Internet Explorer 11 doesn't allow downloads and intermittantly crashes when I try.

Question

Hello,
I have Windows 7, 32 bit on a Dell laptop with 4Gb of RAM.  I've been primarily an IE user all along but I am now using Chrome and Firefox due to problems with IE 10 and 11.  Around the first of the year IE stopped letting me download anything
and sometimes crashes after the download bar says "filename could not be downloaded".  I have googled my fingers off and tried every remedy suggested, up to and including booting in safe mode with networking and running IE with no add-ons. 
My only assumption is that one of the MS updates is the underlying cause as I haven't made any hardware or software changes.  Any assistance would be greatly appreciated.  Below is the text of one of the crashes from the technical details of the
reliability monitor of the action center:
Source
Internet Explorer
Summary
Stopped working
Date
?2/?9/?2015 1:05 PM
Status
Report sent
Description
Faulting Application Path: C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe
Problem signature
Problem Event Name: BEX
Application Name: iexplore.exe
Application Version: 11.0.9600.17496
Application Timestamp: 546fddcc
Fault Module Name: StackHash_a7aa
Fault Module Version: 0.0.0.0
Fault Module Timestamp: 00000000
Exception Offset: 00000000
Exception Code: c0000005
Exception Data: 00000008
OS Version: 6.1.7601.2.1.0.256.48
Locale ID: 1033
Additional Information 1: a7aa
Additional Information 2: a7aa91f17ea749d42a4de3b390fa5b3d
Additional Information 3: a7aa
Additional Information 4: a7aa91f17ea749d42a4de3b390fa5b3d
Extra information about the problem
Bucket ID: 165922217
TIA

Answer 1

Hi Mikem,
This is typically due to incompatible add-ons or toolbars or an incompatible display adapter. Internet Explorer uses the graphics chipset for hardware acceleration and these issues might happen due to an older and/or incompatible driver.
Since you mentioned that you have tested under safe mode with no add-ons mode, we wonder if the problem still persists under safe mode. And when Internet Explorer not crash, did you get any message, error or the download just prompt won’t popup.
We suggest you remove all third party add-ons and temporarily stop Anti-Spyware, update your display driver then reset Internet Explorer Settings for good measure.
If resetting IE or removing Add-ons does not resolve the issue for you then it could be a compatibility issue with the Graphics card.
Under Internet Options, click the advanced tab. Under 'Accelerated Graphics', click on the checkbox next to 'Use software rendering instead of GPU rendering*'. Ensuring that it is checked, click on OK. Close Internet options.
How to remove add-ons in Internet Explorer
http://windows.microsoft.com/en-us/internet-explorer/manage-add-ons#ie=ie-11
Regards
D. Wu