDelete
  24. Paul, this solution worked like a charm for me! Thank goodness. I only stumbled on this answer because of a tedious, methodical search in Google with the following query:

    "Internet Explorer 8" "manage add-ons" (DEP OR "data execution prevention") (solved OR fixed OR solution OR answer)

    You wouldn't believe how many people are out there, uninstalling and reinstalling IE8, trying to get this fixed.

    Thanks for hooking us up with the only answer out there that works!

    Now, for some keywords (you can stop reading)
    Internet Explorer 8 manage add-ons manage add ons error crash DEP data execution prevention internet options control panel
    Internet Explorer 8 manage add-ons manage add ons error crash DEP data execution prevention internet options control panel safe mode safe mode

    solved solution answer fixed solved solution answer fixed fix fix
    ReplyDelete
  25. You know the craziest thing is that I went up to Win7, found out Acronis does not play nice with it, had to go back to XP. I know for a fact that my hardware is as solid as a rock. I started to get these weird errors about iexplore crashing related to DEP and memory could not be written. I ran Orthos, OCCT, Linx, Prime95, the works, no errors could be found. Sure enough I finally saw the error page and notated the error message and found your site through Google. I'm not sure if your fix worked but I did uninstall the MSJV. The only sad thing is that I use Kaspersky and they currently have a bug where it slows IE down completely if I have Sun's Java installed. So I'm going to run it without Java for as long as possible. Thanks for the advice.
    ReplyDelete
  26. Good call on anonymous #1. I turned on installing active x controls wether signed or un-signed. Closed IE8. Re-opened and tried to get to microsoft update site and was booted out by DEP. Closed it again. Went back into IE8 and got straight through. And yes I did change my security settings back to medium. Great blog Paul.
    ReplyDelete
  27. Thanks so much Paul for your sharp analysis of
    the problem. I was in a bind after finally getting Sun Java current to install and to run, it blocked me from updating Adobe. I stepped through the minefield
    of warnings from Microsoft and deleted their Java. Voila, I was able to download all the hung
    Adobe programs I had deleted in a desperate attempt to get them to work. I was being crushed between two heartless
    mega-corporations and you showed me a way out.
    Thanks,
    Jerry
    ReplyDelete
  28. I executed MSJVM removal Tool that I downloaded from:

    http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/MSJVM-Removal-Tool.shtml

    and it solved my problem.
    ReplyDelete
  29. Thanks a million for this article! It saved me from drowning in Microsoft's poison.
    ReplyDelete
  30. "Anonymous said...
    I executed MSJVM removal Tool that I downloaded from:

    http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/MSJVM-Removal-Tool.shtml

    and it solved my problem."


    I did the same but I still have the problem.
    ReplyDelete
  31. Mesigma said...

    I had the same problem. I have found the solution today!... Under the Adobe.com site at the following:

    http://www.adobe.com/support/flashplayer/downloads.html#fp10

    and then to: Adobe Flash Player 10 ActiveX - Debugger Versions ... and just choose, depending what you are using.

    It works wonderfully since... What a relief!!
    Have a nice day.
    Mesigma
    ReplyDelete
  32. Well, it seems that actual issue was between memory protection and MS JVM. I removed MSJVM and enabled memory protection back and it works…
    ReplyDelete
  33. Yes, anonymous above, that is what the article says to do.
    ReplyDelete
  34. So here's the DEAL

    when i close IE8, Windows Live Messenger and Google Chrome, there hops a windows message telling me:

    "IE stopped working correctly
    a problem made the program to stop working correctly. Windows will close the program and inform you if there is a possible soluction"

    Then the only option that Microsoft Windows gives me is to close the program, but I already had closed it. 0.o

    So anyway,when i close it the appears a message on the task bar saying that DEP closed it for some reasons.

    I thought that by Disable all Add-ons, it would work perfectly again, but it didn't. So HELP ME OUT!!

    My System:
    Intel Pentium processor T4300 (2.1GHz)
    Nvidia GeForcecG105M (512 MB)
    4GB DDR3 RAM
    500GB HDD
    oh and it's a ACER Aspire 5738ZG

    Hope this helps /\
    ||
    ||
    ReplyDelete
  35. Dude, I don't even know what to say.
    I was having this crazy freakin thing happen when trying to install Adobe Flash Player and/or Shockwave from the Adobe site....it kept ending up with the same d@mn page as you posted (minus the DEP thing).

    I went to the MS site to get the removal tool.....and BLAMMO!, just as you knew, it wasn't available....then I used your other link to download it from softpedia and then went to try the installs and they worked just fine.

