andyr

Not quite sure if the issue is Explorer but it seems to happen with that app : certain sites / web pages seem to result in my HD audibly spinning up and task manager shows CPU use close to 100%
Eg I go into Ebay, access an item, fine, then hit the Back button and the page not display fully and the HD (I'm pretty sure it is that - it sounds like a fan spinning rapidly) starts making a heck of a noise and the page hangs. I can close that window using the RH x or use Task manager : task manager shows 2 versions of that specific page running - if I kill one of the pages via TM then both die off.
When I get the window closed I get the message about sending a report to Microsoft. I've tried looking at the 4 files that get created in the Temp directory but either can't read them (.hdmp and .mdmp files) or they tell me nothing (.txt file)

This is my PC at work so don't want to delve too deep but it's frustrating as hell.
I've defragged and cleared out my cookies, temp files and history files but no better in fact I think that that has now resulted in me having to enter usernames each time I visit websites / forums that I regularly use and which when I do enter these details I tick the 'remember me' option.

Other apps seem ok.
Other possibly related thing is that the AV we have (Symantec) tells me at startup that my virus definition is out of date but it is definately up to date plus it tells me that the Auto protect is not enabled but looking in the AV configuration is IS switched on !

I've done a full scan and machine seems clean.

Dodgy HD ? Dodgy spyware or other bit of s/w somewhere ?