Internet Explorer 5.1.1 crash bug confirmed

Matt Smyj has found that Explorer 5.1.1 will occasionally crash OS X so severely that only restarting can fix it. He cites as an example the Evolution trailer on this page. Explorer crashed while the QuickTime movie was running. We tried it and had exactly the crash Matt described: sound begins to pulsate on and off; the picture halts and even a Force Quit cannot restore access to the OS. Matt notes that postings in the MacFixIt Forums (such as this one) have other users confirming this freeze - which may extend beyond QuickTime.

Update: More confirmations of the problem:

Jeff Johnson replies: "It's definitely not a QuickTime issue. The same thing happens on this page. The site will load, then 5-10 seconds later the music starts to play. A few seconds into the music/sounds, it will stutter and skip - at that point OS X is locked up (sound continues to skip/repeat). Only a reboot gets you out of this." [Note: We tried it; we got the crash!]

Scott Stevenson contends that QuickTime can still be the primary cause: "QuickTime is probably responsible for playing whatever sound is on the page."

Theo Maschas replies: "It's not just Explorer 5.1.1 that crashes OS X but OmniWeb 4.0/4.01, too. Try this CNN page. Click on QuickCast. Bingo after the pop up appears." [Note: This one did not happen when we tried it.]