    Thank you very, very much for posting this fix.
    Send me a bill. I owe you one.
    ReplyDelete
  36. It worked for me. I previously did try to remove all addons, update, uninstall, reinstall, wipe out explore files, java files, flash, google tools/bar, MSN, multiple check for viruses & spywares...
    Thanks a million!
    ReplyDelete
  37. This also worked for me. This IE8/DEP crash is a problem that I have been trying to solve for days. Thanks for the post. Only thing suspicious is 2nd download link on http://www.softpedia.com/get/System/System-Miscellaneous/MSJVM-Removal-Tool.shtml which let me to a unsigned suspicious executable that did not work. (I've submitted the sample to VirusTotal with no known detection). I had to grab real MSJVM removal tool from majorgeeks.com which was confirmed to be signed by Microsoft.
    ReplyDelete
  38. Running the MSJVM removal tool was the key! What was really strange was that if I disabled all my add-ons it made no difference. If ran IE with add-ons disabled from System Tools then it worked fine. This sent me down the wrong path for a while.
    ReplyDelete
  39. it works!!!i solved my facebook upload problem!!
    ReplyDelete
  40. bernibaerchen,

    you're 100% correct - this solved it - thanks!
    ReplyDelete
  41. thanks bernibaerchen your fix worked for us and the problem was the progam norton password saver, if logged in we couldnt use ie8, if logged out could use ie8, the fix of yours allows us to use the password saver now and ie8 all ok, oouldnt turn it back on though
    ReplyDelete
  42. Drew...

    Norton Password Manager 2004 Is evil!

    I had problems right after I installed this on a Dell Mini 1012-XP Home.

    You have to love Dell...after they could not find a solution they were ready to send me to a PAID tech support! Kiss my ass! I told them and then they told me to hold crtl down during bios/dos page on start up and keep hitting F11 in order to restore my computer back to its "just bought" first time use condition.

    I tried the removal tool from said site and ofcourse nothing happened until I came upon the last comment before mine about Norton! I should have known! Norton no longer supports PW manager 2004 and that should be enough reason to not install it! The key code is useless so I can only use it for 15 days before it becomes inactive. I guess in 15 days I would have solved this issue after I add/remove the PW manager but this webpage helped me from a major cntrl alt del Dell recommended.
    ReplyDelete
  43. Before anyone gets into uninstalling MS JVM they should try the less drastic measures first.

    If your IE won't start because you get dumped out by a data protection error then go to Internet Settings in Control Panel, pick the Advanced Tab and press the button to Reset IE's settings. This will knock out all addons and settings. For the majority of cases this will solve the problem.
    ReplyDelete
  44. @Mobile Techie
    Not sure why you think removing an old an unsupported version of the MSJVM is a drastic measure. Disabling add-ons does not work for the majority of people suffering through this..if it did, there wouldn't people dozens of people - many technically apt, looking for a solution to this. I tried removing add-ons as well as the other 50 people at my company and it didn't work. Getting rid of the crappy old java did.
    ReplyDelete
  45. May God bless bernibaerchen,

    his suggestion to DISABLE Tools->Internet Options->Advanced->Settings->Security->"Enable memory protection to help mitigate online attacks*"

    made the trick to me.

    FYI: at http://support.microsoft.com/kb/826878 Microsoft won't let you download aymore the fix, I don't know why he says you must contact tech stuff.
    ReplyDelete
  46. Marco Demaio, you are everything that is wrong with IT. Quit looking for the magic button to click to make your error go away and actually try to figure out what's happening. Do you have even the slightest idea of what DEP is, and what's going to happen when you turn it off? And READ THE F**KING ARTICLE!!! They didn't say to contact tech support. They told you that's what Microsoft would say, and then they gave you a WORKING DOWNLOAD LINK!

    You might think you're a smart guy, but from what I see here, the world would be a hell of a lot better off it you would just keep your mouth shut, so why don't you just go over to the nearest corner and be smart on your own for a while? The rest of us have work to do.
    ReplyDelete
  47. DO NOT DISABLE MEMORY PROTECTION!!!

    Again:

    DO NOT DISABLE MEMORY PROTECTION!!!

    This is a BAD idea, since DEP is a big part of what keeps you safe online. If the deadbolt on your front door wasn't working right, would you consider removing the lock a fix? Don't be stupid. This is a security issue. Fix the issue. Don't turn off security.

    Again, DO NOT DISABLE MEMORY PROTECTION!
    ReplyDelete
  48. Great information, Paul. This solved my problem also. Who would have guess removing the MSJVM would be the fix? Every product MS releases is horse crap except for possibly MS Office which I think is a pretty bug free (at least in my experience).

    Bottom line is MS only cares about their damn bottom line (no pun intended).

    The big corporate rats can't be trusted (EVER!!). Open source reigns the IT world!!
    ReplyDelete
  49. bernibaerchen,

    Tools->Internet Options->Advanced->Settings->Security->"Enable memory protection to help mitigate online attacks*" DISABLE this!!!
    - this solved it - thanks!
    ReplyDelete
  50. Dear bernibaerchen,

    Many many thanks to you. I have solve my problem.
    ReplyDelete
  51. "Current version of Windows is not supported by this uninstaller."

    Lame! I see no other option than blowing my brains out now.
    ReplyDelete
  53. I had several websites that DEP closed IE9. After reading this I uninstalled Java then installed the current version. Problem solved. Thanks to all.
    ReplyDelete
  54. Thankyou so much
    This problem had been driving me nuts for 3 days
    Fixed it in seconds with your help
    Thanks again
    ReplyDelete
  55. Cool! Big tnx!
    ReplyDelete
  56. bernibaerchen,

    many thanks!
    ReplyDelete

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

Other Articles

Copyright © 2010 Paul Guenette and Matthew Sleno.