Firstly I would recommend you download and install another browser type. The system won't care which browser is used at any time, and in fact will work perfectly well with two different browsers open at the same time. Then, if anything happens to IE, you can still use the other browser.
Back to your problem, this can often be traced back to bad or corrupted Add-ons, so you can try an elimination test. In IE, goto Tools > Manage Add-ons, and work through the lists disabling then testing. it will take time, but maybe you will find the offending add-on that way.
Mark
I have a 2 year old Dell Vostro 1510 laptop computer with Windows Vista Premium but for about the last month while surfing the web I'll be on a web page then suddenly at the top of the page in parentheses it will say ( Not Responding ) and the page I'm on locks up so I then go to the upper right hand corner of my monitor's screen to click on the red "X" to close the page, the page I'm on suddenly turns white.
I can still see the information under the white on my computer's screen then a box pops up asking me if I want to restart the program, close the program, I usually select restart the program, then another box pops up saying Windows is searching to correct your problem, a green bar moves across the screen then finally another box pops up and asks me if I want to go to my homepage or restart my session. I usually select restart my session which will take me back to where I was at the beginning. This is beginning to get annoying. My browser on this computer is IE8. I scan regularly with Avast AV, SuperAntiSpyware and Malware Bytes. What could be causing this to occur so much as of late?

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