Help needed with explorer.exe/iexplore.exe

[Goc]

Well, I have a bad situation on my hands. My Win2K machine at work got fubared. Explorer crashes randomly with an "Application error" mumbling something about memory could not be written or read while referencing memory at "0x00000000".

After two days of uninstalling various crap, spyware, adware and stuff that my smart co-workers installed on the machine, I'm still nowhere.
So I turn to you almighty MURC-ers! Any bright ideas what may be causing such a behaviour?
I already changed memory sticks, tried brand new ones (different kinds), tested all the hardware and everything seems to be OK. It happens on all user profiles.
I presume it's some kind of IExplorer add-on causing trouble. I have found some kind of extra toolbar called "Common name" that's in the advanced IExplorer options that was enabled, yet it did not show in any window.

Anyone had a similar experience? I would really like to save this instance of Windows without the need of a re-install or recovering an image, because there is also an Oracle installation present with different *.dll versions that work only in that combo with a custom application we are using in the company, and I would REALLY like to avoid the hassle of getting a new installation up and running with all the updates and patches needed to be installed in right order.

Help, PLEASE!

EDIT:
Forgot to mention that explorer.exe crashes almost always pop up a window about an error with Internet Explorer needing to be closed, regardless if it is running or not... I tried disabling script debugging in IE options as Microsoft suggested, and also installed service pack 5 for Visual studio 6.0 that could be causing this kind of behaviour, but still no go.

[WyWyWyWy]

If you have time to uninstall all that crap... you have time to do a repair install too!

It fixed many of the strange behaviour of XP!

[KeiFront]

Re: Help needed with explorer.exe/iexplore.exe

Originally posted by Goc
I already changed memory sticks, tried brand new ones (different kinds), tested all the hardware and everything seems to be OK.

Have you checked your memory with memtest? Maybe the memory slot is broken (I only suggest this because explorer is very picky about memory). Otherwise it could be some obscure plugin like you suggested.

[Goc]

Well, I've tried running only one slot at a time, and also both slots and it seems that it isn't caused by that... Damn...

[Goc]

Just one question....

Could Media player 9 result in such a behaviour? There are also few "funny" codecs installed that WMP9 might not like...

[agallag]

With problems like this, it's usually quicker to format and re-install everything than to actually hunt down the cause. You won't get the geek enjoyment that way, but it saves time

[Gurm]

Goc,

Not likely. And a reinstall is the best. You can even try an "in-place upgrade".

I have spoken.

- Gurm

[Sethos]

I might be tempted to try to download a new version of IE form MS and doing an install either clean or dirty...that could possibly fix some corrupt files or just start clean and fresh and all sparkely new!! (ok that was my moment of spring elation...)

~Sethos

[Goc]

Well, I guess I'll have to do the pesky re-install after all...

I have listened.

[arbymo]

Goc : try as Sethos suggested to reinstall IE, MSjava runtime, and MSHTML as well as windows scripting host